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[Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax] January 29th 1868

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 05:11:56 -0800 (PST)
To: jvf~at~gilead.org.il

As you know, I have become increasingly worried about myself and my
friend's
safety the closer we get to British India, following my conclusion that
Captain Nemo is a member of the Hindoo religion (which is based in
British
India) and so when the Nautilus stopped yesterday morning off the coast
of
Ceylon and asked me if I would like to visit the island, I was naturally
concerned in case he was planning something. It turns out that I was
right,
but not in the sense I was thinking. The Captain invited me to join him
pearl fishing.
This, I have to admit, did take me slightly by surprise but agreed to
the
excursion thinking that if I kept an eye on him at all times he
couldn't do
anything. So you imagine when he asked me "By the bye, M. Arronax you
are
not afraid of sharks?", I did wonder how to answer. Again, I had him
completely wrong as he said he would provide everything to ensure our
safety
and then strolled off as if he had asked me to go for a walk along the
Seine.
Now, do not for a minute assume I was scared. I would happily hunt
bears in
the Swiss mountains, hunt lions in the plains of Northern Africa, but
hunting sharks in their natural environment was perhaps just a step too
far
and yet having given my consent I could hardly say "Sorry, I've had
second
thoughts, not to mention kittens!". Just then Ned and Conseil entered
and
Ned told me that the Captain had made them the same invitation with one
notable exception, no sharks!
Now, I will say this about Ned. Yes, he's very tall, broad and based on
his
past exploits one of the strongest people I have ever met, but he is
also
very curious and that's probably what I like about him the most. So
naturally he wanted to know about where we were going and so I explained
firstly about pearls "The pearl is nothing but a formation deposited in
a
globular form, either adhering to the oyster-shell or buried in the
folds of
the creature. On the shell it is fast: in the flesh it is loose; but
always
has for a kernel a small hard substance, maybe a barren egg, maybe a
grain
of sand, around which the pearly matter deposits itself year after year
successively, and by thin concentric layers" and then concluded by
saying
"Some are a perfect casket. One oyster has been mentioned, though I
allow
myself to doubt it, as having contained no less than a hundred and fifty
sharks". No sooner had I said the word than I realised my mistake,
however
Ned was even quicker so I was forced to retrace my steps and said "I
meant
to say a hundred and fifty pearls. Sharks would not be sense!". I think
I
managed to sidestep that little blooper as my British friends call it
and
continued with my explanation as to how pearls are removed. They
proceed in
various ways. When they adhere to the shell, the fishermen often pull
them
off with pincers; but the most common way is to lay the oysters on mats
of
the seaweed which covers the banks. Thus they die in the open air; and
at
the end of ten days they are in a forward state of decomposition. They
are
then plunged into large reservoirs of sea-water; then they are opened
and
washed"
Conseil then asked how pearls are valued. Now, I have to admit I have
not
looked into the details of the pearl market of late, but did know that
they
were valued based on size, shape, colour and lustre. I decided not to
mention the actual monetary value (either in francs or Canadian dollars)
just in case my friends got ideas above their stations but the mood
changed
when Conseil asked about the dangers. "No!" I said, "not dangerous at
all,
besides there are precautions you can take!". Ned suggested the worse
would
be a few gulps of sea water, to which I agreed and decided to try the
shark
suggestion again. Ned didn't seem bothered in the slightest, but Conseil
seems a little less than convinced but worked on the assumption that I
was
going to face them, then so should he.
So bright and early this morning, at 4.00am (or as my friend in Paris
would
say "See you in the morning!") the chief steward woke me up and we
headed,
not to the diving room as I had expected but onto deck where we all
clambered into a boat and powered by five very sturdy looking sailors,
we
arrived in the middle of a bay. The Captain invited us to put on our
diving
clothes (which I am still a little new at but managed without too many
problems) and noted that we all had small knives whilst Ned had the
biggest
harpoon I had ever seen. Clearly, he was not taking any chances and so
decided that it would be safe to jump in. Now, as I have explained
before
walking on the sea floor does take a little getting used to and I will
admit, I did manage to trip over twice but eventually I managed to
stabilise
myself and by sunrise we could see everything quite clearly and my word,
talk about impressive. The Captain pointed out to me a pearl that must
have
weighed over 600lbs (and would probably send the global pearl market
into a
frenzy if it was ever landed) so I did what any person would do. I made
a
grab for it. However the Captain wouldn't let me and with good reason
as a
second later the shell closed and it soon became clear why. This was the
Captain's own personal pearl and become ever bigger. I chuckled as I
thought
of what all those traders would make of it. However, a shadow crossed
across
me and my mind turned to sharks. Thankfully, it was a pearl fisher
doing his
daily chores. Then rather suddenly, he shot back to the surface. I
naturally
assumed that he had seen us and was frightened. I was part right as he
was
indeed frightened but of a shark which hit him straight in the chest
with
his tail and then bared down on him.
Now, I have to admit that for the next several moments I was a craven
coward. If I had the strength of Ned, or the courage of the Captain I
would
have joined them battling this brute but I stood rooted the spot. So
when
Ned plunged the harpoon straight into the shark and then helped the
Indian
back to his boat we all followed and clambered inside. The Indian was
not
breathing due to the length of time he was underwater, but thanks to the
Captain and Conseil they brought him back to life and I am convinced
that
when he opened his eyes his first reaction must have been sheer panic.
Here
were four copper suited people who had faces like him but almost
superhuman
powers of breathing presenting him with a bag of peals before diving
back
into the sea and heading for the shore. We made the shore with the sun
practically overhead and were collected by the boat where he changed
out of
our diving suits.
We headed back to the Nautilus and on the way we passed the shark that
Ned
had killed. No sooner had we passed it than a dozen other sharks
pounced on
it and devoured it. I have to admit I have been thinking about today's
events for sometime now and think I have drawn the following
conclusions.
One bearing upon the unparalleled courage of Captain Nemo, the other
upon
his devotion to a human being, a representative of that race from which
he
fled beneath the sea. In fact, here he is now. Captain, can I ask would
you
agree with those assessments? "That Indian, sir, is an inhabitant of an
oppressed country; and I am still, and shall be, to my last breath, one
of
them!" and he's just walked off. But hold on, that means I'm right, he
is a
Hindoo. But Hindoos don't rescue people do they? I am more confused
than I
was this morning to be honest. I will tell you this though, if that is
an
example of the heroism of Captain Nemo, then I for one would be more
than
happy to be rescued by him anyway

--
Posted By Harry Hayfield to Le Blog Personnel de Professeur Aronnax on
3/09/2010 01:11:00 PM

Received on Tue 09 Mar 2010 - 15:12:03 IST

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