The Atlantic is a very large ocean. It covers many millions of miles. Many big rivers flow into this ocean. For example, the Amazon and the Mississippi rivers carry water there. Ships from every nation sail on these waters. There are two dangerous points in this ocean. Sailors fear Cape Horn and the Cape of Tempests.
The Nautilus (a boat that travels under the water) moved fast. In three months, it traveled a very long distance. This distance was more than the distance around the world. The boat left the Mediterranean Sea and went into the Atlantic Ocean. It came to the top of the waves. M. Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil went to the platform on top of the boat.
The boat was near the coast of Spain. A strong wind was blowing from the south. The waves were very big and the sea was rough. The Nautilus moved up and down violently. It was hard to stand on the platform because the water hit it. M. Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil breathed some fresh air. Then they went back inside the boat.
M. Aronnax went to his room. Conseil went to his cabin. Ned Land followed M. Aronnax. Ned Land looked very unhappy. He wanted to escape from the boat when they were in the Mediterranean Sea. But the boat moved too fast. Now Ned Land sat down and looked at M. Aronnax.
M. Aronnax spoke first. M. Aronnax said he understood Ned Land. But M. Aronnax said it was too dangerous to leave before. Ned Land did not answer. He looked very serious and angry. He only had one idea in his mind. He wanted to be free.
M. Aronnax told Ned Land not to lose hope. They were near Portugal and France. They could find safety there. M. Aronnax said Captain Nemo was not hiding from the world. In a few days, Ned Land could act safely. Ned Land looked at M. Aronnax. Then Ned Land said, "We will leave tonight."
M. Aronnax stood up quickly. He was very surprised. He wanted to answer Ned Land, but he could not find the words. Ned Land said the opportunity was here. The boat was near the coast of Spain. The night was cloudy and the wind was strong. Ned Land reminded M. Aronnax of his promise.
Ned Land came closer to M. Aronnax. Ned Land said the escape was at nine o'clock. He already told Conseil. At that time, Captain Nemo would be in his room. The crew would not see them. Ned Land and Conseil would go to the middle stairs. M. Aronnax must wait in the library for a signal.
Ned Land was ready. He had a small boat. He put oars, a mast, and a sail in it. He also took some food and water. He had a wrench (a metal tool used to turn or open parts of a machine). He would use it to open the bolts on the boat. Everything was ready for tonight.
M. Aronnax said the sea was very rough. Ned Land agreed. But Ned Land said they must take the risk. He said freedom was worth the danger. He hoped they would reach land by ten or eleven o'clock. Then Ned Land left the room. M. Aronnax was very quiet.
M. Aronnax had no time to think. He knew Ned Land was right. This was a good chance to escape. If they waited, Captain Nemo might take them far away from land. Suddenly, M. Aronnax heard a loud noise. The water tanks were filling. The Nautilus began to sink under the waves.
M. Aronnax had a very sad day. He wanted to be free. But he also wanted to stay on the Nautilus. He wanted to finish his study of the ocean. He felt very nervous for many hours. Sometimes he saw himself safe on land. Sometimes he hoped the plan would fail.
M. Aronnax went to the large room two times. He looked at the compass (a tool that shows which direction a boat is moving). The boat was still near the coast of Portugal. M. Aronnax prepared his things. He only had his notes. He did not have much luggage.
M. Aronnax thought about Captain Nemo. He wondered if the Captain would be angry. Captain Nemo was a good host. He was kind to M. Aronnax. But M. Aronnax did not promise to stay forever. He felt a little bad about leaving. But he wanted his freedom.
M. Aronnax did not see Captain Nemo for many days. He wanted to see him, but he was also afraid. He listened for the Captain in the next room. He heard nothing. The day felt very long. The hours passed very slowly. M. Aronnax was very impatient.
M. Aronnax ate a little dinner in his room. He finished at seven o'clock. He counted the minutes. There were 120 minutes left before he joined Ned Land. He could not sit still. He walked around his room. He was afraid Captain Nemo would catch them.
M. Aronnax wanted to see the large room one last time. He went down the stairs to the museum. He looked at all the treasures. He felt like a man leaving his home forever. He loved the art and the things from nature in that room. He was sad to leave them.
M. Aronnax walked through the room. He saw the door to Captain Nemo’s room. The door was open a little bit. M. Aronnax was surprised. He moved back so the Captain could not see him. But the room was empty. M. Aronnax looked inside. The room was very simple and clean.
Suddenly, the clock struck eight. The sound surprised M. Aronnax. He felt like someone was watching his secret thoughts. He ran out of the room. He looked at the compass again. The boat was moving north. It was 60 feet under the water.
M. Aronnax went to his room. He put on warm clothes. He wore sea boots and a coat made of sealskin (the warm fur of a sea animal). He was ready. He waited in silence. He only heard the sound of the boat's motor. He was very afraid. He tried to stay calm.
At nine o'clock, M. Aronnax listened at the Captain’s door. It was quiet. He went to the large room. It was dark and empty. He went into the library. He stood near the stairs and waited for Ned Land. This was the signal to leave.
Suddenly, the motor stopped. The boat was very quiet. M. Aronnax felt his heart beat fast. Then the boat hit the bottom of the ocean softly. M. Aronnax was worried. Ned Land did not give the signal. M. Aronnax wanted to find Ned Land and stop the plan.
Then the door of the large room opened. Captain Nemo appeared. He saw M. Aronnax. He spoke in a kind voice. Captain Nemo asked if M. Aronnax knew the history of Spain. M. Aronnax was very nervous. He could not think clearly. He said he knew only a little history.
Captain Nemo told M. Aronnax to sit down. He wanted to tell a story. He said the story would answer a big question. M. Aronnax listened. He wondered if the Captain knew about the escape plan. Captain Nemo began to talk about the year 1702.
Captain Nemo said there was a war in Spain. France, England, and Holland were fighting. Spain needed money for the war. They waited for ships from America. These ships carried gold and silver. A French Admiral protected the ships.
The ships went to Vigo Bay in Spain. They wanted to unload the gold. But the merchants in another city complained. They said only they had the right to the gold. So the ships stayed in the bay. They did not move the gold. This was a big mistake.
On October 22, the English ships arrived. There was a big battle. The French Admiral saw that he was losing. He did not want the English to have the gold. So he burned all the ships. The ships sank to the bottom of the bay with all the treasure.
Captain Nemo stopped talking. M. Aronnax did not understand why the story was important. Captain Nemo said they were now in Vigo Bay. He told M. Aronnax to follow him. They went to the large room. The Captain opened the windows.
M. Aronnax looked through the glass. The water was full of bright light. The sand was very clean. He saw men in diving-dresses (special suits that let people breathe under water). They were moving old boxes and barrels. These boxes were from the old shipwrecks.
Gold and silver fell out of the boxes. There were many ingots (heavy bars made of gold or silver). There were also many jewels and coins. The sand was covered in gold. The men carried the treasure to the Nautilus. M. Aronnax finally understood.
Captain Nemo was very rich. This was his secret. He took the gold that other people lost in the sea. He had a map of many shipwrecks. Captain Nemo asked if M. Aronnax knew the sea had such riches. M. Aronnax said he knew the sea had some money.
Captain Nemo smiled. He said it was easy for him to pick up this gold. M. Aronnax said that other people also wanted this treasure. A group of people in Spain wanted to find these ships. Captain Nemo said he already took the gold. There was nothing left for them.
M. Aronnax felt a little sad. He said this money could help many poor people. But now the money was just sitting in the boat. Captain Nemo became very excited. He asked M. Aronnax if he thought the money was lost. He said he did not collect the gold for himself.
Captain Nemo said he knew about the suffering in the world. He said there were many poor and unhappy people. He used the money to help them. Then the Captain stopped speaking. He looked like he said too much. M. Aronnax understood now.
Captain Nemo was a good man. He lived under the sea, but he still cared about people. He gave his gold to people who needed help. M. Aronnax remembered when the Captain sent money to people in Crete. He realized that Captain Nemo had a very kind heart.