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diff --git a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/bellswhistles/jules-verne-chapter5.tex b/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/bellswhistles/jules-verne-chapter5.tex deleted file mode 100644 index 66ec47284bc..00000000000 --- a/Master/texmf-dist/doc/latex/gatech-thesis/julesverne/bellswhistles/jules-verne-chapter5.tex +++ /dev/null @@ -1,200 +0,0 @@ -\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!'' - - |