Chapter 28 Chapter 4 The Red Sea

On January 29, with Ceylon out of sight in the distance, the Nautilus was traveling at twenty knots in the tortuous channel that separates the Maldives from the Laccadives.It travels along Gitan Island, which was originally a coral island. It was discovered by Fasco de Gama in 1499. It is one of the nineteen main islands of the Laccadive Islands, located at 10 degrees and 14 degrees 30 minutes north latitude. between 69 degrees and 50 degrees 72 minutes east longitude. Since we set out from the Sea of ​​Japan, we have traveled 16,220 nautical miles, or 7,500 miles. The next day, January 30, when the Nautilus surfaced, there was no land in sight.The ship headed north-northwest toward the Sea of ​​Oman, the sea between the Arabian and Indian islands and the outlet to the Persian Gulf.

It is clear that the Persian Gulf has no way out, it is an impassable gulf.So where is Captain Nemo taking us?I can't say.this point) The Canadian was very dissatisfied because he asked me that day where we were going. "Master Ned Land, we will go wherever the captain wishes to take us." "As the captain wants," replied the Canadian, "then he can't take us very far. There is no way out of the Persian Gulf. If we go in, we will soon be back the way we came." "Okay! Master Lan, let's just come back and cross the Persian Gulf. The Nautilus is going to go to the Red Sea. The Bab Ermante Strait is always there, and we can give it a way to sail through."

"Sir," Ned Land replied, "I don't need to tell you that the Red Sea is as impenetrable as the Persian Gulf, because the Suidi Gorge has not yet been dug through, and even if it were, we, a strange ship, would probably not be able to pass it through." It is convenient to venture among these waterways with dikes and locks. So the Red Sea is not the way to bring us back to Europe." "So, I'm just saying, we're probably going back to Europe." "Then how did you imagine it?" "I envisage that the Nautilus will return to the Indian Ocean after passing through the strange waters of Arabia and Egypt: either through the Mozambique Strait, or through the waters of the Mascarene Islands to the Cape of Good Hope."

"How about the Cape of Good Hope?" asked the Canadian with particular persistence. "Then we're going into an Atlantic we don't know. Friends! Are you tired of this underwater travel?Are you not moved by the strange and ever-changing sights of the seabed?It seems to me that this kind of travel is almost impossible for anyone to do in the future, and I really regret it if it ends like this. " "However," replied the Canadian, "Mr. Aronnax, do you know that we will be imprisoned on this Nautilus for almost three months?" "No, Ned, I don't know, I don't want to know, I don't count the days, and neither do I" Conclusion? "

"The conclusion will come one day. And we can't decide at all. It's useless for us to discuss it now. Honest Ned, if you come to me and say: "There is a chance to escape. "Then I'll come and discuss it with you. But that's not the case, and to tell you plainly, I don't think Captain Nemo will ever venture into European seas." In four days, until February 3, the Nautilus traversed the Sea of ​​Oman at various speeds and at various depths.The ship seemed to move at random, for it followed a very uncertain course, but it never crossed the Tropic of Cancer.

When we left the Sea of ​​Oman, we had a short time to get to know the city of Muscat, which is the most important city in Oman.I admire its singular appearance.But this was only a momentary feeling, the Nautilus soon dived into the deep water of the sea surface. Then, at a distance of six nautical miles from the shore, it sailed along the Arabian coast in the area of ​​Mara and Hadramaut, a coastline with undulating mountains and ancient ruins. In February and May we entered the Gulf of Aden, the true funnel of the Bab Elmante Strait, which pours the waters of the Indian Ocean into the Red Sea.

On February 6, the Nautilus surfaced and saw the port of Aden from a distance. The port was built on the sea and connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. I thought Captain Nemo was bound to turn back when he got to this place, but I was wrong, and to my surprise he didn't. The next day, February 7, we walked into the Bab Ermante Strait, which means "gate of tears" in Arabic.The strait was twenty nautical miles wide and only fifty-two kilometers long, for the Nautilus.It was but an hour's work to walk there at full speed, but I could see nothing, not even the island of Pirin, which was used by the British government to strengthen the defense of the port of Aden.A plethora of British and French ships, from Suez to Bombay, to Calcutta, to Melbourne to Bourbon, to Maurice, passed through the narrow strait, causing the Nautilus to float unmercifully.So it's careful to only drive underwater.

By noon, we were walking in the Red Sea. The Red Sea is a famous lake in the legend of the "Bible". It is not cool when it rains, and there is no big river flowing in. Excessive evaporation makes the water disappear continuously. On average, one and a half meters of water surface is lost every year!It was a strange bay, closed on all sides, which would have been completely dry long ago, according to the general conditions of lakes and marshes. I don't even want to know what Captain Nemo meant when he decided to bring us to this bay.I'm all for the Nautilus going into the Red Sea.

It travels at a moderate speed, sometimes surfacing, sometimes diving to the bottom, avoiding passing ships, so that I can observe this strange sea from both inside and above the water. On the morning of February 8, the Port of Mocha appeared before us. Then the Nautilus approached the coast of Africa, where the sea was much deeper.Here, in the midst of the crystal clear water, from the open panels I could contemplate the wondrous groves of brightly colored corals, the broad patches of rock covered with the rich green-green fur of kelp and blackhorn.These volcanic reefs and islets bordering the Libyan coast are laid out like a carpet, and the scenery is so varied that it is beyond description, beyond description!But the most beautiful place on the bottom of the sea, where these clumps of branched animals are displayed, is near the eastern coast, to which the Nautilus was about to sail.It was in the Tiehama coast area, because on this coast, not only are there layers of flower-like zoophytes under the sea surface, but these zoophytes are full of colorful mottled patterns at a water depth of about 20 meters. Like patterns, but the layer under the water changes more than the layer close to the water surface, and the color is duller, because the layer near the water surface is moistened by sea water and maintains bright colors.

I don't know how many pleasant hours I spent by the glass window in the living room!Under our electric searchlights, I don't know how many new species of animals and plants under the sea have been admired!There are amanitas; there are slate-colored bearded crags; especially crystal crags; there are tube corals, like a flute, waiting for Pan to play, and there are shells, which are special in the sea in this area, and grow in the cavities of reef-building corals. , the lower part is surrounded by very short screw patterns, and at the end there are thousands of water-like sponges. Those are ordinary sponges that I have not seen before.

The sponge class is the first class of the water extinguishing class, and this class is composed of this very useful novel product.Sponges are not plants, as some...biologists still admit.It is an animal, but of the lowest order, a lower species of coral than coral.Its animality is beyond doubt, and we cannot accept the opinion of the ancients that it is an intermediary between animals and plants.I will say, however, that there is no consensus among biologists as to the anatomy of the sponge.Some biologists say the sponge is a clump: others, like Mr. Edwards, think of it as a separate, single entity. There are about 300 species of sponges, most of them are found in the sea, and they also live in some freshwater streams, so they are called "river sponges".But the places where sponges "specially" breed are the Mediterranean Sea, the Greek Peninsula, the coast of Syria and the Red Sea. In this part of the sea, those soft and delicate sponges multiply rapidly, and are worth a hundred and fifty francs each, such as the golden sponge of Syria, the tough "sponge of Barbaria, etc. Since we are separated by the Soyet Gorge, go But in the past, it was impossible for me to study these zoophytes in the harbors of the Near East. I had to observe them in the Red Sea. Therefore, when the Nautilus slipped slowly in an average water layer of eight to nine meters, I called Conseil to come to me when I passed these beautiful rocks of the eastern coast. In the seawater of this area, there are various shapes of sponges, such as foot-shaped sponges, thirty-shaped sponges, spherical sponges, and finger-shaped sponges.Seeing these shapes of sponges, the fishermen who are more poets than scholars have given them wonderful names, such as flower basket, flower date, antelope horn, lion's hoof, peacock tail, Neptune's gloves, etc., are very appropriate .From their fibrous tissues attached with semi-liquid colloid, continuously flowed a thread of water, which brought life into each cell, and was then expelled by the contraction movement.This semi-liquid colloid ceases to secrete when the water is extinguished, and it decays at the same time, emitting ammonia gas.At this time, only the keratinous or glial fibers of the daily sponge are left.The knife sponge is dark brown and can be arranged for various purposes according to its elasticity, penetration or resistance to maceration. Attached to rocks, to the shells of molluscs, and to the stalks of snakes, these polyps smooth out the slightest bumps, some swing out, others stand up or hang down like coral-formed knobs. .I told Conseil that sponges can be taken in two ways, either with a dredge or by hand.The latter method uses diving cotton pickers. This method is better, because it does not damage the fibers of the polyps and can retain its high use value. Other zoophytes that breed next to the sponges are mainly jellyfish with beautiful shapes.Among the molluscs are various species of calamari, which, according to Albiny, are a specialty of the Red Sea.Among the reptiles there is the striped soft-shelled turtle belonging to the genus Turtle, which can provide a plate of healthy and delicious food on our table. " As for the fish; there are plenty of them, and they are quite noteworthy.Here are the fishes that the Novolius's nets frequently brought on board: gillfish, oval, masonry-coloured, and blue-and-dark-spotted jellyfish on the inside, with double teeth from them. The thorns can be recognized.The white-finned fish with a silvery white back, the red-melted fish with a small tail, and the golden tan fish, like a wide two-meter-long case, roll around in the middle of the water.Toothless Jesus, completely toothless, is a cartilaginous fish similar to a mackerel.The hump oyster, peaked by a curved spine, is a foot and a half long.Snakefish, like moray eels with silvery-white tails, pale blue backs, and brown breasts with gray borders.There are lightfishes, a species of the fin family, with narrow golden stripes, in the red, blue and white colors of the French flag.four-decimetre long wedge-shaped sclerosis; beautiful gallon, with jet-black six-barreled body, blue and yellow fins) and gold and silver scales.Then there's the scorpionfish, yellow-headed dolphinfish, hardfin sikafish, sea slugfish, swordfish, gobies, and a thousand other species of fish in every ocean we've ever walked. On February 9, the Nautilus surfaced in the widest part of the Red Sea, with Suakin on the west bank and Kohinda on the east bank, with a diameter of one hundred pills and ten nautical miles. At noon that day, after recording the direction of the ship on the map, Captain Nemo walked up to the platform, just as I was there.It was my intention to keep him from returning to the ship without some knowledge of his plans for the next voyage. As soon as he saw me, he came forward, gave me a pistachio very politely, and said to me: "Hey! Professor, do you like this Red Sea? Have you ever fully observed its pseudo-queer things? Its fishes and its phytophytes, its sponge beds and its coral forests? Have you ever seen the scattered A city by the sea?" "Yes, Captain Nemo," I replied, "the Nautilus is wonderfully suited for this kind of research. Ah! What a clever and intelligent ship the Noon is!" "Yes, sir, clever and bold, the fork is invulnerable! It is not afraid of the fierce storms of the Red Sea, nor its rough waves, nor its dangerous rocks." "Yes," said I, "the Red Sea is often called the most stormy sea, and if, I remember correctly, in ancient times, its reputation was a repulsive one. {"Mr. Aronnax, yes, it is annoying. The Greek and Latin historians did not say it was good. Sturabin said that the Red Sea is particularly difficult to navigate during the northerly wind and the rainy season. It is especially fierce. Edelisi the Arab used the name of Golzang Bay to write about the Red Sea. He said that many ships sank on its floating islands, and no one dared to venture at night. In his opinion, the sea was severely damaged The typhoon is falsely controlled, and there are small islands that damage ships everywhere, no matter under the sea or on the sea, it is not beneficial at all." "It's clear," I said right away, "that's because these historians didn't sail on the Nautilus." " "Yes," answered the captain with a smile, "in this regard, modern man has not advanced over ancient man.It took thousands of years to invent steam power! Who knows if there will be a second Nautilus in a hundred years! Ah Mr. Ronnas, progress is very slow. " "Indeed," I replied, "your ship is a century, or centuries, ahead of its time.How unfortunate that such a secret should die with its inventor, Captain Nemo did not answer me. After a few minutes of silence, I asked: "Captain, you seem to have studied this sea in particular, can you let me know the origin of the name Red Sea?" "Mr. Aronnax, there are many interpretations on this question. Would you like to know the opinion of a historian of the fourteenth century?" "Of course I'd like to know." "This visionary thinks that the name "Red Sea" came only after the Israelites crossed the sea, when Pharaoh's army pursued them to the sea, and the sea surged up at the voice of Moses and drowned the Pharaoh's army. In order to express this kind of magic, it became a bright red sea. Since then, it can no longer be called by other names except "Red Sea". " "Captain Nemo," I replied, "this is the poet's interpretation, and I cannot be satisfied. So I'm going to ask for your personal opinion. " "Mr. Aronnax, according to my opinion, we should regard the name of the Red Sea as a translation of the Hebrew word Edron. The ancients called it this name because the water of this sea has a special color. ." "However, until now, all I have seen are clear water waves, without any special color." "Of course," but when you step into the interior of the bay, you will see this strange phenomenon.I recall seeing Dole Bay once, completely red, like a lake of blood. " "Do you think the color is due to the presence of some microscopic algae in the sea?" "Yes. It's the vermilion goo produced by the tiny plants called trigonums, forty thousand of which cover an area of ​​one square centimeter. Maybe when we get to Door Bay, you You can see these plants." "Captain Nemo, isn't it the first time you have passed the Red Sea on the Nautilus?" "Not the first time, sir." "Well, you said above that the Israelites walked through the sea and the Egyptian army was submerged in the water. I want to ask you, have you ever seen any traces of this historical event under the sea?" "No, Professor, for an obvious reason." "What reason?" "It is the place where Cisi led his people. Now it is completely sandy, and the legs of the camels can hardly be soaked. You know very well that my Nautilus does not have enough water to sail through. There." "Where is this place?..." I asked. "This place is a little above Suez, in Haihan, which was once a deep estuary, for at that time the surface of the Red Sea still reached into these lagoons. I don’t care whether this waterway can produce miracles now, but in the past, the Israelites went to Palestine through this waterway, and it was here that Pharaoh’s army was submerged.So I think that if we do excavation work among these sandy soils, we will definitely find a large number of weapons and utensils made in Egypt. " "That's obvious," I replied, "and I hope that archaeologists will one day hurry up on this kind of excavation, because after the Suez transport is completed, many new cities will be built on this isthmus. For Nord The canal is of no use to a ship like the Lieus!" "Yes, but it is useful to the whole world," replied the captain. "The ancients knew very well that the establishment of communication between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean would be of great benefit to their commerce, but they did not think of digging a direct canal." , They used the Nile River as an intermediary. According to legend, this canal connecting the Nile River and the Red Sea probably began to exist in the dynasty of Xersos Tulis. The established fact is that in 615 BC, Negos A canal project was carried out to draw water from the Nile River and pass through the plains of Egypt facing Arabia. It takes four days to sail up the canal, and the width of the river is such that two boats with three rows of oars can run side by side without hindrance. The canal project was carried out by Iraqi Darius, the son of Tasby, continued it, and it was completed about the time of Putulian II. Sturabin saw the river used for navigation. But between the beginning of the canal near Bubasti and the Red Sea The slope of the bed is so steep that boats can be sailed only a few months of the year. Until the time of Antun, this canal has been a way of commercial trade: later, due to the abandonment of the canal by the order of Khalifa Emer, it was silted up, and then repaired Arise; in 761 or 762, Ali Muntor, the "Caliph," tried to prevent grain from reaching Muhammad bin Abidolah, who rebelled against him, and the canal was completely filled." "Captain, then, the canal that the ancients dared not dig, which connects the two seas and shortens the voyage from Cadiz to India by nine thousand kilometers, is now being constructed by de Lespes, and soon it will be Africa is going to be turned into a huge island." "Unfortunately," he added, "I cannot take you across the Suez Canal, but my husband, when we are in the Mediterranean, you can see the Causeway at Port Said." "In the Mediterranean!" I shouted. "Yes, Professor, does that seem strange to you?" "I find it odd that we'll be in the Mediterranean the day after tomorrow." "Why is it strange?" "Because the Nautilus passes the Cape of Good Hope, circles Africa, and is going to be in the Mediterranean the day after tomorrow, you must have it sail at incredible speed!" "Professor, who told you that it will go around Africa? Who told you that it will pass through the Cape of Good Hope?" "Unless it's traveling over land, and over the isthmus, then..." "Or go under, Mr. Aronnax." "Go under it?" "Of course," replied Captain Nemo in a very quiet tone, "for a long time what man has done on this tongue-shaped ground, nature has long since done under it." how!It turned out that there was a passage underneath! " "Yes, there is a tunnel down there, I call it the Arabian Tunnel. The tunnel is under Suez and leads to the Gulf of North Luth. " "Then, is the isthmus formed only by loosened sand?" "The part formed by the sand reaches a certain depth. But below fifty meters there is a layer of very solid immovable rock." "Did you discover this tunnel by chance?" I asked with growing wonder. "By chance, but also by reasoning, the professor, even the reasoning, is more than chance." "My heart listens to you, Captain, but my ears resist what it hears." "Sir! They have ears, but they can't hear", such people exist in all ages.This submarine tunnel not only exists, but I have also used it several times.If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be taking casual risks in this pathless Red Sea today. " "Aren't you taking the liberty to ask how you discovered this tunnel under the sea?" "Sir," replied the captain, "no secrets can exist among people who cannot be separated from each other." I ignored his pointed words, and waited for Captain Nemo's account of the matter.He said: "Professor, it was a biologist's simple reasoning that led me to discover this underwater tunnel that only I knew. I once noticed that there are certain fishes in the Red Sea and in the Mediterranean that are exactly the same, such as snake fish , car fish, winch fish, tuft fish, stupid fish, flying fish. After confirming this fact, I asked whether there is a traffic route between these two seas. If there is a traffic route, the groundwater flow is only due to The waters of the two seas are different, and they must flow from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. I therefore caught many fish off Suez, and I put copper snares on the tails of the fish, and released them into the sea. Some months later, on the coast of Syria, I found I caught some fish with a copper ring on the tail that I had let go before. So the idea that there is a passage between the two seas was confirmed. I used the Nautilus to find this passage, and finally found it. I have ventured through it too, Professor. Soon, you too will pass through my Arabian underwater tunnel!"