20 The Final Escape

CHAPTER 20 The Final Escape For seven months, we had been prisoners on board the Nautilus. We had traveled seventeen thousand leagues. Ned finally said, "There is no reason why it shouldn't come to an end." Besides, Captain Nemo seemed to have changed lately. He wasn't as friendly or as helpful as he once was. He even seemed to ignore me. I rarely saw him. It used to be that

when he found something exciting in his studies he would rush to share it with me. Now he left me to my studies and never came to the saloon. What caused this change? There had been one terrible night in April that none of us would ever forget. A giant poulp, a fish more like a monster than a sea animal, had attacked our ship and killed one of our crew. This man was a good friend of Captain Nemo. I saw him crying more than once as he looked out over the waves. It was also at this time that Ned came to me with a strong request. "Professor," he said to me, "this must come to an end. Nemo is leaving land and going up to the north. But, I tell you, I have had enough of the South Pole. I will not follow him to the North." "What are you going to do, Ned?" "There are some places I could reach before we get too far," Ned said. "But no matter. I will

throw myself in the sea before continuing on this trip! You must talk to him!" I knew how serious Ned was. I was feeling more and more like him every day. I gave myself an hour then went to see the captain. "But we have been here seven months!" I said when the captain gave me a stern "no" right from the beginning. "I told you that whoever enters the Nautilus must never leave it," snapped the captain. We argued for a few minutes. It was pointless. I knew I would get nowhere. I told Ned we would have to plan our secret escape. We could wait no longer. The flight would be tonight, no matter what the weather was like. But the sky became more and more threatening. Signs of a hurricane began. Winds, fierce rains, and violent thunder and lightning rocked the ship. "We can still make it!" Ned said. As dangerous as it seemed, I decided to take the risk

with him. I gathered my notes, walked nervously through the saloon where the captain was, and went up onto the platform. The driving rain forced us back inside for a few minutes to talk. As we began our conversation, I felt the doors on the platform click and seal. Within seconds, I felt the Nautilus begin to sink. Once again our escape had been spoiled. The disappointment we felt made us sick. If what happened next hadn't happened, I think Ned would have jumped right into the icy water. For a quarter of an hour we watched a ship that was coming toward us. When it got close enough for us to feel hope, the shooting of guns brought fear and anger. "Why are they firing at us?" Ned cried. "It doesn't really matter," the captain said coldly. "They are asking for a fight." But for whatever reason, Captain Nemo stopped himself from firing right then. My friends and I all went to our cabins for the night.

Most of the evening passed without any action. At three in the morning, very nervous, I went to the platform. Captain Nemo had not left it. It took hours, but the captain finally did destroy the ship. As awful as it was, I almost wished I could have been there taking my chances in the fight with them. In the days to come, I actually lost track of time. I didn't know our speed or our location. We drifted and I didn't care where. I was becoming more and more like my friends. I wanted to get off the ship. "We are leaving tonight!" Ned said early one morning. We weren't sure of the country, the distance, or the weather, but we had promised ourselves that tonight was the night. My next hours were hard. I wanted to go to Captain Nemo and thank him. I wanted to let him know that I would never forget my time on his ship. But I also knew he would never let us off this ship alive. Instead, I

spent the time until ten o'clock in my room. At ten, I crept along the carpet in the hall and turned the saloon door quietly. Captain Nemo was sitting near the instruments. I had no choice. I had to go near him. As I did, he turned around. I could have sworn he had tears in his eyes. I wanted to reach out to him, but I couldn't. Instead, I rushed through the library, up the staircase, out the door, and into the small rowboat kept on board. I felt sure that the captain was not following me. "Let's go! Let's go!" I exclaimed. It was awful! The waves were rocking our boat up and down. The noise was loud enough that we couldn't hear one another talk. Letting go of the Nautilus and allowing our little boat to go free in the middle of the ocean seemed stupid at this point. But getting back out and facing the captain, who would surely be angry, seemed just as stupid. We really had no choice. My companions were trying to come up with ideas