Did Captain Nemo distrust us in these frequented seas?or did he only wish to hide himself from the numerous vessels,of all nations,which ploughed the Mediterranean?
I could not tell;but we were oftener between waters and far from the coast.Or,if the Nautilus did emerge,nothing was to be seen but the pilot's cage;and sometimes it went to great depths,for,between the Grecian Archipelago and Asia Minor we could not touch the bottom by more than a thousand fathoms.
Thus I only knew we were near the I sland of Carpathos,one of the Sporades,by Captain Nemo reciting these lines from Virgil:
"Est Carpathio Neptuni gurgite vates,Caeruleus Proteus,"as he pointed to a spot on the planisphere.
It was indeed the ancient abode of Proteus,the old shepherd of Neptune's flocks,now the I sland of Scarpanto,situated between Rhodes and Crete.
I saw nothing but the granite base through the glass panels of the saloon.
The next day,the 14th of February,I resolved to employ some hours in studying the fishes of the Archipelago;but for some reason or other the panels remained hermetically sealed.Upon taking the course of the Nautilus,I found that we were going towards Candia,the ancient I sle of Crete.
At the time I embarked on the Abraham Lincoln,the whole of this island had risen in insurrection against the despotism of the Turks.
But how the insurgents had fared since that time I was absolutely ignorant,and it was not Captain Nemo,deprived of all land communications,who could tell me.
I made no allusion to this event when that night I found myself alone with him in the saloon.Besides,he seemed to be taciturn and preoccupied.
Then,contrary to his custom,he ordered both panels to be opened,and,going from one to the other,observed the mass of waters attentively.
To what end I could not guess;so,on my side,I employed my time in studying the fish passing before my eyes.
In the midst of the waters a man appeared,a diver,carrying at his belt a leathern purse.I t was not a body abandoned to the waves;it was a living man,swimming with a strong hand,disappearing occasionally to take breath at the surface.
I turned towards Captain Nemo,and in an agitated voice exclaimed:
"Aman shipwrecked!He must be saved at any price!"The Captain did not answer me,but came and leaned against the panel.
The man had approached,and,with his face flattened against the glass,was looking at us.
To my great amazement,Captain Nemo signed to him.
The diver answered with his hand,mounted immediately to the surface of the water,and did not appear again.
"Do not be uncomfortable,"said Captain Nemo."I t is Nicholas of Cape Matapan,surnamed Pesca.He is well known in all the Cyclades.
Abold diver!water is his element,and he lives more in it than on land,going continually from one island to another,even as far as Crete.""You know him,Captain?"
"Why not,M.Aronnax?"
Saying which,Captain Nemo went towards a piece of furniture standing near the left panel of the saloon.Near this piece of furniture,I saw a chest bound with iron,on the cover of which was a copper plate,bearing the cypher of the Nautilus with its device.
At that moment,the Captain,without noticing my presence,opened the piece of furniture,a sort of strong box,which held a great many ingots.
They were ingots of gold.From whence came this precious metal,which represented an enormous sum?Where did the Captain gather this gold from?and what was he going to do with it?
I did not say one word.I looked.Captain Nemo took the ingots one by one,and arranged them methodically in the chest,which he filled entirely.
I estimated the contents at more than 4,000lb.weight of gold,that is to say,nearly L200,000.
The chest was securely fastened,and the Captain wrote an address on the lid,in characters which must have belonged to Modern Greece.
This done,Captain Nemo pressed a knob,the wire of which communicated with the quarters of the crew.Four men appeared,and,not without some trouble,pushed the chest out of the saloon.Then I heard them hoisting it up the iron staircase by means of pulleys.
At that moment,Captain Nemo turned to me.
"And you were saying,sir?"said he.
"I was saying nothing,Captain."
"Then,sir,if you will allow me,I will wish you good night."Whereupon he turned and left the saloon.
I returned to my room much troubled,as one may believe.
Ivainly tried to sleep--I sought the connecting link between the apparition of the diver and the chest filled with gold.
Soon,I felt by certain movements of pitching and tossing that the Nautilus was leaving the depths and returning to the surface.
Then I heard steps upon the platform;and I knew they were unfastening the pinnace and launching it upon the waves.