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diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/basic/jules-verne-chapter5.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/basic/jules-verne-chapter5.tex new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..66ec47284bc --- /dev/null +++ b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/basic/jules-verne-chapter5.tex @@ -0,0 +1,200 @@ +\chapter{At a Venture} + +The voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked +by no special incident. But one circumstance happened which showed +the wonderful dexterity of Ned Land, and proved what confidence +we might place in him. + +The 30th of June, the frigate spoke some American whalers, +from whom we learned that they knew nothing about the narwhal. +But one of them, the captain of the Monroe, knowing that Ned Land had +shipped on board the Abraham Lincoln, begged for his help in chasing +a whale they had in sight. Commander Farragut, desirous of seeing +Ned Land at work, gave him permission to go on board the Monroe. +And fate served our Canadian so well that, instead of one whale, +he harpooned two with a double blow, striking one straight to the heart, +and catching the other after some minutes' pursuit. + +Decidedly, if the monster ever had to do with Ned Land's harpoon, +I would not bet in its favour. + +The frigate skirted the south-east coast of America with great rapidity. +The 3rd of July we were at the opening of the Straits of Magellan, level with +Cape Vierges. But Commander Farragut would not take a tortuous passage, +but doubled Cape Horn. + +The ship's crew agreed with him. And certainly it was possible +that they might meet the narwhal in this narrow pass. +Many of the sailors affirmed that the monster could not pass there, +``that he was too big for that!'' + +The 6th of July, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the Abraham Lincoln, +at fifteen miles to the south, doubled the solitary island, +this lost rock at the extremity of the American continent, to which +some Dutch sailors gave the name of their native town, Cape Horn. +The course was taken towards the north-west, and the next day the screw +of the frigate was at last beating the waters of the Pacific. + +``Keep your eyes open!'' called out the sailors. + +And they were opened widely. Both eyes and glasses, a little dazzled, +it is true, by the prospect of two thousand dollars, had not +an instant's repose. + +I myself, for whom money had no charms, was not the least +attentive on board. Giving but few minutes to my meals, +but a few hours to sleep, indifferent to either rain or sunshine, +I did not leave the poop of the vessel. Now leaning on the netting +of the forecastle, now on the taffrail, I devoured with eagerness +the soft foam which whitened the sea as far as the eye could reach; +and how often have I shared the emotion of the majority of the crew, +when some capricious whale raised its black back above the waves! +The poop of the vessel was crowded on a moment. The cabins +poured forth a torrent of sailors and officers, each with heaving +breast and troubled eye watching the course of the cetacean. +I looked and looked till I was nearly blind, whilst Conseil kept +repeating in a calm voice: + +``If, sir, you would not squint so much, you would see better!'' + +But vain excitement! The Abraham Lincoln checked its speed and made +for the animal signalled, a simple whale, or common cachalot, +which soon disappeared amidst a storm of abuse. + +But the weather was good. The voyage was being accomplished under +the most favourable auspices. It was then the bad season in Australia, +the July of that zone corresponding to our January in Europe, +but the sea was beautiful and easily scanned round a vast circumference. + +The 20th of July, the tropic of Capricorn was cut by 105d of longitude, +and the 27th of the same month we crossed the Equator on the 110th meridian. +This passed, the frigate took a more decided westerly direction, +and scoured the central waters of the Pacific. Commander Farragut thought, +and with reason, that it was better to remain in deep water, and keep +clear of continents or islands, which the beast itself seemed to shun +(perhaps because there was not enough water for him! suggested +the greater part of the crew). The frigate passed at some distance from +the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, crossed the tropic of Cancer, +and made for the China Seas. We were on the theatre of the last diversions +of the monster: and, to say truth, we no longer LIVED on board. +The entire ship's crew were undergoing a nervous excitement, of which I +can give no idea: they could not eat, they could not sleep--twenty times +a day, a misconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated +on the taffrail, would cause dreadful perspirations, and these emotions, +twenty times repeated, kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a +reaction was unavoidable. + +And truly, reaction soon showed itself. For three months, +during which a day seemed an age, the Abraham Lincoln furrowed +all the waters of the Northern Pacific, running at whales, +making sharp deviations from her course, veering suddenly +from one tack to another, stopping suddenly, putting on steam, +and backing ever and anon at the risk of deranging her machinery, +and not one point of the Japanese or American coast +was left unexplored. + +The warmest partisans of the enterprise now became its most +ardent detractors. Reaction mounted from the crew to the captain himself, +and certainly, had it not been for the resolute determination on the part +of Captain Farragut, the frigate would have headed due southward. +This useless search could not last much longer. The Abraham Lincoln +had nothing to reproach herself with, she had done her best to succeed. +Never had an American ship's crew shown more zeal or patience; +its failure could not be placed to their charge--there remained nothing +but to return. + +This was represented to the commander. The sailors could +not hide their discontent, and the service suffered. +I will not say there was a mutiny on board, but after a reasonable +period of obstinacy, Captain Farragut (as Columbus did) +asked for three days' patience. If in three days the monster did +not appear, the man at the helm should give three turns of the wheel, +and the Abraham Lincoln would make for the European seas. + +This promise was made on the 2nd of November. It had the effect of +rallying the ship's crew. The ocean was watched with renewed attention. +Each one wished for a last glance in which to sum up his remembrance. +Glasses were used with feverish activity. It was a grand defiance +given to the giant narwhal, and he could scarcely fail to answer +the summons and ``appear.'' + +\begin{equation} +E=mc^2 +\end{equation} + +Two days passed, the steam was at half pressure; a thousand +schemes were tried to attract the attention and stimulate +the apathy of the animal in case it should be met in those parts. +Large quantities of bacon were trailed in the wake of the ship, +to the great satisfaction (I must say) of the sharks. +Small craft radiated in all directions round the Abraham Lincoln +as she lay to, and did not leave a spot of the sea unexplored. +But the night of the 4th of November arrived without the unveiling of +this submarine mystery. + +The next day, the 5th of November, at twelve, the delay would +(morally speaking) expire; after that time, Commander Farragut, +faithful to his promise, was to turn the course to the south-east +and abandon for ever the northern regions of the Pacific. + +The frigate was then in 31@ 15' N. lat. and 136@ 42' E. long. +The coast of Japan still remained less than two hundred miles to leeward. +Night was approaching. They had just struck eight bells; +large clouds veiled the face of the moon, then in its first quarter. +The sea undulated peaceably under the stern of the vessel. + +At that moment I was leaning forward on the starboard netting. +Conseil, standing near me, was looking straight before him. +The crew, perched in the ratlines, examined the horizon which +contracted and darkened by degrees. Officers with their night +glasses scoured the growing darkness: sometimes the ocean sparkled +under the rays of the moon, which darted between two clouds, +then all trace of light was lost in the darkness. + +In looking at Conseil, I could see he was undergoing a little +of the general influence. At least I thought so. Perhaps for +the first time his nerves vibrated to a sentiment of curiosity. + +``Come, Conseil,'' said I, ``this is the last chance of pocketing +the two thousand dollars.'' + +``May I be permitted to say, sir,'' replied Conseil, ``that I never reckoned +on getting the prize; and, had the government of the Union offered a hundred +thousand dollars, it would have been none the poorer.'' + +``You are right, Conseil. It is a foolish affair after all, and one upon +which we entered too lightly. What time lost, what useless emotions! +We should have been back in France six months ago.'' + +``In your little room, sir,'' replied Conseil, ``and in your museum, sir; and I +should have already classed all your fossils, sir. And the Babiroussa would +have been installed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, and have drawn +all the curious people of the capital!'' + +``As you say, Conseil. I fancy we shall run a fair chance of being +laughed at for our pains.'' + +``That's tolerably certain,'' replied Conseil, quietly; ``I think +they will make fun of you, sir. And, must I say it---?'' + +``Go on, my good friend.'' + +``Well, sir, you will only get your deserts.'' + +``Indeed!'' + +``When one has the honour of being a savant as you are, sir, one should +not expose one's self to---'' + +\begin{equation} +E=mc^2 +\end{equation} + +Conseil had not time to finish his compliment. +In the midst of general silence a voice had just been heard. +It was the voice of Ned Land shouting: + +``Look out there! The very thing we are looking for---on +our weather beam!'' + + |