The storm had thrown us far to the east, and all hope of escaping to New York or the St. Lawrence was gone. Poor Ned shut himself away, as alone as Captain Nemo. Conseil and I stayed together.
For some days the Nautilus wandered through the thick fogs south of Newfoundland, where the sea floor is covered with the wrecks of ships lost in the fog. One day, deep under the water, I saw a long dark line lying on the bottom. Conseil thought at first that it was a giant sea snake. It was the telegraph cable that joins Europe and America, lying quietly on the sea floor, covered with shells. Its first message from America to Europe, two years before, had been: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
We followed the cable toward Ireland. Was Captain Nemo going to approach the coast of Ireland? No. To my great surprise, he turned south. Ned had come out again now that we were near land, and he kept asking me where we were going. Would Captain Nemo show me the coast of France, as he had shown Ned the coast of America? But at the far western point of England, the Nautilus did not turn east. It went on south.
For a whole day the Nautilus moved in circles. It seemed to be searching for a place it could not quite find. At noon Captain Nemo came up to measure the height of the sun. He did not speak to me, and he looked gloomier than ever. Was it being so close to the shores of Europe? Did he remember the country he had left? I had a feeling that chance would soon show me his secret.
The next day, June 1, the Nautilus searched in the same way. The sea was beautiful and the sky was clear. Far to the east a large steamship could be seen. It flew no flag, and I could not tell which country it belonged to. Just before noon Captain Nemo took his instrument and watched the sun with great care. The sea was so calm that the Nautilus did not move at all.
I was on the platform when he finished, and I heard him say, “It is here.”
He went below. I wondered whether he had seen the steamship, which seemed to have changed course and to be coming toward us. I followed him to the salon. The shutters closed, the tanks filled with water, and the Nautilus sank straight down until it rested on the bottom, about eight hundred meters below the surface. Then the shutters opened, and the ship’s lamp lit up the sea all around us.
On one side there was nothing but empty water. But on the other side, on the sea floor, lay a large shape covered with white shells, as if with snow. When I looked closely, I saw that it was a ship without masts. It had sunk long ago.
What ship was it? Why had the Nautilus come to its grave? I did not know what to think, when I heard Captain Nemo’s slow voice beside me.
“Once this ship was called the Marseillais. It carried seventy-four guns, and it fought in many battles. In 1794 the French Republic gave it a new name. That spring it sailed with a French fleet that was protecting ships full of grain from America, and here it met the English fleet. Sir, today is June 1, 1868. Seventy-four years ago to the day, on this very spot, this ship fought like a hero. It had lost its three masts, water was pouring into it, and a third of its crew lay wounded. But it chose to sink with its 356 sailors rather than surrender. With its flag nailed to the stern, it went down under the waves to the cry of ‘Long live the Republic!’”
“The Avenger!” I cried.
“Yes, sir, the Avenger! A good name!” said Captain Nemo quietly, crossing his arms.
I could not take my eyes off him. He had begun the story coldly, like a historian, but at the end his voice had trembled with feeling, and the name of the ship had told me more than all his words. He stood with his hand held out toward the wreck, and his eyes were burning. Perhaps I would never know who he was or where he came from. But I saw now that it was not simply a dislike of other men that had shut him and his companions inside the Nautilus. It was a hatred, terrible or noble, that time could never weaken. Did that hatred still seek revenge? I was soon to find out.
Slowly the Nautilus rose, and the shape of the Avenger disappeared below us. Soon a gentle rolling told me that we were at the surface. At that moment we heard a dull boom.
I looked at the Captain. He did not move.