Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Discovery of the Tomb of Louis IX

The problem is clear that this large part of Algeria has sunk deep into the earth, not at all.Moreover, when the area fell, the cracked crust closed again, so those tall peaks did not leave a trace on the seabed.The sandy soil at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea has been replaced by a substance that is not yet clear. As for the cause of this upheaval, the people on the Dobrina ship still don't know anything.The problem now is to first figure out how big the affected area is. After some serious discussion, it was decided to continue east along the original African coast.The sea voyage these days has finally been relatively smooth.The weather is still fine, and this favorable moment must be taken advantage of.

From Cape Matifo to the Tunisian border, the original coast has disappeared.According to the sea city of Delis, the Zhurula Mountains - its highest peak is 2,300 meters, the city of Breuil, the Guraya Mountains lined with steep rocks, the Adraral Mountains, the Djela Mountains, the Petit Ka Mount Villa, known to the ancients as the seven coastal mountains in the Triton area - its highest peak is 1,100 meters, Koro City, the seat of the old Tuostantine Port, and Stella, the seat of the current Port Philipville The city and the city of Pawnee, which should be at the head of the forty-kilometer-wide bay, have all disappeared from the map.In addition, the Gardner Strait, the Ross Strait, the rounded summits of Mount Esserg, the rolling sand dunes of the coast.The city of Mafrag and the city of Gal, famous for its collection of corals, have also disappeared.The probe was lifted up from the water again and again, but it did not bring back any of the beautiful and colorful coral blocks unique to the Mediterranean.

The Earl of Iron Mashev then decided to continue sailing along the former Tunisian coast to the northernmost tip of Africa - Cape Bran.Here the sea has become very narrow, and only water separates the coast of Africa from Sicily, and there may be some exceptions. Thus, the Dobrina envoy came to thirty-seven degrees north latitude, and on February 7 crossed seven degrees east longitude. Earl Iron Mashev insisted on coming to this area for detection, also based on the following considerations: Under French influence, a new Sahara lake—though the project had long been abandoned—was finally dug.This project only restored Triton Lake, which was once visited by the warriors seeking the Golden Fleece, which greatly improved the climate in this area and facilitated the French monopoly of trade between Sudan and Europe.

Will repairing this ancient lake have any impact on this big change?This is something to figure out. At the same latitude as the Bay of Gabes, that is, the area at 34 degrees north latitude, there is now a grand canal passing through the low-lying area composed of salt lakes such as Kebir and Garza, and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.Twenty-six kilometers north of the Bay of Gabes, close to the Bay of Trier, there is an isthmus, which was later blocked, and the water on the depression had to be diverted to the ancient rivers, which, due to insufficient water, After arriving in Libya, it dried up due to the evaporation of the scorching sun.

A large part of Africa has suddenly subsided this time. Is the edge part in the Sahara Lake area?If so, wouldn't the Dobrina be able to see the coast of Tripoli after crossing the thirty-fourth degree north latitude? "When we get there," said Prokop, "if the south is still open to the sea, we have no choice but to go north, to the shores of Europe, to find the answer." The Dobrina was heading for Cape Brown at full speed, at full throttle, but neither Cape Negro nor Cape Sierra were in sight.The famous oriental city of Bizerte has disappeared together with its lakes and mountains and the hermit's tomb under the palm tree.The bottom of the sea is still flat, without any living things.

On February 7, the Dobrina crossed Cape Brown and entered what was originally the Gulf of Tunis.None of the hilly cities on the coast, the Fort of Arsene, the Port of Goulet, and the two peaks of Bucurna remain.Booth Point, which is located at the northernmost tip of Africa and faces Sisi Island far away, has also disappeared into the depths of the stratum together with the African continent. Before this major change, the seabed in the Mediterranean Sea was saddle-shaped with a steep slope.Here, the earth's crust suddenly bulges like a knuckle, becoming a barrier to the Libya Strait, which is only seventeen meters deep.But on both sides of the uplift, the water depth is 170 meters.Possibly at the beginning of the formation of the earth's crust, Cape Boone was united with Cape Fulina at the southern tip of Sicily, just as Ceuta and Gibraltar may have been united at first.

The second officer, Prokop, who knew the Mediterranean Sea like the back of his hand, was certainly not ignorant of this.So now is the time to see if this underwater bulge between Africa and Sicily still exists. Count Ironmashev, Captain Servadac, and Prokop all stood at the bow to watch the underwater survey. On the side of the ship, the sailor standing on the small stake used to fix the foremast, after hearing the order, put the detector into the water. "How deep is the water?" asked Prokop, the second mate. "Number Five," replied the sailor. "What about the seabed?"

"flat." Now it's time to see what the sides of this underwater ridge look like.Dobrina walked half a nautical mile to the left and right, and continued to explore the seabed. It was five fathoms deep on either side, and perfectly flat, the same everywhere.The underwater ridge between Cape Boone and Cape Fulina no longer exists.Obviously, this big change has leveled the bottom of the Mediterranean sea.The substance on the seabed is still some unidentifiable metal fines.Underwater creatures such as sponges, sea anemones, seaweed and shells that used to be common are gone. The Budorina turned around again and headed south.

In addition to these endless strange things, the sea was always empty, and there was never a ship in sight, otherwise they would have sailed at high speed to inquire about news about Europe.The Dobrina drifted with the wind on this uninhabited sea, and everyone felt very lonely. They wondered if they were the only survivors on the earth, and now they depended on each other on this Noah's Ark. On February 9, they reached Border East, where the ancient city of Biersa was located. In the evening, the setting sun had already fallen below the main line in the east. Captain Servadac was leaning on the side of the ship and lost in thought, but his eyes were still staring at the sky and the ocean casually.A few bright stars had appeared on the sky, and the waves on the sea gradually calmed down as the wind weakened.

Suddenly, he saw a bright light in the southern sky.He thought he was dazzled, so he looked carefully again. There is indeed a bright point of light in the distant sky.Another sailor also said that he saw it very clearly. He immediately told Count Ironmashev and Second Lieutenant Prokop about it. "Could it be land?..." Captain Servadac asked. "Perhaps a ship's mast light," said the count. "We'll see in an hour," the captain added. "Captain, let's talk about it tomorrow!" Prokop's second officer said. "Would you not like to sail thither and find out the situation?" asked the count.

"Yes, sir. I think it's better to wait until daylight. If the land is beautiful over there, I'm afraid it's not safe to sail at night." The Count nodded in agreement. Six hours is not a long time, but this night, everyone felt that the time passed very slowly.Captain Servadac had been standing on the deck staring at the faint light for fear that it would suddenly go out.But this light always shines in the darkness. "It's not moving at all," said Second Officer Prokop. "It looks more likely to be land than a ship." After the sun rose, everyone turned their telescopes to look there.The light soon disappeared in the morning light.But under the telescope, it can be clearly seen that there is a small island full of steep rocks six nautical miles away from them. "Perhaps it is the top of a mountain that has sunk to the bottom of the sea," said the count. Whatever it is, the situation has to be made clear.The Dobrina sailed there at full speed, and reached the vicinity of the island three quarters of an hour later. The small island is only about fifteen meters above the water surface, and it is covered with rocks and lifeless.It is likely to be the top of a mountain that emerged from the water after sinking to the bottom of the sea during this great change. "There are houses on the island!" Captain Servadac exclaimed suddenly. "It seems that there may be someone..." Second officer Prokop shook his head, thinking that such a desolate island could not be inhabited. But there is indeed a stone building on the island, much like the tomb of an Arab hermit. Servadac, the count, and Prokop then took a small boat, and with four sailors, they sailed swiftly to the island. As soon as they landed, they climbed up the steep rock until they came to the hermit's tomb. There is a surrounding wall around the tomb, and the wall is inlaid with fragments of vases, columns, statues, tombstones and other ancient objects in a haphazard manner. They walked along the wall until they came to a small door, which was wide open, and they entered. Then, there was another door, which was also open, so he entered the tomb smoothly.Some very crude arabesques were carved on the walls of the tomb. There is only one hall in the tomb, and a very simple ancient tomb stands in the center of the hall.A large silver lamp hung from the roof, with several liters of oil in it and a long wick. The light that Servadac saw at night was from this lamp. Senai is uninhabited.The gravekeeper may have fled to other places when the catastrophe came.When they went in, they disturbed some cormorants and wild birds, and saw that these birds flew south immediately. In one corner of the barrow sits an open scripture.The scriptures are written in French.The opening page recorded the grand occasion of the August 25th anniversary. Captain Servadac suddenly felt his heart light up.The position of the island in the Mediterranean and the opening page of that scripture immediately reminded him of this remarkable tomb. "Gentlemen, this is the tomb of St. Louis," he said. This is indeed the burial place of the French King Louis IX, who has been resting here for more than 600 years. Servadac then went to the grave and bowed deeply.The other two also stood in front of the tomb with respect for a long time. The lamp hanging above the mausoleum may now be the only lighthouse in the Mediterranean.After a while, though, it too will go out. The three of them boarded the boat and bid farewell to the island.The Dobrina continued south, and soon the tomb of Louis IX was out of sight.The mausoleum is probably the only place left intact by France's Tunisian colony from this upheaval.