Jules Verne

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea Jules Verne

The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumours which agitated the maritimepopulation and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men wereparticularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe andAmerica, naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several States on the twocontinents, were deeply interested in the matter. For some time past vessels had been met by "an enormous thing," a long object, spindle-shaped, occasionally phosphorescent, and infinitely larger and more rapid in its movements than a whale. The facts relating to this apparition (entered in various log-books) agreed in most respects as tothe shape of the object or creature in question, the untiring rapidity of its movements, its surprisingpower of locomotion, and the peculiar life with which it seemed endowed. If it was a whale, itsurpassed in size all those hitherto classified in science. Taking into consideration the mean ofobservations made at divers times-rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this objecta length of two hundred feet, equally with the exaggerated opinions which set it down as a mile inwidth and three in length-we might fairly conclude that this mysterious being surpassed greatly alldimensions admitted by the learned ones of the day, if it existed at all. And that it DID exist was anundeniable fact; and, with that tendency which disposes the human mind in favour of themarvellous, we can understand the excitement produced in the entire world by this supernaturalapparition. As to classing it in the list of fables, the idea was out of the questio