I felt very happy when I touched the land. Ned Land stepped on the ground with his feet. He wanted to show that the land was his. We were on the Nautilus for two months. Captain Nemo said we were passengers. But really, we were prisoners of Captain Nemo.
We walked toward the trees. There was a large forest in front of us. The trees were very tall. Some were 200 feet high. Large plants grew between the trees. These plants were like hammocks (beds made of cloth or rope that hang between trees). We saw many types of palm trees and flowers.
Ned Land did not look at the flowers. Ned Land wanted to find food. He found a coco-tree (a tall tree that grows coconuts). He hit the fruit and it fell down. He broke the fruit open. We drank the milk and we ate the nut. We liked the coconut more than the food on the Nautilus.
Ned Land said the fruit was excellent. Conseil said it was wonderful. Ned Land wanted to take many coconuts to the boat. I told Ned Land to wait. We needed to find other things first. I wanted to find fresh vegetables for the Nautilus.
Conseil agreed with me. Conseil wanted to find three things. He wanted fruit, vegetables, and venison (meat from a wild animal). Ned Land was very hungry for meat. Ned Land said he was so hungry he could eat a person! Conseil was a little afraid of Ned Land.
We walked into the dark forest for two hours. We searched in every direction. Finally, we found a very useful tree. It was a bread-fruit tree (a tree with fruit that tastes like bread). This tree grows in hot places. Ned Land knew this fruit very well.
Ned Land made a fire with dry wood. Conseil and Professor Aronnax picked the best fruit. Some fruits were not ready. But many fruits were yellow and soft. Ned Land cut the fruit into thick pieces. He put the pieces over the fire.
Ned Land said the fruit was like delicious cake. It was better than bread. After a few minutes, the fruit was ready. The inside was white and soft. It tasted like an artichoke. We ate the bread-fruit and we liked it very much.
It was two o’clock in the afternoon. Ned Land was happy to be on the ground. We walked back through the forest. We collected more food. We found beans and yams (a vegetable like a potato). We carried the food to our small boat.
Ned Land saw more palm trees near the water. We took more fruit from those trees. At five o’clock, we went back to the Nautilus. No one was on the deck of the boat. The boat was very quiet. I went to my room and I slept well.
The next day was January 6th. The boat was still very quiet. We decided to go back to the island. Ned Land wanted to hunt for more animals. We left the Nautilus at dawn. We reached the island in a few minutes.
We followed Ned Land into the forest. We crossed some small rivers. We reached a high prairie (a large, flat land with grass but no trees). We saw many birds near the water. But the birds flew away when they saw us. These birds were afraid of humans.
We arrived at a small wood. We heard many birds singing. Conseil said there were only birds here. Ned Land said he could eat the birds. He saw many parrots (bright birds that can learn to speak). The parrots had many beautiful colors.
There was a very special bird on this island. It was the bird of paradise (a very beautiful bird with long, colorful feathers). These birds are very rare. We tried to hunt them. But we did not catch any birds. We used half of our bullets.
At eleven o’clock, we were very hungry. We had no meat. But then Conseil shot two pigeons. We roasted the pigeons over a fire. Ned Land also cooked more bread-fruit. The meal was very good. But Ned Land still wanted more meat.
We walked for one more hour. We reached a forest of sago trees. We saw some snakes, but they were not dangerous. Suddenly, Conseil gave a loud cry. He was very happy. He held a magnificent bird of paradise in his hand.
The bird did not move. It was "drunk." It ate too many nutmegs (a type of seed used as a spice). The juice from the seeds made the bird sleep. I looked at the bird. It had yellow, brown, and green feathers. It was beautiful.
At two o’clock, Ned Land saw a hog (a wild pig). He shot the animal with an electric ball. The pig died immediately. Ned Land was very proud. He cleaned the pig. He wanted to cook the meat for dinner.
Then, we saw a group of kangaroos (animals that jump on two strong legs). They jumped very fast. But Ned Land shot many of them. He was very happy. He said the meat would be excellent for the people on the Nautilus.
We returned to the shore at six o’clock. Our small boat was there. The Nautilus was two miles away in the sea. Ned Land started to cook the pig over the fire. The meat smelled very good. We had a great dinner with meat and fruit.
We drank coconut juice and felt very good. We were very happy on the island. Conseil asked if we should stay there. Ned Land said he never wanted to go back to the boat. But suddenly, a stone fell near us. Someone was watching us.