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[Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax] January 6th 1868

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 14:01:11 -0800 (PST)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

I don't know whether to be amazed, astounded or just flatly sideswiped
by the realisation I had this morning, that this time last year I was
taking down the Christmas decorations in my apartment in Paris and now
here I am in the middle of the Torres Strait between Papua and
Australia on a sumbermisible machine!

But in the middle of the Torres Strait I am, and according to the
Captain will be for at least another three days. And so, with the
Captain's permission of course, I decided that I should have a look at
a nearby island and Conseil and Ned decided to join me as well.

And what did we see on this island? Well, it would be better to say
what we didn't see! Enormous trees, the trunks of which attained a
height of 200 feet, were tied to each other by garlands of bindweed,
real natural hammocks, which a light breeze rocked. They were mimosas,
figs, hibisci, and palm trees, mingled together in profusion; and under
the shelter of their verdant vault grew orchids, leguminous plants, and
ferns. But, without noticing all these beautiful specimens of Papuan
flora, the Canadian abandoned the agreeable for the useful. He
discovered a coco-tree, beat down some of the fruit, broke them, and we
drunk the milk and ate the nut with a satisfaction that protested
against the ordinary food on the Nautilus.

In fact we were so taken, that it was two o'clock in the afternoon
before we knew it! So we picked up as many edible things as we could
and have brought them back in the hope (albeit rather vain hope) that
the chef can manage to russle something up that will not make us want
to bring the contents back up again within six hours.


Ned, can't you wait a minute, you've made me lose the flow of my
narrative. What? A flying bird that's got lights in it's stomach.
You're talking nonsense, my lad. What? Flying overhead now. Okay, I'll
come and look but I am not convinced!

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax on
2/07/2010 09:52:00 PM

Received on Mon 08 Feb 2010 - 00:01:18 IST

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