The next morning, Ned Land came into the room of M. Aronnax. Ned Land looked very disappointed. He was not happy because they did not escape. M. Aronnax told Ned Land that luck was not with them. Captain Nemo stopped the boat at the wrong time.
M. Aronnax explained why Captain Nemo stopped the boat. The Captain needed to get his gold from the bottom of the sea. M. Aronnax told Ned Land about the old ships in Vigo Bay. Ned Land was still angry. He wanted to find another chance to leave the Nautilus (the boat that travels under the water).
M. Aronnax looked at the compass (a tool that shows direction). The boat was moving south. They were moving away from Europe. At noon, the boat came to the surface. M. Aronnax and Ned Land went to the platform. They saw only the ocean. There was no land near them.
The boat was 150 leagues (a unit of distance; one league is about three miles) from the coast. Ned Land was very angry when he heard this. M. Aronnax was not as angry as Ned Land. M. Aronnax felt more relaxed now. He went back to his work.
That night, Captain Nemo visited M. Aronnax. He asked M. Aronnax to go on a special walk. Usually, they looked at the ocean during the day. Now, Captain Nemo wanted to show M. Aronnax the ocean at night. He said they would climb a mountain under the water.
M. Aronnax was very curious. He and Captain Nemo put on their diving-dresses. They did not take any lamps. Captain Nemo said they did not need them. M. Aronnax was surprised, but he followed the Captain. They stepped onto the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
It was nearly midnight. The water was very dark. But M. Aronnax saw a red light far away. It looked like a big fire. The light was two miles from the boat. This light helped them see the path. M. Aronnax heard a strange sound above his head.
It was the sound of heavy rain. The rain hit the surface of the ocean. M. Aronnax laughed to himself. He was under the water, but he was thinking about the rain. In his thick diving-dress, he did not feel the water. He felt like he was walking in thick air.
The ground became stony after thirty minutes. M. Aronnax saw small sea animals that gave off a little light. He used a stick with an iron point to help him walk. The seaweed on the ground was very sticky. He did not want to fall down.
The red light became brighter as they walked. M. Aronnax wondered about this fire. Was it a natural thing? Or were there other people living under the sea? He thought maybe Captain Nemo had friends here. He felt very excited by these ideas.
They arrived at a forest. But it was a forest of dead trees. The trees were petrified (turned into stone by the water). There were no leaves on the branches. It was a very strange sight. The trees looked like black paper against the red light.
Captain Nemo began to climb the mountain. M. Aronnax followed Captain Nemo. The path was very difficult. They walked over old tree trunks and rocks. M. Aronnax saw many fish in the branches. He did not feel tired because he was so interested.
They climbed higher and higher. M. Aronnax looked into deep, dark holes in the rocks. He saw many big eyes watching him. There were giant lobsters and crabs. He also saw large poulps (sea animals with many long arms, like an octopus). These creatures were very scary.
They reached a flat area on the mountain. M. Aronnax saw old ruins. There were piles of stone that looked like castles and temples. These buildings were made by people a long time ago. Now, seaweed covered the stones like a green coat.
M. Aronnax wanted to ask Captain Nemo about the ruins. But he could not speak under the water. He touched the Captain’s arm. Captain Nemo pointed to the top of the mountain. He wanted M. Aronnax to keep climbing. They reached the top a few minutes later.
The mountain was a volcano (a mountain that throws out hot rock). M. Aronnax looked down the other side. There was a large hole in the top of the mountain. Red lava (very hot, melted rock) came out of the hole. It fell down the mountain like a river of fire.
The lava was very bright. It lit up the whole area. There were no flames because there was no oxygen under the water. But the hot rock was white and glowing. This was the source of the red light. It showed a amazing scene below them.
M. Aronnax saw a ruined city on the valley floor. He saw broken roofs and fallen columns. He saw a large aqueduct (a long bridge built to carry water). It looked like a city from ancient times. It was like a city that was swallowed by the ocean.
M. Aronnax was very shocked. He had to know the name of this place. Captain Nemo took a piece of stone. He walked to a black rock and wrote one word: ATLANTIS (a famous, rich continent that sank into the sea long ago).
M. Aronnax finally understood. He was looking at the lost continent of Atlantis. People thought this place was only a story. But now, M. Aronnax saw it with his own eyes. He was walking where the first humans once lived.
Captain Nemo stood very still for one hour. He looked at the lost city. He seemed to be dreaming about the past. M. Aronnax also watched the city in the bright light of the lava. It was a very beautiful and sad sight.
Then the moon appeared above the water. Its light reached the bottom of the ocean. Captain Nemo stood up and looked at the city one last time. Then he told M. Aronnax to follow him. They began to walk back down the mountain.
They walked through the stone forest again. Soon, M. Aronnax saw the light of the Nautilus. It looked like a star in the dark water. They arrived at the boat just as the sun began to rise. They went inside and took off their diving-dresses.