I ran to the platform. I saw the open sea. There were some icebergs (large mountains of ice that float in the sea). Many birds were in the air. Many fish were in the water. The water was blue and green.
The temperature was 3°C. It felt like spring. We were behind a long iceberg. I saw its shape on the horizon (the line where the earth or sea meets the sky). I was very excited.
I asked Captain Nemo a question. "Are we at the South Pole?" Captain Nemo answered. "I do not know. I will check our position at noon."
I looked at the gray sky. I asked if the sun would show through the fog. Captain Nemo said he only needed a little light. A little light would be enough.
We saw an island ten miles to the south. The island was about one hundred meters high. We moved toward the island very carefully. The sea was dangerous. We reached the island in one hour.
We went around the island. It was a small island. Behind it, we saw a very large piece of land. We did not see the end of it. Maybe it was a continent (one of the very large areas of land on Earth).
Captain Nemo stopped the Nautilus near the shore. There were many large rocks. The crew put a small boat in the water. Captain Nemo, two men, Conseil, and I went into the boat.
It was ten in the morning. Ned Land was not there. Ned Land did not want to see the South Pole. He was in a bad mood. The men moved the boat to the sand.
Conseil wanted to jump out first. I stopped Conseil. I told Captain Nemo to go first. This was a great honor. Captain Nemo was the first person on this land.
Captain Nemo jumped onto the sand. He was very happy. He climbed a rock and looked at the land. He did not move or speak for five minutes. Then he told us to come on land.
The ground was red. It looked like crushed bricks. There was also lava from a volcano (a mountain with a hole at the top that can throw out hot rocks). I saw some smoke. The smoke smelled like sulfur.
I did not see any trees. There were some lichens (a very small plant that grows on rocks). I saw some red seaweed (a plant that grows in the sea) on the beach. There were also many small shells.
There were many birds. I saw penguins (birds that live in cold places and cannot fly). They were fast in the water. They were very slow on land. They made a lot of noise.
I also saw albatrosses (very large sea birds with long wings). Their wings were four meters wide. Other birds were on the rocks. They were not afraid of us. We walked near their feet.
Conseil saw many oily birds. I told Conseil people use them for lamps. People put a string in the bird and light it. Conseil said that was very useful.
Captain Nemo’s men hunted some birds for food. The birds were the size of a goose. They did not try to run away. It was easy to catch them.
The fog did not go away. At eleven o’clock, the sun was not there. I was worried. We needed the sun to find the South Pole. Captain Nemo was also impatient.
At noon, we could not see the sun. The fog turned into snow. Captain Nemo was quiet. He said we must wait until tomorrow. We went back to the Nautilus.
The snow storm continued the next day. We stayed inside the ship. I wrote my notes in the room. I could hear the birds outside in the storm. The Nautilus moved ten miles further south.
On March 20th, the snow stopped. It was colder now. The temperature was -2°C. The fog was moving away. I hoped for better weather. Captain Nemo did not come out yet.
Conseil and I went to the land. The ground was still volcanic. There were many birds. I also saw many seals (large sea animals with smooth fur and big eyes). They were resting on the ice.
The seals did not run away. They never saw humans before. There were thousands of them. I saw many different kinds of seals. Some were very big.
We saw sea elephants. They were a type of seal with a small trunk. They were ten meters long. They were very large and quiet. They did not move when we walked past.
Conseil asked if the animals were dangerous. I said they were safe. But they are dangerous if you hurt their babies. Then they can break a boat. Conseil said the animals were right to be angry.
We walked two miles further. We heard a loud noise. It sounded like many bulls. Conseil was surprised. I told him the noise was from walruses (large sea animals with two long teeth).
We climbed the black rocks. The rocks were very slippery because of the ice. I fell down many times. Conseil was very steady. Conseil helped me stand up again.
We reached the top of the hill. I saw a large white plain. It was covered with walruses. They were playing. The noise was a happy sound.
The walruses were yellow and red. They were four meters long. They were very quiet animals. It was now eleven o'clock. I wanted to see Captain Nemo.
We went back to the landing place. Captain Nemo was there. He stood on a rock with his instruments. He looked at the horizon. I stood near Captain Nemo and waited.
At noon, the sun did not appear. We were unlucky. Tomorrow was March 21st. This was the equinox (the day when the sun is exactly over the center of the Earth). After tomorrow, the sun would go away for six months.
If we did not see the sun tomorrow, we had to wait six months. I told Captain Nemo my fears. Captain Nemo said he had a plan. He was not worried.
Captain Nemo said he would use a chronometer (a very accurate clock). He said if the sun was on the horizon at exactly noon, we were at the South Pole. We went back to the ship.
On March 21st, I went to the platform at five in the morning. Captain Nemo was there. He said the weather was getting better. He was hopeful.
After breakfast, we went to the shore. The Nautilus was far from the coast. We saw many whales in the water. Some whales were very large. They threw water into the air.
We landed at nine o'clock. The sky was clear. The fog was gone. Captain Nemo walked toward a high peak. The walk was very hard. The rocks were sharp.
Captain Nemo climbed very fast. We reached the top in two hours. We looked at the sea and the ice. The sky was blue. The sun looked like a ball of fire.
In the distance, we saw the Nautilus. It looked like a small whale. Behind us was a land of rocks and ice. Captain Nemo prepared his instruments. He looked at the sun.
I held the chronometer. My heart beat fast. We watched the sun move down toward the sea. If it touched the sea at twelve o'clock, we were at the Pole.
"Twelve!" I cried. "The South Pole!" Captain Nemo said. The sun was exactly in the middle of the horizon. We were at the very bottom of the world.
Captain Nemo put his hand on my shoulder. He said the date was March 21, 1868. He said he now owned this land. No other human was here before.
Captain Nemo opened a black flag. It had a gold 'N' on it. He looked at the sun. The sun was disappearing. The long night was starting.
"Goodbye, sun!" Captain Nemo said. "Stay under the sea. Let the long night begin on my new land."