This room was the arsenal (a place where weapons are kept) of the ship. Many diving suits hung on the walls. Ned Land looked at the suits. He did not want to wear one.
Ned Land was disappointed. He wanted to find fresh meat on the land. He asked Professor Aronnax if the professor would wear the suit. Professor Aronnax said he must wear it.
Ned Land said he would not wear a suit. Captain Nemo said that was fine. No one forced Ned Land to go. Conseil said he would follow Professor Aronnax everywhere.
Two men from the crew helped them dress. The suits were made of thick rubber. They were very strong and heavy. They protected the men from the pressure of the water.
The trousers had thick boots. These boots had heavy lead on the bottom. The suit also had copper bands to protect the chest. The sleeves had gloves for the hands.
Captain Nemo and another strong man put on their suits. Conseil and Professor Aronnax did the same. Now they only needed to put on the metal helmets.
First, Professor Aronnax looked at the guns. The guns were made of steel and used air. A small box in the gun held twenty electric bullets. One bullet was always ready to shoot.
Professor Aronnax liked the gun. Captain Nemo said the ship was in shallow water. It was only about ten meters deep. Then they put the metal helmets on their heads.
Ned Land said, “Good luck,” but he was not happy. The helmet had three glass windows. Professor Aronnax could see in every direction. The air tank on his back started to work.
Professor Aronnax could breathe easily. He had a lamp on his belt and a gun in his hand. He felt very heavy. He could not move his feet on the floor.
The crew pushed them into a small room. This room was next to the first room. The door closed and it was very dark. Then they heard a loud hissing sound.
Cold water came into the small room. Soon the water filled the room. A second door on the side of the Nautilus opened. They walked out onto the bottom of the sea.
Everything was wonderful under the water. Captain Nemo walked first. His friend followed him. Professor Aronnax and Conseil stayed near each other.
Professor Aronnax did not feel the weight of the suit anymore. The water made him feel light. The sun was very bright through the water. He could see objects far away.
The water was very clear. Above him, he saw the calm surface of the sea. They walked on fine, smooth sand. The sand looked like a bright carpet.
The sun made the sand shine very brightly. For fifteen minutes, they walked on this sand. The Nautilus disappeared slowly behind them. But the ship’s light would help them find their way back.
Soon, they saw big rocks. These rocks had many beautiful sea animals on them. The sun hit the water at an angle. This made many beautiful colors like a prism (a piece of glass that breaks light into many colors).
Everything was green, yellow, orange, and blue. Professor Aronnax saw many sea flowers and plants. He saw sea-stars on the sand. He did not want to step on the beautiful shells.
Many jellyfish floated above their heads. Some were pink and some were blue. They walked for a quarter of a mile. Captain Nemo made signs with his hands.
Soon the sand changed to mud. Then they walked over a field of sea plants. It felt like a soft green carpet. There were many types of seaweed in the water.
Some plants were green and some were red. The green plants were near the surface. The brown and black plants were deep in the water. They walked for ninety minutes.
It was now noon. The sun was directly above them. The bright colors began to disappear. The ground went down into deeper water.
They were now one hundred meters deep. The light was a dark red color. It was like the sky before the night. But they could still see the path.
Captain Nemo stopped and waited for Professor Aronnax. He pointed to a dark shape in the distance. It was the forest of the Island of Crespo.