TheNautilusresumeditsunruffledsouthboundheading. Itwentalongthe50thmeridianwithconsiderablespeed.Woulditgotothepole? Ididn'tthinkso,becauseeverypreviousattempttoreachthisspotontheglobehadfailed. Besides,theseasonwasalreadyquiteadvanced,sinceMarch13onAntarcticshorescorrespondswithSeptember13inthenorthernmostregions,whichmarksthebeginningoftheequinoctialperiod. OnMarch14atlatitude55°,Ispottedfloatingice,plainpalebitsofrubbletwentytotwenty–fivefeetlong,whichformedreefsoverwhichtheseaburstintofoam. TheNautilusstayedonthesurfaceoftheocean. HavingfishedintheArcticseas,NedLandwasalreadyfamiliarwiththesightoficebergs. ConseilandIweremarvelingatthemforthefirsttime. Intheskytowardthesouthernhorizon,therestretchedadazzlingwhiteband. Englishwhalershavegiventhisthename"iceblink." Nomatterhowheavythecloudsmaybe,theycan'tobscurethisphenomenon. Itannouncesthepresenceofapack,orshoal,ofice. Indeed,largerblocksoficesoonappeared,theirbrilliancevaryingatthewhimofthemists. Someofthesemassesdisplayedgreenveins,asifscrawledwithundulatinglinesofcoppersulfate. Otherslookedlikeenormousamethysts,lettingthelightpenetratetheirinsides. Thelatterreflectedthesun'sraysfromthethousandfacetsoftheircrystals. Theformer,tintedwithabrightlimestonesheen,wouldhavesuppliedenoughbuildingmaterialtomakeawholemarbletown. Thefartherdownsouthwewent,themorethesefloatingislandsgrewinnumbersandprominence. Polarbirdsnestedonthembythethousands. Thesewerepetrels,capepigeons,orpuffins,andtheircallsweredeafening. MistakingtheNautilusforthecorpseofawhale,someofthemalightedonitandproddeditsresonantsheetironwithpecksoftheirbeaks. Duringthisnavigatinginthemidstoftheice,CaptainNemooftenstayedontheplatform. Heobservedthesedesertedwaterwayscarefully.Isawhiscalmeyessometimesperkup. Inthesepolarseasforbiddentoman,didhefeelrightathome,thelordoftheseunreachableregions?Perhaps.Buthedidn'tsay. Hestoodstill,revivingonlywhenhispilot'sinstinctstookover. Then,steeringhisNautiluswithconsummatedexterity,heskillfullydodgedthemassesofice,someofwhichmeasuredseveralmilesinlength,theirheightsvaryingfromseventytoeightymeters. Oftenthehorizonseemedcompletelyclosedoff. Abreastoflatitude60°,everypassagewayhaddisappeared. Searchingwithcare,CaptainNemosoonfoundanarrowopeningintowhichhebrazenlyslipped,wellaware,however,thatitwouldclosebehindhim. Guidedbyhisskillfulhands,theNautiluspassedbyallthesedifferentmassesofice,whichareclassifiedbysizeandshapewithaprecisionthatenrapturedConseil:"icebergs,"ormountains;"icefields,"orsmooth,limitlesstracts;"driftice,"orfloatingfloes;"packs,"orbrokentracts,called"patches"whenthey'recircularand"streams"whentheyformlongstrips. Thetemperaturewasfairlylow.Exposedtotheoutsideair,thethermometermarked–2°to–3°centigrade. Butwewerewarmlydressedinfurs,forwhichsealsandaquaticbearshadpaidtheprice. Evenlyheatedbyallitselectricequipment,theNautilus'sinteriordefiedthemostintensecold. Moreover,tofindabearabletemperature,theshiphadonlytosinkjustafewmetersbeneaththewaves. Twomonthsearlierwewouldhaveenjoyedperpetualdaylightinthislatitude;butnightalreadyfellforthreeorfourhours,andlateritwouldcastsixmonthsofshadowoverthesecircumpolarregions. OnMarch15wepassedbeyondthelatitudeoftheSouthShetlandandSouthOrkneyIslands. Thecaptaintoldmethatmanytribesofsealsusedtoinhabittheseshores;butEnglishandAmericanwhalers,inafrenzyofdestruction,slaughteredalltheadults,includingpregnantfemales,andwherelifeandactivityonceexisted,thosefishermenleftbehindonlysilenceanddeath. Goingalongthe55thmeridian,theNautiluscuttheAntarcticCircleonMarch16neareighto'clockinthemorning. Icecompletelysurroundedusandclosedoffthehorizon. Nevertheless,CaptainNemowentfrompassagewaytopassageway,alwaysproceedingsouth. "Butwhere'shegoing?"Iasked. "Straightahead,"Conseilreplied."Ultimately,whenhecan'tgoanyfarther,he'llstop." "Iwouldn'tbetonit!"Ireplied. Andinallhonesty,Iconfessthatthisventuresomeexcursionwasfarfromdispleasingtome. Ican'texpresstheintensityofmyamazementatthebeautiesofthesenewregions.Theicestrucksuperbposes. Here,itsgeneraleffectsuggestedanorientaltownwithcountlessminaretsandmosques. There,acityinruins,flungtothegroundbyconvulsionsintheearth. Theseviewswerevariedcontinuouslybythesun'sobliquerays,orwerecompletelyswallowedupbygraymistsinthemiddleofblizzards. Thenexplosions,cave–ins,andgreaticebergsomersaultswouldoccurallaroundus,alteringthescenerylikethechanginglandscapeinadiorama. IftheNautiluswassubmergedduringtheselossesofbalance,weheardtheresultingnoisesspreadunderthewaterswithfrightfulintensity,andthecollapseofthesemassescreateddauntingeddiesdowntotheocean'slowerstrata. TheNautilusthenrolledandpitchedlikeashiplefttothefuryoftheelements. Often,nolongerseeinganywayout,Ithoughtwewereimprisonedforgood,butCaptainNemo,guidedbyhisinstincts,discoverednewpassagewaysfromthetiniestindications. Hewasneverwrongwhenheobservedslenderthreadsofbluishwaterstreakingthroughtheseicefields. Accordingly,IwassurethathehadalreadyriskedhisNautilusinthemidstoftheAntarcticseas. However,duringthedayofMarch16,thesetractsoficecompletelybarredourpath. Itwasn'ttheIceBankasyet,justhugeicefieldscementedtogetherbythecold. Thisobstaclecouldn'tstopCaptainNemo,andhelaunchedhisshipagainsttheicefieldswithhideousviolence. TheNautiluswentintothesebrittlemasseslikeawedge,splittingthemwithdreadfulcracklings. Itwasanold–fashionedbatteringrampropelledwithinfinitepower. Hurledaloft,icerubblefellbackarounduslikehail. Throughbruteforcealone,thesubmersiblecarvedoutachannelforitself. Carriedawaybyitsmomentum,theshipsometimesmountedontopofthesetractsoficeandcrushedthemwithitsweight,oratothertimes,whencoopedupbeneaththeicefields,itsplitthemwithsimplepitchingmovements,creatingwidepunctures. Violentsquallsassaultedusduringthedaytime. Thankstocertainheavymists,wecouldn'tseefromoneendoftheplatformtotheother. Thewindshiftedabruptlytoeverypointonthecompass. Thesnowwaspilingupinsuchpackedlayers,ithadtobechippedloosewithblowsfrompicks. Eveninatemperatureofmerely–5°centigrade,everyoutsidepartoftheNautiluswascoveredwithice. Aship'sriggingwouldhavebeenunusable,becauseallitstacklewouldhavejammedinthegroovesofthepulleys. Onlyacraftwithoutsails,drivenbyanelectricmotorthatneedednocoal,couldfacesuchhighlatitudes. Undertheseconditionsthebarometergenerallystayedquitelow.Itfellasfaras73.5centimeters. Ourcompassindicationsnolongerofferedanyguarantees. Thederangedneedleswouldmarkcontradictorydirectionsasweapproachedthesouthernmagneticpole,whichdoesn'tcoincidewiththeSouthPoleproper. Infact,accordingtotheastronomerHansteen,thismagneticpoleislocatedfairlyclosetolatitude70°andlongitude130°,orabidingbytheobservationsofLouis–IsidoreDuperrey,inlongitude135°andlatitude70°30'. Hencewehadtotransportcompassestodifferentpartsoftheship,takemanyreadings,andstrikeanaverage. Oftenwecouldchartourcourseonlybyguesswork,alessthansatisfactorymethodinthemidstofthesewindingpassagewayswhoselandmarkschangecontinuously. AtlastonMarch18,aftertwentyfutileassaults,theNautiluswasdecisivelyheldincheck. Nolongerwasitanicestream,patch,orfield—itwasanendless,immovablebarrierformedbyicemountainsfusedtoeachother. "TheIceBank!"theCanadiantoldme. ForNedLand,aswellasforeverynavigatorbeforeus,Iknewthatthiswasthegreatinsurmountableobstacle. Whenthesunappearedforaninstantnearnoon,CaptainNemotookareasonablyaccuratesightthatgaveourpositionaslongitude51°30'andlatitude67°39'south. ThiswasapositionalreadywellalongintheseAntarcticregions. Asfortheliquidsurfaceofthesea,therewasnolongeranysemblanceofitbeforeoureyes. BeforetheNautilus'sspurtherelayvastbrokenplains,atangleofconfusedchunkswithallthehelter–skelterunpredictabilitytypicalofariver'ssurfaceashortwhilebeforeitsicebreakup;butinthiscasetheproportionsweregigantic. Hereandtherestoodsharppeaks,leanspiresthatroseashighas200feet;fartheroff,asuccessionofsteeplycutcliffssportingagrayishtint,hugemirrorsthatreflectedthesparseraysofasunhalfdrownedinmist. Beyond,astarksilencereignedinthisdesolatenaturalsetting,asilencebarelybrokenbytheflappingwingsofpetrelsorpuffins. Bythispointeverythingwasfrozen,evensound. SotheNautilushadtohaltinitsventuresomecourseamongthesetractsofice. "Sir,"NedLandtoldmethatday,"ifyourcaptaingoesanyfarther..." "BecausenobodycancleartheIceBank.Yourcaptain'sapowerfulman,butdamnation,heisn'tmorepowerfulthannature.Ifshedrawsaboundaryline,thereyoustop,likeitornot!" "Correct,NedLand,butIstillwanttoknowwhat'sbehindthisIceBank!Beholdmygreatestsourceofirritation—awall!" "Masterisright,"Conseilsaid."Wallswereinventedsimplytofrustratescientists.Allwallsshouldbebanned." "Fine!"theCanadianputin."Butwealreadyknowwhat'sbehindthisIceBank." "Youmaybesureofthat,Ned,"Ianswered,"butI'mnot.That'swhyIwanttoseeformyself." "Well,Professor,"theCanadianreplied,"youcanjustdropthatidea! You'vemadeittotheIceBank,whichisalreadyfarenough,butyouwon'tgetanyfarther,neitheryourCaptainNemoorhisNautilus. Andwhetherhewantstoornot,we'llheadnorthagain,inotherwords,tothelandofsensiblepeople." IhadtoagreethatNedLandwasright,anduntilshipsarebuilttonavigateovertractsofice,they'llhavetostopattheIceBank. Indeed,despiteitsefforts,despitethepowerfulmethodsitusedtosplitthisice,theNautiluswasreducedtoimmobility. Ordinarily,whensomeonecan'tgoanyfarther,hestillhastheoptionofreturninginhistracks. Buthereitwasjustasimpossibletoturnbackastogoforward,becauseeverypassagewayhadclosedbehindus,andifoursubmersibleremainedevenslightlystationary,itwouldbefrozeninwithoutdelay. Whichisexactlywhathappenedneartwoo'clockintheafternoon,andfreshicekeptformingovertheship'ssideswithastonishingspeed. IhadtoadmitthatCaptainNemo'sleadershiphadbeenmostinjudicious. JustthenIwasontheplatform.Observingthesituationforsomewhile,thecaptainsaidtome: "Well,Professor!Whatthinkyou?" "Ithinkwe'retrapped,Captain." "Imeanwecan'tgoforward,backward,orsideways.Ithinkthat'sthestandarddefinitionof'trapped,'atleastinthecivilizedworld." "So,ProfessorAronnax,youthinktheNautiluswon'tbeabletofloatclear?" "Onlywiththegreatestdifficulty,Captain,sincetheseasonisalreadytooadvancedforyoutodependonanicebreakup." "Oh,Professor,"CaptainNemorepliedinanironictone,"youneverchange!Youseeonlyimpedimentsandobstacles!Ipromiseyou,notonlywilltheNautilusfloatclear,itwillgofartherstill!" "Farthersouth?"Iasked,gapingatthecaptain. "Yes,sir,itwillgotothepole." "Tothepole!"Iexclaimed,unabletokeepbackamovementofdisbelief. "Yes,"thecaptainrepliedcoolly,"theAntarcticpole,thatunknownspotcrossedbyeverymeridianontheglobe.Asyouknow,IdowhateverIlikewithmyNautilus." Yes,Ididknowthat!Iknewthismanwasdaringtothepointofbeingfoolhardy. ButtoovercomealltheobstaclesaroundtheSouthPole—evenmoreunattainablethantheNorthPole,whichstillhadn'tbeenreachedbytheboldestnavigators—wasn'tthisanabsolutelyinsaneundertaking,onethatcouldoccuronlyinthebrainofamadman? ItthendawnedonmetoaskCaptainNemoifhehadalreadydiscoveredthispole,whichnohumanbeinghadevertrodunderfoot. "No,sir,"heansweredme,"butwe'lldiscoverittogether.Whereothershavefailed,I'llsucceed. NeverbeforehasmyNautiluscruisedsofarintothesesouthernmostseas,butIrepeat:itwillgofartherstill." "I'dliketobelieveyou,Captain,"Iwentoninatoneofsomesarcasm."OhIdobelieveyou!Let'sforgeahead!Therearenoobstaclesforus!Let'sshatterthisIceBank! Let'sblowitup,andifitstillresists,let'sputwingsontheNautilusandflyoverit!" "Overit,Professor?"CaptainNemorepliedserenely."No,notoverit,butunderit." AsuddeninsightintoCaptainNemo'splanshadjustflashedthroughmymind.Iunderstood.ThemarveloustalentsofhisNautiluswouldbeputtoworkonceagaininthissuperhumanundertaking! "Icanseewe'restartingtounderstandeachother,Professor,"CaptainNemotoldmewithahalfsmile. "Youalreadyglimpsethepotential—myself,I'dsaythesuccess—ofthisattempt. Maneuversthataren'tfeasibleforanordinaryshipareeasyfortheNautilus. Ifacontinentemergesatthepole,we'llstopatthatcontinent. Butontheotherhand,ifopenseawashesthepole,we'llgotothatveryplace!" "Right,"Isaid,carriedawaybythecaptain'slogic. "Eventhoughthesurfaceoftheseahassolidifiedintoice,itslowerstrataarestillopen,thankstothatdivinejusticethatputsthemaximumdensityofsaltwateronedegreeaboveitsfreezingpoint. AndifI'mnotmistaken,thesubmergedpartofthisIceBankisinafour–to–oneratiotoitsemergingpart." "Verynearly,Professor.Foreachfootoficebergabovethesea,therearethreemorebelow. Nowthen,sincetheseicemountainsdon'texceedaheightof100meters,theysinkonlytoadepthof300meters. Andwhatare300meterstotheNautilus?" "Wecouldevengotogreaterdepthsandfindthattemperaturelayercommontoalloceanwater,andtherewe'dbravewithimpunitythe–30°or–40°coldonthesurface." "True,sir,verytrue,"Irepliedwithgrowingexcitement. "Oursoledifficulty,"CaptainNemowenton,"liesinourstayingsubmergedforseveraldayswithoutrenewingourairsupply." "That'sall?"Ianswered."TheNautilushashugeairtanks;we'llfillthemupandthey'llsupplyalltheoxygenweneed." "Goodthinking,ProfessorAronnax,"thecaptainrepliedwithasmile."ButsinceIdon'twanttobeaccusedoffoolhardiness,I'mgivingyouallmyobjectionsinadvance." "Justone.IfaseaexistsattheSouthPole,it'spossiblethisseamaybecompletelyfrozenover,sowecouldn'tcomeuptothesurface!" "Mydearsir,haveyouforgottenthattheNautilusisarmedwithafearsomespur?Couldn'titbelauncheddiagonallyagainstthosetractsofice,whichwouldbreakopenfromtheimpact?" "Ah,Professor,you'refullofideastoday!" "Besides,Captain,"Iaddedwithstillgreaterenthusiasm,"whywouldn'twefindopenseaattheSouthPolejustasattheNorthPole? Thecold–temperaturepolesandthegeographicalpolesdon'tcoincideineitherthenorthernorsouthernhemispheres,anduntilprooftothecontrary,wecanassumethesetwospotsontheearthfeatureeitheracontinentoranice–freeocean." "Ithinkasyoudo,ProfessorAronnax,"CaptainNemoreplied."I'llonlypointoutthatafterraisingsomanyobjectionsagainstmyplan,you'renowcrushingmeunderargumentsinitsfavor." CaptainNemowasright.Iwasoutdoinghimindaring! ItwasIwhowassweepinghimtothepole. Iwasleadingtheway,Iwasoutinfront...butno,yousillyfool! CaptainNemoalreadyknewtheprosandconsofthisquestion,anditamusedhimtoseeyouflyingoffintoimpossiblefantasies! Nevertheless,hedidn'twasteaninstant. Athissignal,thechiefofficerappeared. Thetwomenheldaquickexchangeintheirincomprehensiblelanguage,andeitherthechiefofficerhadbeenalertedpreviouslyorhefoundtheplanfeasible,becauseheshowednosurprise. Butasunemotionalashewas,hecouldn'thavebeenmoreimpeccablyemotionlessthanConseilwhenItoldthefineladourintentionofpushingontotheSouthPole. Hegreetedmyannouncementwiththeusual"AsMasterwishes,"andIhadtobecontentwiththat. AsforNedLand,nohumanshoulderseverexecutedahighershrugthanthepairbelongingtoourCanadian. "Honestly,sir,"hetoldme."YouandyourCaptainNemo,Ipityyouboth!" "Butwewillgotothepole,Mr.Land." "Maybe,butyouwon'tcomeback!" AndNedLandreenteredhiscabin,"tokeepfromdoingsomethingdesperate,"hesaidasheleftme. Meanwhilepreparationsforthisdaringattemptweregettingunderway. TheNautilus'spowerfulpumpsforcedairdownintothetanksandstoreditunderhighpressure. Nearfouro'clockCaptainNemoinformedmethattheplatformhatcheswereabouttobeclosed. ItookalastlookatthedenseIceBankweweregoingtoconquer. Theweatherwasfair,theskiesreasonablyclear,thecoldquitebrisk,namely–12°centigrade;butafterthewindhadlulled,thistemperaturedidn'tseemtoounbearable. Equippedwithpicks,sometenmenclimbedontotheNautilus'ssidesandcrackedloosetheicearoundtheship'slowerplating,whichwassoonsetfree. Thisoperationwasswiftlyexecutedbecausethefreshicewasstillthin.Weallreenteredtheinterior. Themainballasttankswerefilledwiththewaterthathadn'tyetcongealedatourlineofflotation.TheNautilussubmergedwithoutdelay. ItookaseatintheloungewithConseil. Throughtheopenwindowwestaredatthelowerstrataofthissouthernmostocean.Thethermometerroseagain. Theneedleonthepressuregaugeswervedoveritsdial. About300metersdown,justasCaptainNemohadpredicted,wecruisedbeneaththeundulatingsurfaceoftheIceBank.ButtheNautilussankdeeperstill.Itreachedadepthof800meters. Atthesurfacethiswatergaveatemperatureof–12°centigrade,butnowitgavenomorethan–10°.Twodegreeshadalreadybeengained. Thankstoitsheatingequipment,theNautilus'stemperature,needlesstosay,stayedatamuchhigherdegree. Everymaneuverwasaccomplishedwithextraordinaryprecision. "WithallduerespecttoMaster,"Conseiltoldme,"we'llpassitby." "Ifullyexpectto!"Irepliedinatoneofdeepconviction. Nowinopenwater,theNautilustookadirectcoursetothepolewithoutveeringfromthe52ndmeridian. From67°30'to90°,twenty–twoandahalf°oflatitudewerelefttocross,inotherwords,slightlymorethan500leagues. TheNautilusadoptedanaveragespeedoftwenty–sixmilesperhour,thespeedofanexpresstrain. Ifitkeptupthispace,fortyhourswoulddoitforreachingthepole. Forpartofthenight,thenoveltyofourcircumstanceskeptConseilandmeattheloungewindow. Theseawaslitbyourbeacon'selectricrays.Butthedepthsweredeserted. Fishdidn'tlingerintheseimprisonedwaters. HeretheyfoundmerelyapassagewayforgoingfromtheAntarcticOceantoopenseaatthepole.Ourprogresswasswift. Youcouldfeelitinthevibrationsofthelongsteelhull. Neartwoo'clockinthemorning,Iwenttosnatchafewhoursofsleep.Conseildidlikewise. Ididn'tencounterCaptainNemowhilegoingdownthegangways. Iassumedthathewaskeepingtothepilothouse. Thenextday,March19,atfiveo'clockinthemorning,Iwasbackatmypostinthelounge. TheelectriclogindicatedthattheNautilushadreducedspeed. Bythenitwasrisingtothesurface,butcautiously,whileslowlyemptyingitsballasttanks. Myheartwaspounding.Wouldweemergeintotheopenandfindthepolarairagain? No.AjolttoldmethattheNautilushadbumpedtheunderbellyoftheIceBank,stillquitethicktojudgefromthehollownessoftheaccompanyingnoise. Indeed,wehad"struckbottom,"tousenauticalterminology,butintheoppositedirectionandatadepthof3,000feet. Thatgaveus4,000feetoficeoverhead,ofwhich1,000feetemergedabovewater. SotheIceBankwashigherherethanwehadfounditontheoutskirts.Acircumstancelessthanencouraging. Severaltimesthatday,theNautilusrepeatedthesameexperimentandalwaysitbumpedagainstthissurfacethatformedaceilingaboveit. Atcertainmomentstheshipencounterediceatadepthof900meters,denotingathicknessof1,200meters,ofwhich300metersroseabovetheleveloftheocean. ThisheighthadtripledsincethemomenttheNautilushaddivedbeneaththewaves. Imeticulouslynotedthesedifferentdepths,obtainingtheunderwaterprofileofthisupside–downmountainchainthatstretchedbeneaththesea. Byeveningtherewasstillnoimprovementinoursituation. Theicestayedbetween400and500metersdeep. Itwasobviouslyshrinking,butwhatabarrierstilllaybetweenusandthesurfaceoftheocean! Bythenitwaseighto'clock.TheairinsidetheNautilusshouldhavebeenrenewedfourhoursearlier,followingdailypracticeonboard. ButIdidn'tsufferverymuch,althoughCaptainNemohadn'tyetmadedemandsonthesupplementaryoxygeninhisairtanks. Thatnightmysleepwasfitful.Hopeandfearbesiegedmebyturns.Igotupseveraltimes.TheNautiluscontinuedgroping. Nearthreeo'clockinthemorning,IobservedthatweencounteredtheIceBank'sunderbellyatadepthofonlyfiftymeters. Soonly150feetseparatedusfromthesurfaceofthewater. LittlebylittletheIceBankwasturningintoanicefieldagain. Themountainswerechangingbackintoplains. Myeyesdidn'tleavethepressuregauge. Wekeptrisingonadiagonal,goingalongthisshinysurfacethatsparkledbeneathourelectricrays. Aboveandbelow,theIceBankwassubsidinginlonggradients.Mileaftermileitwasgrowingthinner. Finally,atsixo'clockinthemorningonthatmemorabledayofMarch19,theloungedooropened.CaptainNemoappeared. 
