CHAPTER IV

THE RED SEA


In the course of the day of the 29th of January, the island

of Ceylon disappeared under the horizon, and the Nautilus,

at a speed of twenty miles an hour, slid into the labyrinth

of canals which separate the Maldives from the Laccadives.

It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land originally coraline,

discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the nineteen

principal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago, situated between

10@ and 14@ 30' N. lat., and 69@ 50' 72" E. long.



We had made 16,220 miles, or 7,500 (French) leagues from our starting-point

in the Japanese Seas.



The next day (30th January), when the Nautilus went

to the surface of the ocean there was no land in sight.

Its course was N.N.E., in the direction of the Sea of Oman,

between Arabia and the Indian Peninsula, which serves as an

outlet to the Persian Gulf. It was evidently a block without

any possible egress. Where was Captain Nemo taking us to?

I could not say. This, however, did not satisfy the Canadian,

who that day came to me asking where we were going.



"We are going where our Captain's fancy takes us, Master Ned."



"His fancy cannot take us far, then," said the Canadian.

"The Persian Gulf has no outlet: and, if we do go in, it will

not be long before we are out again."



"Very well, then, we will come out again, Master Land; and if,

after the Persian Gulf, the Nautilus would like to visit the Red Sea,

the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb are there to give us entrance."



"I need not tell you, sir," said Ned Land, "that the Red Sea is as much closed

as the Gulf, as the Isthmus of Suez is not yet cut; and, if it was, a boat

as mysterious as ours would not risk itself in a canal cut with sluices.

And again, the Red Sea is not the road to take us back to Europe."



"But I never said we were going back to Europe."



"What do you suppose, then?"



"I suppose that, after visiting the curious coasts of Arabia

and Egypt, the Nautilus will go down the Indian Ocean again,

perhaps cross the Channel of Mozambique, perhaps off the Mascarenhas,

so as to gain the Cape of Good Hope."



"And once at the Cape of Good Hope?" asked the Canadian,

with peculiar emphasis.



"Well, we shall penetrate into that Atlantic which we do not yet know.

Ah! friend Ned, you are getting tired of this journey under the sea; you are

surfeited with the incessantly varying spectacle of submarine wonders.

For my part, I shall be sorry to see the end of a voyage which it is given to

so few men to make."



For four days, till the 3rd of February, the Nautilus scoured

the Sea of Oman, at various speeds and at various depths.

It seemed to go at random, as if hesitating as to which road it

should follow, but we never passed the Tropic of Cancer.



In quitting this sea we sighted Muscat for an instant,

one of the most important towns of the country of Oman.

I admired its strange aspect, surrounded by black rocks

upon which its white houses and forts stood in relief.

I saw the rounded domes of its mosques, the elegant points

of its minarets, its fresh and verdant terraces. But it was only

a vision! The Nautilus soon sank under the waves of that part

of the sea.



We passed along the Arabian coast of Mahrah and Hadramaut,

for a distance of six miles, its undulating line of mountains

being occasionally relieved by some ancient ruin.

The 5th of February we at last entered the Gulf of Aden,

a perfect funnel introduced into the neck of Bab-el-mandeb,

through which the Indian waters entered the Red Sea.



The 6th of February, the Nautilus floated in sight of Aden,

perched upon a promontory which a narrow isthmus joins to the mainland,

a kind of inaccessible Gibraltar, the fortifications of which

were rebuilt by the English after taking possession in 1839.

I caught a glimpse of the octagon minarets of this town, which was at

one time the richest commercial magazine on the coast.



I certainly thought that Captain Nemo, arrived at this point,

would back out again; but I was mistaken, for he did no such thing,

much to my surprise.



The next day, the 7th of February, we entered the Straits

of Bab-el-mandeb, the name of which, in the Arab tongue,

means The Gate of Tears.



To twenty miles in breadth, it is only thirty-two in length.

And for the Nautilus, starting at full speed, the crossing was scarcely

the work of an hour. But I saw nothing, not even the Island of Perim,

with which the British Government has fortified the position of Aden.

There were too many English or French steamers of the line of Suez

to Bombay, Calcutta to Melbourne, and from Bourbon to the Mauritius,

furrowing this narrow passage, for the Nautilus to venture to show itself.

So it remained prudently below. At last about noon, we were in the waters of

the Red Sea.



I would not even seek to understand the caprice which had decided Captain Nemo

upon entering the gulf. But I quite approved of the Nautilus entering it.

Its speed was lessened: sometimes it kept on the surface, sometimes it dived

to avoid a vessel, and thus I was able to observe the upper and lower parts

of this curious sea.



The 8th of February, from the first dawn of day, Mocha came

in sight, now a ruined town, whose walls would fall at a gunshot,

yet which shelters here and there some verdant date-trees;

once an important city, containing six public markets,

and twenty-six mosques, and whose walls, defended by fourteen forts,

formed a girdle of two miles in circumference.



The Nautilus then approached the African shore, where the depth of the sea

was greater. There, between two waters clear as crystal, through the open

panels we were allowed to contemplate the beautiful bushes of brilliant

coral and large blocks of rock clothed with a splendid fur of green

variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and algae and fuci.

What an indescribable spectacle, and what variety of sites and landscapes

along these sandbanks and volcanic islands which bound the Libyan coast!

But where these shrubs appeared in all their beauty was on the eastern coast,

which the Nautilus soon gained. It was on the coast of Tehama, for there

not only did this display of zoophytes flourish beneath the level of the sea,

but they also formed picturesque interlacings which unfolded themselves about

sixty feet above the surface, more capricious but less highly coloured than

those whose freshness was kept up by the vital power of the waters.



What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon!

What new specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under

the brightness of our electric lantern!



The 9th of February the Nautilus floated in the broadest part of the Red Sea,

which is comprised between Souakin, on the west coast, and Komfidah,

on the east coast, with a diameter of ninety miles.



That day at noon, after the bearings were taken, Captain Nemo mounted

the platform, where I happened to be, and I was determined not to let him go

down again without at least pressing him regarding his ulterior projects.

As soon as he saw me he approached and graciously offered me a cigar.



"Well, sir, does this Red Sea please you? Have you sufficiently

observed the wonders it covers, its fishes, its zoophytes,

its parterres of sponges, and its forests of coral?

Did you catch a glimpse of the towns on its borders?"



"Yes, Captain Nemo," I replied; "and the Nautilus is wonderfully

fitted for such a study. Ah! it is an intelligent boat!"



"Yes, sir, intelligent and invulnerable. It fears neither

the terrible tempests of the Red Sea, nor its currents,

nor its sandbanks."



"Certainly," said I, "this sea is quoted as one of the worst,

and in the time of the ancients, if I am not mistaken,

its reputation was detestable."



"Detestable, M. Aronnax. The Greek and Latin historians

do not speak favourably of it, and Strabo says it is very

dangerous during the Etesian winds and in the rainy season.

The Arabian Edrisi portrays it under the name of the Gulf of Colzoum,

and relates that vessels perished there in great numbers on

the sandbanks and that no one would risk sailing in the night.

It is, he pretends, a sea subject to fearful hurricanes,

strewn with inhospitable islands, and `which offers nothing good

either on its surface or in its depths.'"



"One may see," I replied, "that these historians never sailed

on board the Nautilus."



"Just so," replied the Captain, smiling; "and in that respect

moderns are not more advanced than the ancients. It required

many ages to find out the mechanical power of steam. Who knows if,

in another hundred years, we may not see a second Nautilus?

Progress is slow, M. Aronnax."



"It is true," I answered; "your boat is at least a century before its time,

perhaps an era. What a misfortune that the secret of such an invention

should die with its inventor!"



Captain Nemo did not reply. After some minutes' silence he continued:



"You were speaking of the opinions of ancient historians upon

the dangerous navigation of the Red Sea."



"It is true," said I; "but were not their fears exaggerated?"



"Yes and no, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, who seemed to know the Red

Sea by heart. "That which is no longer dangerous for a modern vessel,

well rigged, strongly built, and master of its own course, thanks to

obedient steam, offered all sorts of perils to the ships of the ancients.

Picture to yourself those first navigators venturing in ships made

of planks sewn with the cords of the palmtree, saturated with

the grease of the seadog, and covered with powdered resin!

They had not even instruments wherewith to take their bearings, and they

went by guess amongst currents of which they scarcely knew anything.

Under such conditions shipwrecks were, and must have been, numerous.

But in our time, steamers running between Suez and the South Seas have

nothing more to fear from the fury of this gulf, in spite of contrary

trade-winds. The captain and passengers do not prepare for their

departure by offering propitiatory sacrifices; and, on their return,

they no longer go ornamented with wreaths and gilt fillets to thank

the gods in the neighbouring temple."



"I agree with you," said I; "and steam seems to have killed all gratitude

in the hearts of sailors. But, Captain, since you seem to have especially

studied this sea, can you tell me the origin of its name?"



"There exist several explanations on the subject, M. Aronnax.

Would you like to know the opinion of a chronicler of

the fourteenth century?"



"Willingly."



"This fanciful writer pretends that its name was given to it

after the passage of the Israelites, when Pharaoh perished

in the waves which closed at the voice of Moses."



"A poet's explanation, Captain Nemo," I replied; "but I cannot content

myself with that. I ask you for your personal opinion."



"Here it is, M. Aronnax. According to my idea, we must see

in this appellation of the Red Sea a translation of the Hebrew

word `Edom'; and if the ancients gave it that name, it was

on account of the particular colour of its waters."



"But up to this time I have seen nothing but transparent waves

and without any particular colour."



"Very likely; but as we advance to the bottom of the gulf, you will see

this singular appearance. I remember seeing the Bay of Tor entirely red,

like a sea of blood."



"And you attribute this colour to the presence of a microscopic seaweed?"



"Yes."



"So, Captain Nemo, it is not the first time you have overrun

the Red Sea on board the Nautilus?"



"No, sir."



"As you spoke a while ago of the passage of the Israelites and of

the catastrophe to the Egyptians, I will ask whether you have met

with the traces under the water of this great historical fact?"



"No, sir; and for a good reason."



"What is it?"



"It is that the spot where Moses and his people passed is now so blocked

up with sand that the camels can barely bathe their legs there.

You can well understand that there would not be water enough

for my Nautilus."



"And the spot?" I asked.



"The spot is situated a little above the Isthmus of Suez, in the arm

which formerly made a deep estuary, when the Red Sea extended to

the Salt Lakes. Now, whether this passage were miraculous or not,

the Israelites, nevertheless, crossed there to reach the Promised Land,

and Pharaoh's army perished precisely on that spot; and I think

that excavations made in the middle of the sand would bring to light

a large number of arms and instruments of Egyptian origin."



"That is evident," I replied; "and for the sake of archaeologists let us

hope that these excavations will be made sooner or later, when new towns

are established on the isthmus, after the construction of the Suez Canal;

a canal, however, very useless to a vessel like the Nautilus."



"Very likely; but useful to the whole world," said Captain Nemo.

"The ancients well understood the utility of a communication between

the Red Sea and the Mediterranean for their commercial affairs:

but they did not think of digging a canal direct, and took the Nile

as an intermediate. Very probably the canal which united the Nile

to the Red Sea was begun by Sesostris, if we may believe tradition.

One thing is certain, that in the year 615 before Jesus Christ,

Necos undertook the works of an alimentary canal to the waters

of the Nile across the plain of Egypt, looking towards Arabia.

It took four days to go up this canal, and it was so wide that

two triremes could go abreast. It was carried on by Darius,

the son of Hystaspes, and probably finished by Ptolemy II.

Strabo saw it navigated: but its decline from the point

of departure, near Bubastes, to the Red Sea was so slight

that it was only navigable for a few months in the year.

This canal answered all commercial purposes to the age

of Antonius, when it was abandoned and blocked up with sand.

Restored by order of the Caliph Omar, it was definitely destroyed

in 761 or 762 by Caliph Al-Mansor, who wished to prevent the arrival

of provisions to Mohammed-ben-Abdallah, who had revolted against him.

During the expedition into Egypt, your General Bonaparte discovered

traces of the works in the Desert of Suez; and, surprised by

the tide, he nearly perished before regaining Hadjaroth,

at the very place where Moses had encamped three thousand

years before him."



"Well, Captain, what the ancients dared not undertake, this junction

between the two seas, which will shorten the road from Cadiz to India,

M. Lesseps has succeeded in doing; and before long he will have changed

Africa into an immense island."



"Yes, M. Aronnax; you have the right to be proud of your countryman.

Such a man brings more honour to a nation than great captains.

He began, like so many others, with disgust and rebuffs;

but he has triumphed, for he has the genius of will.

And it is sad to think that a work like that, which ought to have

been an international work and which would have sufficed to make

a reign illustrious, should have succeeded by the energy of one man.

All honour to M. Lesseps!"



"Yes! honour to the great citizen," I replied, surprised by the manner

in which Captain Nemo had just spoken.



"Unfortunately," he continued, "I cannot take you through the Suez Canal;

but you will be able to see the long jetty of Port Said after to- morrow,

when we shall be in the Mediterranean."



"The Mediterranean!" I exclaimed.



"Yes, sir; does that astonish you?"



"What astonishes me is to think that we shall be there

the day after to-morrow."



"Indeed?"



"Yes, Captain, although by this time I ought to have accustomed myself

to be surprised at nothing since I have been on board your boat."



"But the cause of this surprise?"



"Well! it is the fearful speed you will have to put on the Nautilus,

if the day after to-morrow she is to be in the Mediterranean,

having made the round of Africa, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope!"



"Who told you that she would make the round of Africa and double

the Cape of Good Hope, sir?"



"Well, unless the Nautilus sails on dry land, and passes above the isthmus----"



"Or beneath it, M. Aronnax."



"Beneath it?"



"Certainly," replied Captain Nemo quietly. "A long time ago Nature made

under this tongue of land what man has this day made on its surface."



"What! such a passage exists?"



"Yes; a subterranean passage, which I have named the Arabian Tunnel.

It takes us beneath Suez and opens into the Gulf of Pelusium."



"But this isthmus is composed of nothing but quick sands?"



"To a certain depth. But at fifty-five yards only there is a solid layer of rock."



"Did you discover this passage by chance?" I asked more and more surprised.



"Chance and reasoning, sir; and by reasoning even more than by chance.

Not only does this passage exist, but I have profited by it several times.

Without that I should not have ventured this day into the impassable Red Sea.

I noticed that in the Red Sea and in the Mediterranean there existed a certain

number of fishes of a kind perfectly identical. Certain of the fact, I asked

myself was it possible that there was no communication between the two seas?

If there was, the subterranean current must necessarily run from the Red

Sea to the Mediterranean, from the sole cause of difference of level.

I caught a large number of fishes in the neighbourhood of Suez.

I passed a copper ring through their tails, and threw them back into the sea.

Some months later, on the coast of Syria, I caught some of my fish ornamented

with the ring. Thus the communication between the two was proved.

I then sought for it with my Nautilus; I discovered it, ventured into it,

and before long, sir, you too will have passed through my Arabian tunnel!"

****

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