 Book 1 Chapter 10 A Search for Algeria The Dabrina, a strong craft of two hundred tons burden, had been built in the famous ship-building yards in the Isle of Wight. Her sea-going qualities were excellent, and would have amply sufficed for a circumnavigation of the globe. Count Timoshev was himself no sailor, but had the greatest confidence in leaving the command of his yacht in the hands of Lieutenant Procope, a man of about thirty years of age, and an excellent seamen. Born on the Count's son of a surf, who had been emancipated long before the famous edict of the Emperor Alexander, Procope was sincerely attached, by a tie of gratitude as well as of duty and affection, to his patron's service. After an apprenticeship on a merchant ship, he had entered the Imperial Navy, and had already reached the rank of Lieutenant when the Count appointed him to the charge of his own private yacht, in which he was accustomed to spend by far the greater part of his time. Throughout the winter generally cruising in the Mediterranean, whilst in the summer he visited more northern waters. The ship could not have been in better hands. The Lieutenant was well informed in many matters outside the pale of his profession, and his attainments were alike creditable to himself and to the liberal friend who had given him his education. He had an excellent crew, consisting of Tiglu, the engineer, four sailors named Nygok, Tolstoy, Etkef, and Panofka, and Moshelle, the cook. These men, without exception, were all sons of the Count's tenants, and so tenaciously, even out at sea, did they cling to their old traditions, that it mattered little to them what physical disorganization ensued, so long as they felt they were sharing the experiences of their Lord and Master. The late astounding events, however, had rendered procope manifestly uneasy, and not the less so from his consciousness that the Count secretly partook of his own anxiety. Steam-up and canvas-spread the schooner started eastwards. With a favourable wind she would certainly have made eleven knots an hour, had not the high waves somewhat impeded her progress. Although only a moderate breeze was blowing, the sea was rough. A circumstance to be accounted for only by the diminution in the force of the earth's attraction rendering the liquid particles so buoyant that by the mere effect of oscillation they were carried to a height that was quite unprecedented. Once your Aragó has fixed twenty-five or twenty-six feet as the maximum elevation ever attained by the highest waves, and his astonishment would have been very great to see them rising fifty or even sixty feet. Nor did these waves in the usual way partially unfurl themselves and rebound against the sides of the vessel. They might rather be described as long undulations, carrying the schooner, its weight diminished from the same cause as that of the water, alternately to such heights and depths, that if Captain Servidak had been subject to seasickness he must have found himself in sorry plight. As the pitching, however, was the result of a long uniform swell, the yacht did not labour much harder than she would against the ordinary strong, short waves of the Mediterranean. The main inconvenience that was experienced was the diminution in her proper rate of speed. For a few miles she followed the line hitherto presumably occupied by the coast of Algeria, but no land appeared to the south. The changed positions of the planets rendered them of no avail for purposes of nautical observation, nor could Lieutenant Procope calculate his latitude and longitude by the altitude of the sun, as his reckonings would be useless when applied to charts that had been constructed for the old order of things. But nevertheless by means of the log, which gave him the rate of progress, and by the compass, which indicated the direction in which they were sailing, he was able to form an estimate of his position that was sufficiently free from error for his immediate need. Happily the recent phenomena had no effect upon the compass. The magnetic needle, which in these regions had pointed about twenty-two degrees from the north pole, had never deviated in the least, a proof that although east and west had apparently changed places, north and south continued to retain their normal position as cardinal points. The log and the compass, therefore, were able to be called upon to do the work of the sextant, which had become utterly useless. On the first morning of the cruise, Lieutenant Procope, who, like most Russians, spoke French fluently, was explaining these peculiarities to Captain Servodak, the count was present, and the conversation perpetually recurred, as naturally it would, to the phenomena which remained so inexplicable to them all. It is very evident, said the Lieutenant, that ever since the first of January the earth has been moving in a new orbit, and from some unknown cause has drawn nearer to the sun. No doubt about that, said Servodak, and I suppose that, having crossed the orbit of Venus, we have a good chance of running into the orbit of Mercury. And finish up by a collision with the sun, added the count. There's no fear of that, sir. The earth has undoubtedly entered upon a new orbit, but she is not incurring any probable risk of being precipitated onto the sun. Can you satisfy us of that, asked the count? I can, sir. I can give you a proof which I think you will own is conclusive. If, as you suppose, the earth is being drawn on so as to be precipitated against the sun, the great center of attraction of our system, it could only be because of the centrifugal and centripetal forces that caused the planets to rotate in their several orbits had been entirely suspended. In that case, indeed, the earth would rush onwards toward the sun, and in sixty-four days and a half the catastrophe you dread would inevitably happen. And what demonstration do you offer, asked Servodak eagerly, that it will not happen? Simply this, Captain, that since the earth entered her new orbit, half the sixty-four days has already elapsed, and yet it is only just recently that she has crossed the orbit of Venus, hardly one-third of the distance to be traversed to reach the sun. The lieutenant paused to allow time for reflection and added, moreover, I have every reason to believe that we are not so near the sun as we have been. The temperature has been gradually diminishing, and the heat upon Gurbie Island is not greater now than we might ordinarily expect to find in Algeria. At the same time we have the problem still unsolved that the Mediterranean has evidently been transported to the equatorial zone. Both the Count and the Captain expressed themselves reassured by his representations, and observed that they must now do all in their power to discover what had become of the vast continent of Africa, of which they were hitherto failing so completely to find a vestige. Twenty-four hours after leaving the island, the Dabrina had passed over the sites where Tennis, Cherquil, Coley, and Sidi Farouk once had been, but of these towns not one appeared within range of the telescope. Ocean reigned supreme. Lieutenant Procope was absolutely certain that he had not mistaken his direction. The compass showed that the wind had never shifted from the west, and this, with the rate of speed as estimated by the log, combined to assure him that at this date, the second of February, the schooner was in latitude thirty-six degrees, forty-nine minutes north, and longitude three degrees, twenty-five minutes east, the very spot which ought to have been occupied by the Algerian capital. But Algiers, like all the other coast towns, had apparently been absorbed into the bowels of the earth. Captain Servitak, with clenched teeth and knitted brow, stood sternly, almost fiercely, regarding the boundless waste of water. His pulse beat fast as he recalled the friends and comrades with whom he had spent the last few years in that vanished city. All the images of his past life floated upon his memory, his thoughts sped away to his native France, only to return again to wonder whether the depths of ocean would reveal any traces of the Algerian metropolis. Is it not impossible, he murmured aloud, that any city should disappear so completely? Would not the loftiest eminences of the city at least be visible? Surely some portion of the Kazba must still rise above the waves. The imperial fort, too, was built upon an elevation of seven hundred fifty feet. It is incredible that it should be so totally submerged. Unless some vestiges of these are found, I shall begin to suspect that the whole of Africa has been swallowed in some vast abyss. Another circumstance was most remarkable. Not a material object of any kind was to be noticed floating on the surface of the water. Not one branch of a tree had been seen drifting by, nor one spar belonging to one of the numerous vessels that a month previously had been moored in the magnificent bay which stretched twelve miles across from Cape Matavous to Point Pexade. Perhaps the depths might disclose what the surface failed to reveal, and Count Timashev, anxious that Servidaq should have every facility afforded him for solving his doubts, called for the sounding line. Fourth width the lead was greased and lowered. To the surprise of all, and especially of Lieutenant Procope, the line indicated a bottom at a nearly uniform depth of from four to five fathoms. And although the sounding was persevered with continuously for more than two hours over a considerable area, the differences of level were insignificant, not corresponding in any degree to what would be expected over the sight of a city that had been terraced like the seats of an amphitheater. Astounding as it seemed, what alternative was left but to suppose that the Algerian capital had been completely leveled by the flood? The sea-bottom was composed of neither rock, mud, sand, nor shells. Sounding lead brought up nothing but a kind of metallic dust which glittered with a strange iridescence, and the nature of which was impossible to determine, as it was totally unlike what had ever been known to be raised from the bed of the Mediterranean. You must see, Lieutenant, I should think, that we are not so near the coast of Algeria, as you imagined. The Lieutenant shook his head. After pondering a while he said, if we were farther away, I should expect to find a depth of two or three hundred fathoms instead of five fathoms. Five fathoms! I confess I am puzzled. For the next thirty-six hours, until the fourth of February, the sea was examined and explored with the most unflagging perseverance. Its depth remained invariable, still four or at most five fathoms, and although its bottom was assiduously dredged, it was only to prove it barren of marine production of any type. The yacht made its way to latitude thirty-six degrees, and by reference to the charts it was tolerably certain that she was cruising over the site of the Sahel, a ridge that had separated the rich plain of the Matigia from the sea, and of which the highest peak, Mount Bougere, had reached an altitude of twelve hundred feet. But even this peak, which might have been expected to emerge like an islet above the surface of the sea, was nowhere to be traced. Nothing was to be done but to put about, and return in disappointment toward the north. Thus the Sabrina regained the waters of the Mediterranean without discovering a trace of the missing province of Algeria. End of Book 1, Chapter 10, Recording by Eric Longman, Marietta, Georgia. Book 1, Chapter 11, of Off on a Comet. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Kev S. Off on a Comet by Jules Verne, Translated by Anonymous. Book 1, Chapter 11, An Island Tomb. No longer then could there be any doubt as to the annihilation of the considerable portion of the colony. Not merely had there been a submersion of the land, but the impression was more and more confirmed. Not only merely had there been a submersion of the land, but the impression was more and more confirmed that the very bowels of the earth must have yawned and closed again upon a large territory. Of the rocky substratum of the province it became more evident than ever that not a trace remained, and a new soil of unknown formation had certainly taken the place of the old sandy sea bottom. As it altogether transcended the powers of those on board to elucidate the origin of this catastrophe, it was felt to be incumbent on them at least to ascertain its extent. After a long and somewhat wavering discussion, it was at length decided that the schooner would take advantage of the favourable wind and weather, and proceed at first towards the east, thus following the outline of what had formally represented the coast of Africa, until that coast had been lost in boundless sea. Not a vestige of it all remained from Cape Matafaz to Tunis here at all gone, as though it had never been. The maritime town of Delis, built like Algiers amphitheater-wise, had totally disappeared. The highest points were quite invisible. Not a trace on the horizon was left of the Jajura train, the topmost point of which was known to have an altitude of more than 7000 feet. Unsparing of her fuel, the Dabrania made her way up full steam towards Cape Blanc. Neither Cape Negro nor Cape Serrat was to be seen. The town of Berserta, once charming in its Oriental beauty, had vanished utterly. Its marabout or temple tomb shaded by magnificent palms that fringed the gulf, which by reason of its narrow mouth had the semblance of a lake. All had disappeared, giving place to a vast waste of sea, the transparent waves of which, as still demonstrated by the sounding line, had ever the same uniform and arid bottom. In the course of the day, the schooner rounded the point where five weeks previously, Cape Blanc had been so conspicuous an object, and she was now steaming the waters of what would once been the Bay of Tunes. But Bay there was none, and the town from which it had derived its name, with the arsenal, the Galeta, and the two peaks of Boconin, had all vanished from the view. Cape Bonne too, the most northern promontory of Africa, and the point of the continent nearest to the islands of Sicily, had been included in the general devastation. Before the occurrence of the recent prodigy, the bottom of the Mediterranean, just at this point, had formed a sudden ridge across the Straits of Libya. The sides of the ridge had shelved to so great an extent that while the depth of the water on the summit had been little more than 11 fathoms, that on either hand of the elevation was little short of 100 fathoms. A formation such as this plainly indicated that at some remote epoch, Cape Bonne had been connected with Cape Fourenna, the extremity of Sicily, in the same manner as Kuwaita has doubt that's been connected with Gibraltar. The tenant procope was too well acquainted with the Mediterranean to be unaware of this peculiarity, and would not lose the opportunity of ascertaining whether the submarine ridge still existed, or whether the sea bottom between Sicily and Africa had undergone any modification. Both Timoshef and Servidate were much interested in watching the operations. At a sign from the lieutenant, a sailor who was stationed at the foot of the four shrouds, dropped the sounding lid into the water, and in reply to procopes with inquiries reported, five fathoms and a flat bottom. The next aim was to determine the amount of depression on either side of the ridge, and for this purpose the Dabrania was shifted for a distance of half a mile, both to the right and left. And the sounding was taken at each station. Five fathoms and a flat bottom was the unvaried announcement after each operation. Not only, therefore, was it evident that submerged chain between Cape Bonn and Cape Farina no longer existed, but it was equally clear that the convulsion had caused a general levelling of the sea bottom, and that the soil degenerated, as it has been said, into a metallic dust of unrecognised composition, bore no trace of the sponges, sea anemones, starfish, sea nettles, hydrophytes and shells with which the submarine rocks, the Mediterranean, had hid the tubing, prodigedly clothed. The Dabrania now put about and resumed her explorations in a southerly direction. It remained, however, as remarkable as ever how completely throughout the voyage the sea continued to be deserted. All expectations of hailing a vessel bearing news from Europe were entirely falsified, so that more and more each member of the crew began to be conscious of his isolation, and to believe that the schooner, like a second Noah's Ark, carried the sole survivors of a calamity that had overwhelmed the Earth. On the 9th of February, the Dabrania passed over the site of the city of Dido, the ancient Biasa Akathagi. However, which was now more completely destroyed than ever, Punic Cafe had been destroyed by Cybio-Africanus or Roman Carthage by Hasan the Saracen. In the evening, as the sun was sinking below the eastern horizon, Captain Servadak was lounging moodily against the tariff rail. From the heaven above, where stars kept peeping fitfully from behind the moving clouds, his eye wandered mechanically to the waters below, where the long waves were rising and falling with the evening breeze. All at once his attention was arrested by a luminous speck straight ahead on the southern horizon. At first, imagining that he was the victim of some spectral illusion, he observed that was silent attention. But when, after some minutes, he became convinced that what he saw was actually a distant light, he appealed to one of the sailors by whom his impression was fully corroborated. The intelligence was immediately imparted to Count Timosheff and the lieutenant. Is it land, do you suppose? Invite Servadak eagerly. I should be more inclined to think it is a light upon board some ship, replied the Count. Whatever it is, in another hour we shall know all about it, said Servadak. No, Captain, interposed Lieutenant Procope, we shall know nothing until tomorrow. What, not bear down upon it at once, asked the Count in surprise. No, sir, I should much rather lay to and wait till daylight. If we are really near land, I should be afraid to approach it in the dark. The Count expressed his approver of the lieutenant's caution, and thereupon all sail was shortened so as to keep the Duprenia from making any considerable progress all through the hours of the night. Few as those hours were, they seemed to those on board as if their end would never come. Fearful, lest the faint glimmer should at any moment cease to be visible, Hector Servadak did not quit his post upon the deck, but the light continued unchanged. It shone with about the same degree of contrast as a star of the second magnitude, and from the fact of its remaining stationary, Procope became more and more convinced that it was on land and did not belong to a passing vessel. At sunrise, every telescope was pointed with keenest interest towards the centre of attraction. The light, of course, had ceased to be visible, but in the direction where it had been seen, and at a distance of about ten miles, there was the distinct outline of a solitary island of very small extent. Rather, as the Count observed, it had the appearance of being the projecting summit of a mountain all but submerged. Whatever it was, it was agreed that its true character must be ascertained, not only to gratify their own curiosity, but for the benefit of all future navigators. The schooner recordingly was steered directly towards it, and in less than an hour had cast anchor within a few cables length of the shore. The little island proved to be nothing more than an arid rock rising abruptly about 40 feet above the water. It had no outlying reefs, a circumstance that seemed to suggest the probability that in the recent convulsion it had sunk gradually until it had reached its present position of equilibrium. Without removing his eye from his telescope, Servidak exclaimed, There is a habitation on the place. I can see an erection of some kind quite distinctly. Who can tell whether we shall not come across a human being? Lieutenant Prokope looked doubtful. The island had all the appearance of being deserted, nor did a cannon shot fired from the schooner have the effect of bringing any resident to the shore. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that there was a stone building situated on the top of the rock, and that this building had much the character of an Arabian mosque. The boat was lowered and manned by the four sailors. Servidak, Timoshef and Prokope were quickly rode ashore and lost no time in commencing their assent of the steep eclivity. Upon reaching the summit, they found their progress arrested by a kind of wall or rampart of singular construction. Its materials consisting mainly of vases, fragments of columns, carved bas-reliefs, statues and portions of broken stelae all piled promiscuously together without any pretense to artistic arrangement. They made their way into the enclosure and finding an open door they piled through and soon came to a second door, also open, which admitted them to the interior of the mosque, consisting of a single chamber, the walls of which were ornamented in the Arabian style by sculpture of indifferent execution. In the centre was a tomb of the very simplest kind and above the tomb was suspended a large silver lamp with a capacious reservoir of oil, in which floated a long lighted whip, the flame of which was evidently the light that had attracted Servidak's attention on the previous night. Must there not have been a custodian of the shrine, they mutually asked, but if such there had ever been, he must, they concluded, either have fled or have perished on that eventful night. Not a soul was there in charge and the sole living occupants were a flock of wild cormorants which started at the entrance of the intruders, rose on wing and took a rapid flight towards the south. An old French prayer book was lying on the corner of the tomb. The volume was open and the page exposed to view was that which contained the office for the celebration of the 25th of August. A southern revelation dashed across Servidak's mine. The solemn isolation of the island tomb, the open brevery, the ritual of the ancient anniversary, all combined to appraise him of the sanctity of the spot upon which he stood. The tomb of Saint Louis, he explained and his companions involuntary followed his example and made a reverential obviousance to the venerated monument. It was in truth the very spot on which tradition asserts that the canonised monarch came to die, a spot to which for six centuries and more his countrymen had paid the homage of papayas' regard. The lamp that had been kindled at the memorial shrine of the saint was now all in probability the only beacon that threw a light across the waters of the Mediterranean here long must itself expire. There was nothing more to explore. The three together quitted the mosque and descended the rock to the shore, went to their boat reconvened them to the iskuna which was soon again on a southward voyage. And it was not long before the tomb of Saint Louis, the only spot that had survived the mysterious shock was lost to view. End of Book 1 Chapter 1 Recording by Kev S Book 1 Chapter 12 of Off on a Comet This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Off on a Comet by Jules Verne translated by Anonymous Book 1 Chapter 12 at the mercy of the winds As the affrighted cormorants had winged their flight towards the south they're sprang up a sanguine hope on board the schooner that land might be discovered in that direction. Thither, accordingly, it was determined to proceed and in a few hours after quitting the island of the tomb the de Bernat was traveling the shallow waters that now covered the peninsula of Dekul which separated the Bay of Tunis from the Gulf of Hamamet. For two days she continued on an undeviating course and after a feudal search for the coast of Tunis reached the latitude of 34 degrees. Here, on the 11th of February there suddenly arose the cry of land and in the extreme horizon, right ahead where land had never been before it was true enough that a shore was distinctly to be seen. What could it be? It could not be the coast of Tripoli for not only would that low lying shore be quite invisible at such a distance, but it was certain moreover that it lay two degrees at least still further south. It was soon observed that this newly discovered land was a very irregular elevation that it extended due east and west across the horizon thus dividing the Gulf into two separate sections and completely concealing the island of Yerba which must lie behind. Its position was duly traced on the de Bernat's chart. How strange, exclaimed Hector Servidak, that after sailing all this time over the sea where we expected to find land, we have at last come upon land where we thought to find sea. Strange indeed, replied Lieutenant Prokof, and what appears to me almost as remarkable is that we have never once caught sight either of one of the Maltese tartans or one of the Levantine Z-becks that traffic so regularly on the Mediterranean. Eastwards or westwards asked the Count, which shall be our course. Further progress to the south is checked. Westwards by all means, replied Servidak quickly, I am longing to know whether anything of Algeria is left beyond the Shalif. Besides, as we passed Gourby Island we might take Benzouf on board and then make a way for Gibraltar where we should be sure to learn something, at least, of European news. With his usual air of stately courtesy Count Timischew begged the captain to consider the yacht at his own disposal and desired him to give the Lieutenant instructions accordingly. Lieutenant Prokof, however, hesitated, and after revolving matters for a few moments in his mind pointed out that the wind was blowing directly from the west and seemed likely to increase. If they went to the west in the teeth of the weather, the schooner would be reduced to the use of our engine only and would have much difficulty in making any headway. On the other hand, by taking an eastward course not only would they have the advantage of the wind but, under steam and canvas, might hope in a few days to be off the coast of Egypt and from Alexandria or some other port they would have the same opportunity of getting tidings from Europe as they would at Gibraltar. Intensely anxious as he was to revisit the province of Iran and eager, too, to satisfy himself of the welfare of his faithful Benzouf Servidak could not but own the reasonableness of the Lieutenant's objections and yielded to the proposal that the eastward course should be adopted. The wind gave signs only to threatening of the breeze rising to a gale but, fortunately, the waves did not culminate in breakers but rather in a long swell which ran in the same direction as the vessel. During the last fortnight the high temperature had been gradually diminishing until it now reached an average of 20 degrees cent or 68 degrees far and sometimes descended as low as 15 degrees. That this diminuation was to be attributed to the change in the earth's orbit was a question that admitted of little doubt. After approaching so near to the sun as to cross the orbit of Venus the earth must now have receded so far from the sun that its normal distance of 91 millions of miles was greatly increased and the probability was great that it was approximating to the orbit of Mars that planet which in its physical constitution most nearly resembled our own. Nor was the supposition suggested merely by the lowering of the temperature. It was strongly corroborated by the reduction of the apparent diameter of the sun's disk to the precise dimensions which it would assume to an observer actually stationed on the surface of Mars. The necessary inference that seemed to follow from these phenomena was that the earth had been projected into a new orbit which had the form of a very elongated ellipse. Very slight however in comparison was the regard with which these astronomical wonders attracted on board the diberna. All interest there was too much absorbed in terrestrial matters and in ascertaining what changes had taken place in the configuration of the earth itself to permit much attention to be paid to its erratic movements through space. The schooner kept bravely on her way but well out to sea at a distance of two miles from land. There was good need of this precaution for so precipitous was the sure that vessel driven upon it must inevitably have gone to pieces. It did not offer a single harbor of refuge but smooth and perpendicular as the walls of a fortress. It rose to a height of 200 and occasionally to 300 feet. The waves dashed violently against its base. Upon the general substratum rested a massive conglomerate the crystallizations of which rose like a forest of gigantic pyramids and obelisks. What it explores more than anything was the appearance of singular newness that pervaded the whole region. It all seemed so recent in its formation that the atmosphere had had no opportunity of producing its wanted effect in softening the hardness of its lines in rounding the sharpness of its angles or in modifying the color of its surface. Its outline was clearly marked against the sky and its substance smooth and polished as though fresh from a founder's mold glittered with the metallic brilliancy of pyrites. It seemed impossible to come to any other conclusion but that the land before them continental island had been upheaved by subterranean forces above the surface of the sea and that it was mainly composed of the same metallic element as had characterized the dust so frequently uplifted from the bottom. The extreme nakedness of the entire tract was likewise very extraordinary. Elsewhere in various quarters of the globe there may be sterile rocks but there are none so adamant as to be altogether unfurled by the filaments engendered in the moist residuum of the condensed vapor. Elsewhere there may be barren steeps but none so rigid as not to afford some hold to vegetation however low an elementary may be its type but here all was bare and blank and desolate not a symptom of vitality was visible. Such being the condition of the adjacent land it could hardly be a matter of surprise because all the seabirds, the albatross, the gull, the seamew sucked continual refuge on the schooner. Day and night they perched fearlessly upon the yards the report of a gun failing to dislodge them and when food of any sort was thrown upon the deck they would dart down and fight with eager veracity for the prize. Their extreme avidity was recognized as a proof that any land where they could obtain a sustenance must be far remote. Onwards thus for several days the diberna followed the contour of the inhospitable coast of which the features would occasionally change sometimes for two or three miles assuming the form of a simple aris sharply defined as though cut by a chisel when suddenly the prismatic lemony soaring in rugged confusion would again recur but all along there was the same absence of beach or tract of sand to market's base. Neither was there any of those shoals of rock that are ordinarily found in shallow water. At rare intervals there were some narrow fissures but not a creek available for a ship to enter to replenish its supply of water and the wide roadsteads were unprotected and exposed to well-nigh every point of the compass. But after sailing 240 miles the progress of the diberna was suddenly arrested. Lieutenant Procope who had sedulously inserted the outline of the newly revealed coast upon the maps announced that he had ceased to run east and had taken a turn due north thus forming a barrier to their continuing their previous direction. It was, of course, impossible to conjecture how far this barrier extended. It coincided pretty nearly with the 14th meridian of east longitude and if it reached as probably it did beyond Sicily to Italy it was certain that the vast basin of the Mediterranean which had washed the shores alike of Europe Asia and Africa must have been reduced to about half its original area. It was resolved to proceed upon the same plan as here to four following the boundary of the land at a safe distance. Accordingly the head of the diberna was pointed north making straight as it was presumed for the south of Europe. 100 miles were somewhat over in that direction and it was to be anticipated that she would come in sight of Malta if only that ancient island with a succession of Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Sicilians Romans, Vandals Greeks, Arabians and the Knights of Rhodes should still be undestroyed. But Malta, too, was gone and when upon the 14th the sounding line was dropped upon its site. It was only with the same results so often times obtained before. The devastation is not limited to Africa, observed the count assuredly not, ascended the lieutenant, adding, and I confess I am almost in despair whether we shall ever ascertain its limits. To what quarter of Europe if Europe still exists do you propose that I should now direct your course? To Sicily, Italy, France ejaculated Servidac eagerly, anywhere where we can learn the truth of what has befallen us. How if we are the sole survivors, said the count gravely? Hector Servidac was silent. His own secret presentiment was so thoroughly coincided with the doubts expressed by the count that he refrained from saying another word. The coast, without deviation, still tended towards the north. No alternative, therefore, remained then to take a westerly course into attempt to reach the northern shores of the Mediterranean. On the 16th the diberna is saved to start upon her altered way, but it seemed as if the elements had conspired to obstruct her progress. A furious tempest arose. The wind beat dead in the direction of the coast and the danger incurred by a vessel of a tonnage so light was necessarily very great. Lieutenant Procope was extremely uneasy. He took in all sail, struck his top masts and resolved to rely entirely on his engine. But the peril seemed only to increase. Enormous waves caught the schooner and carried her up to their crests. Once again she was plunged deep into the abysses that they left. The screw failed to keep its hold upon the water, but continually revolved with useless speed in the vacant air. And thus, although steam was forced on to the extremist limit consistent with safety, the vessel held her way with the utmost difficulty and recoiled before the hurricane. Still, not a single resort for refuge and accessible shore present. Again and again the Lieutenant asked himself what would become of him and his comrades, even if they should survive the peril of shipwreck and gain a footing upon the cliff. What resources could they expect to find upon that scene of desolation? What hope could they entertain that any portion of the old continent still existed beyond that dreary barrier? It was a trying time, but throughout it all the crew behaved with the greatest courage and closure. Confident in the skill of their commander and in the stability of their ship they performed their duties with steadiness and unquestioning obedience. But neither skill nor courage nor obedience could avail, all was in vain. Despite the strain put upon her engine the schooner, bear of canvas for not even the smallest stay sail could have stood the violence of the storm was drifting with terrific speed towards the menacing precipices which were only a few short miles to Leeward. Fully alive to the hopelessness of their situation the crew were all on deck. All over with us, sir, said Procope to the Count, I have done everything that a man could do, but our case is desperate. Nothing short of a miracle can save us now. Within an hour we must go to pieces upon yonder rocks. Let us, then, commend ourselves to the providence of him nothing is impossible, replied the Count in a calm, clear voice that could be distinctly heard by all. And as he spoke he reverently uncovered an example in which he was followed by all the rest. The destruction of the vessel seeming thus inevitable Lieutenant Procope took the best measures he could to ensure a few-day supply of food for any who might escape ashore. He ordered several cases of provisions and kegs of water to be brought on deck and were securely lashed to some empty barrels to make them float after the ship had gone down. Less and less grew the distance from the shore but no creek, no inlet could be discerned in the towering wall of cliff which seemed about to topple over and involve them in annihilation. Except a change of wind or, as Procope observed a supernatural rifting of the rock nothing could bring deliverance now. But the wind did not veer and in a few minutes more the schooner was hardly three cables distance from the fatal land. All were aware that their last moment had arrived. Servidak and the Count grasped each other's hands for a long farewell and, tossed by the tremendous waves the schooner was on the very point of being hurled upon the cliff when a ringing shout was heard Quick, boys, quick hoist the jib and write the tiller. Sudden and startling as the unexpected orders were they were executed as if by magic. The Lieutenant who had shouted from the bow rushed to stern and took the helm and before anyone had time to speculate upon the object of his maneuvers he shouted again Look out, sharp, watch the sheets. An involuntary cry broke forth from all on board but it was no cry of terror. Right ahead was a narrow opening in the solid rock it was hardly 40 feet wide whether it was a passage or no it mattered little it was at least a refuge and, driven by wind and wave the de Berna, under the dexterous guidance of the Lieutenant dashed in between his perpendicular walls had she not emered herself in a perpetual prison? End of Book 1, Chapter 12 Book 1, Chapter 13 of Off on a Comet This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Elwood Mott Off on a Comet by Jules Verne Translated by Anonymous Book 1, Chapter 13 Then I take your bishop, major said Colonel Murphy as he made a move that had taken since the previous evening to consider I was afraid you would reply Major Oliphant looking intently at the chess board. Such was the way in which a long silence was broken on the morning of the 17th of February by the old calendar. Another day lapsed before another move was made. It was a protracted game it had in fact already lasted some months the players being so deliberate and so fearful of taking a step without the most mature consideration that even now they were only making the 20th move. Both of them moreover were rigid disciples of the renowned Filador who pronounces that play the pawn's well is the soul of chess and accordingly not one pawn had been sacrificed without a most rigorous defense. The men who were thus beguiling their leisure were two officers in the British army, Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy and Major Sir John Temple Oliphant. Remarkably similar in personal appearance they were hardly less so in personal character. Both of them were about 40 years of age both of them were tall and fair with bushy whiskers and mustaches. Both of them were phlegmatic and temperament and both much addicted to the wearing of their uniforms. They were proud of their nationality and exhibited a manifest dislike verging upon contempt of everything foreign. Probably they would have felt no surprise if they had been told that Anglo-Saxons were some specific clay the properties of which surpass the investigation of chemical analysis without any intentional disparagement. They might, in a certain way be compared to two scarecrows which though perfectly harmless in themselves inspire some measure of respect and are excellently adapted to protecting the territory entrusted to their guardianship. English like the two officers had made themselves thoroughly at home in the station abroad in which it had been not to be quartered. The faculty of colonization seems to be indigenous to the native character once led an Englishman plant his national standard on the surface of the moon and it would not be long before a colony was established round it. The officers had a servant named Kirk and a company of ten soldiers of the line. This party of thirteen men were apparently the sole survivors of an overwhelming catastrophe which on the first of January had transformed an enormous rock garrisoned with well-nigh two thousand troops into an insignificant island far out to sea. But although the transformation had been so marvelous it cannot be said that either Colonel Murphy or Major Oliphant had made such demonstrations of astonishment. This is all very peculiar, Sir John observed the Colonel. Yes, Colonel, very peculiar, replied the major. One will be sure to send for us, said one officer. No doubt she will, answered the other. Accordingly they came to the mutual resolution that they would stick to their post. To say the truth it would have been difficult matter for the gallant officers to do otherwise. They had but one small boat, therefore it was well that they made a virtue of necessity and resigned themselves to patient expectation of the British ship which in due time would bring relief. They had no fear of starvation their island was mined with subterranean stores more than ample for thirteen men nay for thirteen Englishmen for the next five years at least preserved meat, ale, brandy all were in abundance. Consequently as the men expressed it they were in this respect all right. Of course the physical changes that had taken place had attracted the notice both of officers and men but the reverse position of east and west the diminution of the force of gravity and the altered rotation of the earth and her projection upon a new orbit were all things that gave them little concern and no unqueasiness and when the colonel and the major had replaced the pieces on the board which had been disturbed by the convulsion any surprise they might have felt at the chest men losing some portion of their weight was quite forgotten the satisfaction of seeing them retain their equilibrium one phenomenon however did not fail to make its due impression upon the men this was a diminution of the length of day and night three days after the catastrophe corporal pym on behalf of himself and his comrade solicited a formal interview with the officers the request having been granted pym with the nine soldiers all punctitiously wearing the regimentals tunic of scarlet and trousers of invisible green presented themselves at the door of the colonel's room where he and his brother officer were continuing their game raising his hand respectfully to his cap which he wore poise gently over his right ear and scarcely held on by the strap below his underlip the corporal waited permission to speak after lingering survey the colonel slowly lifted his eyes and said with official dignity well men what is it first of all sir replied corporal pym we want to speak to you about our pay and then we wish to have a word with the major about our rations say on then said colonel murphy what is it about your pay just this sir as the days are only half as long as they were we should like to know whether our pay is to be diminished in proportion the colonel was taken somewhat back and did not reply immediately though by some significant nods towards the major he indicated that he thought the question very reasonable after a few moments reflection he replied it must I think be allowed that your pay was calculated from sunrise to sunrise there was no specification of what the interval should be your pay will continue as before England can afford it a buzz of approval burst involuntarily from all the men but military discipline and the respect due to their officers kept them in check from any boisterous demonstration of their satisfaction and now corporal what is your business with me asked major olifant we want to know whether as the days are only six hours long we are to have but two meals instead of four the officers looked at each other and by their glances agreed that the corporal was a man of sound common sense eccentricities of nature said the major cannot interfere with military regulations it is true that there will be but an interval of an hour and a half between them but the rule stands good four meals a day England is too rich to grudge your soldiers any of her soldiers do yes four meals a day para shouted the soldiers unable this time to keep their delight within the bounds of military decorum and turning to the right about they marched away leaving the officers to renew the all absorbing game however confident everyone upon the island might profess to be that secure would be sent them from their native land for Britain never abandons any of her sons it could not be disguised that secure was somewhat tardy in making its parents many and various were the conjectures to account for the delay perhaps in England was engrossed with domestic matters or perhaps she was absorbed in diplomatic difficulties or perchance more likely than all northern Europe had received no tidings of the convolution that had shattered the south the whole party throw remarkably well upon the liberal provisions of the commissariat department and if the officers failed to show the same tendency to embon point which was fast becoming characteristic of the men it was only because they deemed it due to their rank to curtail any indulgences which might compromise the fit of their uniform on the whole time passed indifferently well and Englishman rarely suffers from a new week and then only in his own country when required to conform to what he calls the humbug of society and the two officers with their similar tastes ideas and dispositions got on together admirably it is not to be questioned that they were deeply affected by the sense of regret for their lost comrades and astounded beyond measure at finding themselves sole survivors of a garrison of 1895 men but with true British pluck and self-control they had done nothing more than draw up a report that 1882 names were missing from the muster role the island itself the sole surviving fragment of an enormous pile of rock that had reared itself some 1600 feet above the sea was not strictly speaking the only land that was visible for about 12 miles to the south there was another island apparently the very counterpart of what was now occupied by the Englishman it was only natural that this should awaken some interest even in the most imperturbable mind and there was no doubt that the two officers during one of their rare intervals when they were not absorbed in their game had decided that it would be desirable at least to ascertain whether the island was deserted or whether it might not be occupied by some others like themselves survivors from the general catastrophe certain it is that one morning when the weather was bright and calm they had embarked alone in the little boat and been absent for seven or eight hours not even to corporal pimp did they communicate the object of their excursion nor say one syllable as to its result and it could only be inferred from their manner that they were quite satisfied with what they had seen and very shortly afterwards major Oliphant was observed to draw up a lengthy document which was no sooner finished than it was formally signed and sealed with the seal of the 33rd regiment it was directed to the first lord of the Admiralty London and kept in readiness for transmission by the first ship that should hail in sight and here was the 18th of February without an opportunity having been afforded for any communication with the British government at breakfast that morning the colonel observed to the major that he was under the most decided impression that the 18th of February was a royal anniversary and he went on to say that although he had received no definite instructions on the subject he did not think that the peculiar circumstances under which they found themselves should prevent them from giving the day its due military honors the major quite concurred and it was mutually agreed that the occasion must be honored by a bumper of port and by a royal salute corporal Pym must be sent for the corporal soon made his appearance smacking his lips having by a ready intuition found a pretext for a double morning ration of spirits the 18th of February you know Pym said the colonel we must have a salute of 21 guns very good replied Pym a man a few words and take care that your fellows don't get their arms and legs blown off added the officer very good sir said the corporal and he made his salute and withdrew of all the bombs howitzers and various species of artillery which the fortress had been crowded one solitary piece remained this was a cumbrous muzzle loader of nine inch caliber and in default of the smaller ordinance generally employed for the purpose had to be brought into requisition for the royal salute a sufficient number of charges having been provided the corporal brought his men to the reduct once the guns mouth projected over a sloping embouchure the two officers in cocked hats and full staff uniform attended to take charge of the proceedings the gun was maneuvered in strict accordance with the rules of the artillery men's manual and the firing commenced not unmindful in the warnings he had received the corporal was most careful between each discharge to see that every vestige of fire was extinguished so as to prevent an untimely explosion while the men were reloading and accidents such as so frequently mar public rejoicings were all happily avoided much to the chagrin of both Colonel Murphy and Major Oliphant the effect of the salute fell altogether short of their anticipations the weight of the atmosphere was so reduced that there was comparatively less resistance to the explosive force of the gases liberated at the cannon's mouth and there was consequently none of the reverberation like rolling thunder that ordinary follows the discharge of heavy artillery twenty times the gun had been fired and it was on the point of being loaded for last time when the Colonel laid his hand upon the arm of the man who had the ramrod stop he said we will have a ball this time let us put the range of the piece to the test good idea replied the Major Corporal you hear the orders in quick time an artillery wagon was on the spot and the men lifted out a full size shot weighing 200 pounds which under ordinary circumstances the cannon would carry about four miles it was proposed by means of telescopes to note the place where the ball first touched the water and thus to obtain an approximation sufficiently accurate as to the true range have been duly charged with powder and ball the gun was raised to an angle of something under 45 degrees so as to allow proper development to the curve that the projectile would make and at a signal from the major the light was applied to the primings heavens by all that's good exclaimed both officers in one breath as standing open mouth they hardly knew whether they were to believe the evidence of their own senses is it possible the diminution of the force of attraction at the earth's surface was so considerable that the ball had sped beyond the horizon incredible ejaculated the colonel incredible echoed the major six miles at least observed one I more than that replied the other a while they gazed at the sea and at each other in mute amazement but in the midst of their perplexity what sound was that which startled them was it mere fancy was it the reverberation of the cannon still booming in their ears or was it not truly the report of another and a distant gun in answer to their own attentively and eagerly they listen twice thrice did the sound repeat itself it was quite distinct there could be no mistake I told you so cried the colonel triumphantly I knew our country would not forsake us it is an English ship no doubt in half an hour too mass were visible above the horizon see was I not right our country was sure to send to our relief here is the ship yes replied the major she responded to our gun it is to be hoped muttered the corporal that our ball has done her no damage before long the hull was full in sight a long trail of smoke be tokened her to be a steamer and very soon by the aid of the glass it could be ascertain that she was a schooner yacht and making straight for the island a flag at her mast had flooded in the breeze and towards this two officers with the keenest attention respectively adjusted their focus simultaneously the two telescopes were lowered the colonel and the major stared at each other in blank astonishment Russian they gasped and true it was that the flag that floated at the head of the yacht mast was the Blue Cross of Russia end of book chapter 13 book 1 chapter 14 of off on a comment this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Elwood Mott off on a comment by Jules Verne translated by anonymous book 1 chapter 14 when the schooner had approached the island the Englishmen were able to make out the name Dobrina painted on the F-board a sinuous irregularity of the coast had formed a kind of cove which though hardly spacious enough for a few fishing smacks would afford the yacht a temporary anchorage so long as the wind did not blow violently from either west or south into this cove the Dobrina was duly signaled and as soon as she was safely moored she lowered her four oar and Count Timoshev and Captain Servidak made their way at once to land Colonel Henneage Finch Murphy and Major Sir John Temple Olyphant stood grave and prim formally awaiting the arrival of their visitors with the uncontrolled vivacity natural to a Frenchman was the first to speak a joyful sight gentlemen he exclaimed it will give us unbounded pleasure to shake hands again with some of our fellow creatures you no doubt have escaped the same disaster as ourselves but the English officers neither by word nor gesture made the slightest acknowledgement of this familiar greeting what news can you give us of France England or Russia continued Servidak perfectly unconscious of the stolid rigidity with which his advances were received we are anxious to hear about anything you can tell us have you had communication with Europe have you to whom have we the honor of speaking at last interposed Colonel Murphy in his coldest and most measured tone and drawing himself up to his full height ah how stupid I forgot said Servidak with the slightest possible shrug of his shoulders we have not been introduced his companion who meanwhile had exhibited a reserve hardly less than that of the British officers he said allow me to introduce you to Count Wassily Timichef Major Sir John Temple Olyphant replied the Colonel the Russian and English mutually exchanged the stiffest of bows I have the pleasure of introducing Captain Servidak said the Count in his turn and this is Colonel Henneage Finch Murphy was the Major's grave rejoinder more bows were interchanged and the ceremony brought to its due conclusion it need hardly be said that the conversation had been carried on in French a language which is generally known both by Russians and Englishmen a circumstance that is probably in some measure to be accounted for the refusal of Frenchmen to learn either Russian or English the formal preliminaries of etiquette being thus complete there was no longer any obstacle to a freer intercourse the Colonel, signing to his guests to follow, led the way to the apartment occupied jointly by himself in the Major which although only a kind of casement hallowed in the rock nevertheless wore a general air of comfort Major Olyphant accompanied them and all four having taken their seats the conversation was commenced irritated and disgusted at all the cold formalities Hector Servidak resolved to leave all the talking to the count and he quite aware that the Englishmen would adhere to the fiction that they could be supposed to know nothing that had transpired previous to the introduction felt himself obliged to recapitulate matters from the very beginning you must be aware, gentlemen, began the count that a most singular catastrophe occurred on the first of January last its cause, its limits we have utterly failed to discover but from the appearance of the island on which we find you here you have evidently experienced its devastating consequences the Englishmen in silence bowed assent, Captain Servidak who accompanies me, continued the count had been most severely tried by the disaster, engaged as he was in an important mission as a staff officer in Algeria a French colony, I believe, interposed Major Olyphant half shutting his eyes with an expression of supreme indifference Servidak was on the point of making some cutting retort but Count Timoshev, without allowing the interruption to be noticed calmly continued his narrative it was near the mouth of the Shalif that a portion of Africa on that eventful night was transformed into an island which alone survived the rest of the vast continent disappeared as completely as if it had never been the announcement seemed by no mean startling to the phlegmatic colonel indeed was all he said and where were you, asked Major Olyphant I was out to see cruising in my yacht, hard by and I looked upon it as a miracle and nothing less, that I and my crew escaped with our lives I congratulate you on your luck, replied the Major the count resumed it was about a month after the great disruption that I was sailing my engine having sustained some damage in the shock along the Algerian coast and had the pleasure of meeting with my previous acquaintance, Captain Servidak, who was resident upon the island with his orderly Ben Zoof Ben who, inquired the Major Zoof, Ben Zoof ejaculated Servidak who could scarcely shout loud enough to relieve his pent up feelings ignoring the evolution of the captain's spleen the count went on to say Captain Servidak was naturally most anxious to get what news he could accordingly he left to Servant on the island in charge of his horses and aboard the Dabrina with me we were quite at a loss to know where we should steer but decided to direct our course to what previously had been the east in order that we might, if possible, discover the colony of Algeria but of Algeria not a trace remained the Colonel curled his lip insinuating only too plainly that to him it was by no means surprising that a French colony should be wanting in the element of stability Servidak observed the supercilius look and half rose to his feet but smothering his resentment took his seat again without speaking the devastation gentleman said the count who persistently refused to recognize a Frenchman's irritation everywhere was terrible and complete not only was Algeria lost but there was no trace of Tunis except one solitary rock which was crowned by an ancient tomb of one of the kings of France Louis IX, I presume observed the Colonel Louis blurted out Servidak savagely Colonel Murphy slightly smiled proof against all interruption Count Timachev, as if he had not heard it went on without pausing he related how the schooner had pushed her way onwards to the south and had reached the Gulf of Caves and how she had ascertained for certain that the Sahara Sea had no longer an existence the smile of disdain again crossed the Colonel's face and the opinion that such a destiny for the work of a Frenchman could be no matter of surprise our next discovery continued the Count was that a new coast had been upheived right along in front of the coast of Tripoli the geological formation of which was altogether strange and which extended to the north as far as the proper place of Malta and Malta cried Servidak unable to control himself any longer Malta, town, forts, soldiers and all has vanished just like Algeria for a moment a cloud rested upon the Colonel's brow only to give place to an expression of decided incredulity the statement seems highly incredible he said incredible repeated Servidak why is it that you doubt my word captain's rising wrath did not prevent the Colonel from replying Cooley because Malta belongs to England I can't help that answered Servidak sharply it has gone just as utterly as if it had belonged to China Colonel Murphy turned deliberately away from Servidak and appealed to the Count do you think that you may have made some error count in reckoning the bearings of your yacht? No Colonel I am quite certain of my reckonings and not only can I testify that Malta has disappeared but I can confirm that a large section of the Mediterranean has been closed in by a new continent after the most anxious investigation we could discover only one narrow opening in all the coast and it is by following that little channel that we have made our way hither England I fear has suffered grievously by the late catastrophe not only has Malta been entirely lost but of the Ionian islands that were under English protection there seems to be but little left I you may depend on it said Servidak breaking in upon the conversation petulantly your grand resident Lord High Commissioner has not much to congratulate himself about in the condition of Corfu the Englishmen were mystified Corfu did you say asked Major Oliphant yes Corfu I said Corfu replied Servidak with a sort of malicious triumph the officers were speechless with astonishment the silence of bewilderment was broken at length by Count Timichef making inquiry whether nothing had been heard from England either by telegraph or by any passing ship no said the Colonel not a ship has passed and the cable is broken but do not the Italian telegraphs assist you continued the count Italian I do not comprehend you you must mean the Spanish surely Howard demanded Timichef confound it cried the impatient Servidak what matters whether it be Spanish or Italian tell us have you had no communication at all from Europe no news of any sort from London hither to none whatsoever replied the Colonel adding with a stately emphasis but we shall be sure to have tidings from England before long whether England is still in existence or not I suppose said Servidak in a tone of irony the Englishmen started simultaneously to their feet England in existence the Colonel cried England ten times more probable that France France shouted Servidak in a passion France is not an island that can be submerged France is an integral portion of a solid continent France at least is safe a scene appeared inevitable and Count Timichef's efforts to conciliate the excited parties were of small avail you are at home here said Servidak with as much calmness as he could command it will be advisable I think for this discussion to be carried on in the open air and hurriedly he left the room followed immediately by the others he led the way to a level piece of ground which he considered he might fairly claim as neutral territory now gentlemen he began hotly permit me to represent that in spite of any loss France may have sustained in the fate of Algeria France is ready to answer any provocation that affects her honor here I am the representative of my country here on neutral ground neutral ground objected Colonel Murphy I beg your pardon this Captain Servidak is English territory do you not see the English flag and as he spoke he pointed with national pride to the British standard floating over the top of the island Pasha cried Servidak with a contemptuous sneer that flag you know has been hoisted but a few short weeks that flag has floated where it is for ages asserted the Colonel an imposture shouted Servidak as he stamped with rage recovering his composure in a degree he continued can you suppose that I am not aware that this island on which we find you is what remains of the Ionian representative republic over which you English exercise the right of protection but have no claim of government the Colonel in the major looked at each other in amazement although Count Timichef secretly sympathized with Servidak he had carefully refrained from taking part in the dispute but he was on the point of interfering when the Colonel in a greatly subdued tone begged to be allowed to speak I begin to apprehend he said that you must be laboring under some strange mistake there is no room for questioning that the territory here is England's England's by right of conquest ceded to England by the Treaty of Utrecht times indeed in 1727 1779 and 1792 France and Spain have disputed our title but always to no purpose you are I assure you at the present moment as much on English soil as if you were in London in the middle of Trafalgar Square it was now the turn of the captain and the count to look surprised are we not then in Corfu they asked you are at Gibraltar replied the Colonel Gibraltar the word fell like a thunderclap upon their ears Gibraltar the western extremity of the Mediterranean why had they not been sailing persistently to the east could they be wrong in imagining that they had reached the Ionian islands what new mystery was this Count Timoshef was about to proceed with a more rigorous investigation when the attention of all was arrested by a loud outcry turning round they saw that the crew of the Dabrina was in hot dispute with the English soldiers a general altercation had arisen from a disagreement between the sailor Panofka and Corporal Pym it had transpired that the cannonball fired an experiment from the island had not only damaged one of the spars of the schooner but had broken Panofka's pipe and more over had just grazed his nose which for a Russians was unusually long the discussion over this mishap led to mutual recriminations till the soldiers had almost come to blows with the garrison Servodak was just in the mood to take Panofka's part which drew from Major Oliphant the remark that England could not be held responsible for any accidental injury done by her cannon and if the Russians long nose came in the way of the ball the Russian must submit to the miss chance this was too much for Count Timoshev and having poured out a torrent of angry invective against the English officers he ordered his crew to embark immediately we shall meet again said Servodak as they pushed off from shore whenever you please was a cool reply the geographical mystery haunted the minds of both the count and the captain and they felt they could never rest till they had ascertained their countries they were glad to be on board again that they might resume their voyage of investigation and in two hours were out of sight of the soul remaining fragment of Gibraltar end of book one chapter 14 book one chapter 15 of off on a comment this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org off on a comment by Jules Verne translated by Anonymous book one chapter 15 an enigma from the sea Lieutenant Procope had been left on board in charge of the de Berna and on resuming the voyage it was a task of some difficulty to make him understand the fact that had just come to light some hours were spent in discussion and attempting to penetrate the mysteries of the situation there were certain things of which they were perfectly certain they could be under no misapprehension as to the distance they had positively sailed from Gorby Island towards the east before their further progress was arrested by the unknown shore as nearly as possible that was 15 degrees the length of the narrow strait by which they had made their way across that land to regain the open sea about 3 miles and a half thence onward to the island which they had been assured on evidence that they could not disbelieve to be upon the site of Gibraltar was 4 degrees while from Gibraltar to Gorby Island was 7 degrees or but little more what was it altogether was it not less than 30 degrees in that latitude the degree of longitude represents 8 and 40 miles what then did it all amount to indubitably to less than 1400 miles so brief a voyage could bring the de Berna once again to her starting point or in other words would enable her to complete the circumnavigation of the globe how changed the condition of things previously to sail from Malta to Gibraltar by an eastward course would have involved the passage of the Suez Canal the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean the Pacific, the Atlantic but what had happened now why? Gibraltar had been reached as if it had been just at Corfu and some 330 degrees of the Earth's circuit had vanished utterly after allowing for a certain margin of miscalculation the main fact remained undeniable and the necessary inference that Lieutenant Procope drew from the round of the Earth being completed in 1400 miles was that the Earth's diameter had been reduced by about 15 sixteenths of its length if that be so observe the count it accounts for some of the strange phenomena we witness if our world has become so insignificant asphiroid not only has its gravity diminished but its rotary speed has been accelerated and this affords an adequate explanation of our days and nights being thus curtailed but how about the new orbit we are moving he paused and pondered and then looked at Procope as though awaiting from him some further elucidation of the difficulty the Lieutenant hesitated when in a few moments he began to speak Servidak smiled intelligently anticipating the answer he was about to hear my conjecture is said Procope that a fragment of considerable magnitude has been detached from the Earth that it has carried with it an envelope of the Earth's atmosphere and that it is now traveling through the Solar System in an orbit that does not correspond at all with the proper orbit of the Earth the hypothesis was plausible but what a multitude of bewildering speculations it entailed if, in truth, a certain mass had been broken off from the terrestrial sphere with or would it wind its way what would be the measure of the eccentricity of its path what would be its period around the Sun might it not, like a comet, be carried away into the vast infinity of space or, on the other hand might it not be attracted to the great central source of light and heat and be absorbed in it did its orbit correspond with the orbit of the ecliptic and was there no chance of it ever uniting again with the globe from which it had been torn off by so sudden and violent a disruption a thoughtful silence fell upon them all which Servidak was the first to break Lieutenant he said your explanation is ingenious and it counts for many appearances but it seems to me that in one point it fails how so replied Prakot to my mind the theory meets all objections I think not Servidak answered in one point, at least it appears to me to break down completely what is that asked the lieutenant stop a moment said the captain let us see that we understand each other right unless I mistake you your hypothesis is that a fragment of the earth comprising the Mediterranean and its shores from Gibraltar to Malta has been developed into a new asteroid which is starting on an independent orbit into the solar regions is not that your meaning precisely so the lieutenant acquiesced well then continued Servidak it seems to me to be at fault in this respect it fails and fails completely to account for the geological character of the land that we have found now encompassing this sea why if the new land is a fragment of the old why does it not retain its old formation what has become of the granite and the calciferous deposits how is it that these should all be changed into a mineral concrete with which we have no acquaintance no doubt it was a serious objection for however likely it might be that a mass of the earth on being detached would be eccentric in its movements there was no probable reason to be alleged why the material of its substance should undergo so complete a change there was nothing to account for the fertile shores rich in vegetation being transformed into rocks arid and barren beyond precedent the lieutenant felt the difficulty and owned himself unprepared to give at once an adequate solution nevertheless he declined to renounce his theory he asserted that the arguments in favor of it carried conviction to his mind and that he entertained no doubt but that in the course of time all apparent antagonistic circumstances would be explained so as to become consistent with the view he took he was careful however to make it understood that with respect to the original cause of the disruption he had no theory to offer and although he knew what expansion might be the result of subterranean forces he did not venture to say that he considered it sufficient to produce so tremendous an effect the origin of the catastrophe was a problem still to be solved ah well said Servidak I don't know that it matters much what it comes from or what it is made of if only it carries France along with it and Russia added the count and Russia of course said Servidak with a polite bow there was however not much room for this sanguine expectation for if a new asteroid had thus been brought into existence it must be a sphere of extremely limited dimensions and there could be little chance that it embraced more than the merest fraction of either France or Russia as to England the total cessation of all telegraphic communication between her shores and Gibraltar was a virtual proof that England was beyond its compass and what was the true measurement of the new little world at Gorby Island the days and nights were of equal length and this seemed to indicate that it was situated on the equator hence the distance by which the two poles would be half what had been reckoned would be the distance completed by the doberna in her circuit that distance had been already estimated to be something under 1,400 miles so that the Arctic pole of their recently fashioned road must be about 350 miles to the north and the Antarctic about 350 miles to the south of the island compare these calculations with the map and it is at once apparent that the northernmost limit barely touched the coast of Provence while the southernmost reached about latitude 20 degrees north and fell in the heart of the desert the practical test of these conclusions would be made by future investigation but meanwhile the fact appeared very much to strengthen the presumption that if Lieutenant Procope had not arrived at the whole truth he had made a considerable advance towards it the weather, ever since the storm that had driven the doberna into the creek had been magnificent the wind continued favorable and now under both steam and canvas she made rapid progress towards the north a direction in which she was free to go in consequence of the total disappearance of the Spanish coast from Gibraltar right away to Alacanti Malaga, Amaria Cape Gada, Cartagena Cape Palos all were gone the sea was rolling over the southern extent of the peninsula to the latitude of Seville before it sighted any land at all and then, not sure such as the shores of Andalusia but a bluff and precipitous cliff in its geological features resembling exactly the stern and barren rock that she had coasted beyond the site of Malta here the sea made a decided indentation on the coast it ran up in an acute angled triangle till its apex coincided with the very spot upon which Madrid had stood but as hither to the sea had encroached upon the land the land in its turn now encroached upon the sea for a frowning headland stood out far into the basin of the Mediterranean and formed a promontory stretching out beyond the proper places of the Balearic Isles Curiosity was all alive there was the intensest interest awakened to determine whether no vestige could be traced of Majorca, Menorca or any of the group and it was during a deviation from the direct course for the purpose of a more thorough scrutiny that one of the sailors raised a thrill of general excitement by shouting a bottle in the sea here, then, at length was a communication from the outer world surely now they would find a document which would throw some light upon all the mysteries that had happened had not the day now dawn that should set their speculations all at rest it was the morning of the 21st of February the Count, the Captain, the Lieutenant everybody hurried to the folksel the schooner was dexterously put about and all was eager impatience until the supposed bottle was hauled on deck it was not, however, a bottle it proved to be a round leather telescope case about a foot long and the first thing to do before investigating its contents was to make a careful examination of its exterior the lid was fastened on by wax and so securely that it would take a long immersion before any water could penetrate there was no maker's name to be deciphered but impressed very plainly with a seal on the wax where the two initials P.R when the scrutiny of the outside was finished the wax was removed and the cover opened and the Lieutenant drew out a slip of ruled paper evidently torn from a common notebook the paper had an inscription written in four lines which were remarkable for the profusion of notes of admiration and interrogation with which they were interspersed Galia Abso of 15 fev 59 million L Sheme Pakau Dejan afev 82 million L Va bene afe there was a general sigh of disappointment they turned the paper over and over and handed it from one to another what does it all mean exclaimed the Count something mysterious here said Servidak but yet he continued after a pause one thing is tolerably certain on the 15th six days ago someone was alive to write it yes I presume there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the date assented the Count to this strange conglomeration of French, English, Italian and Latin there was no signature attached nor was there anything to give a clue as to the locality in which it had been committed to the waves a telescope case would probably be the property of someone on board a ship and the figures obviously referred to the astronomical wonders that had been experienced to these general observations Captain Servidak objected that he thought it unlikely that anyone on board a ship would use a telescope case for this purpose but would be sure to use a bottle as being more secure and accordingly he should rather be inclined to believe that the message had been set afloat by some savant left alone perchance upon some isolated coast but what were interesting it might be observed the Count to know the author of the lines to us it is a far greater moment to ascertain their meaning and taking up the paper again he said perhaps we might analyze it word by word and from its detached parts gather some clue to its sense as a whole what can be the meaning of all the cluster of interrogations after Gallia? asked Servidak who had hitherto not spoken now broke his silence by saying I beg, gentlemen to submit my opinion that this document goes very far to confirm my hypothesis that a fragment of the earth has been precipitated into space Captain Servidak hesitated and then replied even if it does I do not see how it accounts in the least for the geological character of the new asteroid but will you allow me for one minute to take my supposition for granted said Procope if a new little planet has been formed as I imagine by disintegration from the old I should conjecture that Gallia is the name assigned to it by the writer of this paper the very notes of interrogation are significant that he was in doubt what he should write you would presume that he was a Frenchman asked the Count I should think so replied the Lieutenant not much doubt about that said Servidak it is all in French except a few scattered words of English Latin and Italian inserted to attract attention he could not tell into whose hands the message would fall first well then said Count Timischew we seem to have found a name for the new world we occupy but what I was going especially to observe continued the Lieutenant 59 million leagues represents precisely the distance we ourselves were from the sun on the 15th it was on that day we crossed the orbit of Mars yes true assented the others and the next line said the Lieutenant after reading it aloud apparently registers the distance traversed by Gallia the new little planet in her own orbit her speed of course as I know by Kepler's loss would vary according to her distance from the sun and if she were as I conjecture from the temperature at that date on the 15th of January at her perihelion she would be traveling twice as fast as the Earth which moves at the rate of between 50,000 and 60,000 miles an hour you think then said Servidak with a smile you have determined the perihelion of our orbit but how about the aphelion can you form a judgment as to what distance we are likely to be carried you are asking too much remonstrated the count I confess said the Lieutenant that just at present I am not able to clear away the uncertainty of the future but I feel confident that by careful observation at various points we shall arrive at conclusions which not only will determine our path but perhaps may clear up the mystery about our geological structure allow me to ask said Count Timishev whether such a new asteroid would not be subject to ordinary mechanical laws and whether once started it would not have an orbit that must be immutable decidedly it would so long as it was undisturbed by the attraction of some considerable body but we must recollect that compared to the great planets Galea must be almost infinitesimally small and so might be attracted by a force that is irresistible altogether then said Servidak we seem to have settled it to our entire satisfaction that we must be the population of a young little world called Galea perhaps someday we may have the honor of being registered among the minor planets no chance of that quickly rejoined Lieutenant Procope those minor planets are all known to rotate in a narrow zone between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in their perihelia they cannot approximate the sun as we have done we shall not be classed with them our lack of instruments said the Count is much to be deplored it baffles our investigations in every way ah never mind keep up your courage Count said Servidak cheerily and Lieutenant Procope renewed his assurances that he entertained good hopes that every perplexity would soon be solved I suppose remarked the Count that we cannot attribute much importance to the last line va bene? all right parfait the captain answered at least it shows that whoever wrote it had no murmuring or complaint to make but was quite content with the new order of things end of book one chapter 15 book one chapter 16 of Off on a Comet this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by D. Wycoff Off on a Comet by Jules Verne translated by Anonymous book one chapter 16 the Residuum of a Continent almost unconsciously the voyagers in the Dabrinya fell into the habit of using Gallia as the name of the New World in which they became aware they must be making an extraordinary excursion through the realms of space nothing, however was allowed to divert them from this beloved object of making a survey of the coast of the Mediterranean and accordingly they persevered in following that singular boundary which had revealed itself to their extreme astonishment having rounded the great promontory that had barred her further progress to the north the schooner skirted its upper edge a few more leagues and they ought to be abreast yes of France but who shall describe the feelings of Hector Servidak when instead of the charming outline of his native land he beheld nothing but a solid boundary of savage rock who shall paint the look of consternation with which he gazed upon the stony rampart rising perpendicularly for a thousand feet that had replaced the shores south who shall reveal the burning anxiety with which he throbbed to see beyond that cruel wall but there seemed no hope onwards and onwards the yacht made her way and still no sign of France it might have been supposed that Servidak's previous experiences would have prepared him for the discovery that the catastrophe which had overwhelmed other sites had brought destruction to his own country as well but he had failed to realize how it might extend to France and when now he was obliged with his own eyes to witness the waves of ocean rolling over what once had been the lovely shores of province he was well nigh frantic with desperation it might believe that Gorby Island that little shred of Algeria constitutes all that is left of our glorious France no, now it cannot be not yet if we reach the pole of our new world there is, there must be something more behind that frowning rock oh that for a moment we could scale its towering height and look beyond by heaven I jury you let us disembark and mount the summit and explore France lies beyond disembarkation however that was not our impossibility there was no semblance of a creek in which the Dabrenia could find an anchorage there was no outlying ridge on which a footing could be gained the precipice was perpendicular as a wall its topmost height crowned with the same conglomerate of crystallized lamella that had all along been so pronounced a feature with her steam at high pressure the out made rapid progress towards the east the weather remained perfectly fine the temperature became gradually cooler so that there was little prospect of vapors accumulating in the atmosphere and nothing more than a few searing almost transparent veiled here and there the clear azure of the sky throughout the day the pale rays of the sun apparently lessened in its magnitude cast only faint and somewhat uncertain shadows but at night the stars shone with surpassing brilliancy of the planets some it was observed seemed to be fading away in a remote distance this was the case with Mars Venus and that unknown orb which was moving in the orbit of the minor planets but Jupiter on the other hand had assumed splendid proportions Saturn was superb in its luster and Uranus which hitherto had been imperceptible without a telescope was pointed out by Lieutenant Procope plainly visible to the naked eye the inference was irresistible that Gallia was receding from the sun and traveling far away across the planetary regions on the 24th of February after following the sinuous course of what before the date of the convulsion had been the coastline of the Department of Var and after a fruitless search of the Hyers the Peninsula of Saint-Tropez the Lurrious Islands and the Gulfs of Kans and Jouar the Dabrinya arrived upon the site of the Cape of Antibes here quite unexpectedly the explorers made the discovery that the massive wall of cliff had been ramped from the top to the bottom by a narrow rift like the dry bed of a mountain torrent and at the base of the opening level with the sea was a little strand upon which there was just space enough for their boat to be hauled up Joy Joy shouted Servidak half beside himself with ecstasy and at last Count Tamestchev and the Lieutenant were excursely less impatient than the captain and little needed his urgent and repeated solicitations come on, quick, come on no time to lose it was half past seven in the morning when they set their foot upon this untried land the bit of strand was only a few square yards in area quite a narrow strip upon it might have been recognized some fragments of that agglutination of yellow limestone which is characteristic of the coast of province but the whole party was far too eager to await and examine these remnants of the ancient shore they hurried on to scale the heights the narrow ravine was not only perfectly dry but manifestly had never been the bed of any mountain torrent the rocks that rested at the bottom just as those which formed its sides were of the same lamellius formation as the entire coast and had not hitherto been subject to the disaggregation which the lapse of time never fails to work a skilled geologist would probably have been able to assign them their proper scientific classification but neither Servidak to Masschef nor the Lieutenant could pretend to any acquaintance with their specific character although however the bottom of the chasm had never as yet been the channel of the stream indications were not wanting that at some future time it would be the natural outlet of accumulated waters for already in many places thin layers of snow were glittering upon the surface of the fractured rocks and the higher the elevation that was gained the more these layers were found to increase in area and in depth here is a trace of fresh water the first that Gallia has exhibited said the count to his companions as they toiled up the precipitous path and probably replied the Lieutenant as we ascend we shall find not only snow but ice we must suppose this Gallia of ours to be a sphere and if it is so we must now be very close to her arctic regions it is true that her axis is not so much inclined as to prolonged day and night as at the poles of the earth but the rays of the sun must reach us here only very obliquely and the cold in all likelihood will be intense and cold do you think as Cervadac that animal life must be extinct I do not say that captain answered the Lieutenant for however far our little world may be removed from the sun I do not see why its temperature should fall below what prevails in those outlying regions beyond our system where sky and air are not and what temperature may be required the captain with a shutter Fourier estimates that even in those vast unfathomable tracks the temperature never descends lower than 60 degrees said Procope 60 60 degrees below zero cried the Count why there is not a Russian could endure it I beg your pardon Count it is placed on record that the English have survived it or something quite approximate upon their arctic expeditions when Captain Perry was on Melville Island he knew the thermometer to fall to 56 degrees said Procope as the explorers advanced they seemed glad to pause from time to time that they might recover their breath for the air becoming more and more rarefied made respiration somewhat difficult and the ascent fatiguing before they had reached an altitude of 600 feet they noticed a sensible diminution of the temperature but neither cold nor fatigue deterred them and they resolved to persevere fortunately the deep stria or furrows in the surface of the rock that made the bottom of the ravine in some degree facilitated their progress but it was not until they had been toiling up for two hours more that they had succeeded in reaching the summit of the cliff eagerly and anxiously did they look around to the south there was nothing but the sea they had traversed to the north nothing but one drear inhospitable stretch Servidaque could not suppress a cry of dismay where was his beloved France had he gained this arduous height only to behold the rocks carpeted with ice and snow reaching interminably to the far off horizon his heart sank within him the whole region appeared to consist of nothing but the same strange uniform mineral conglomerate crystallized into regular hexagonal prisms but whatever was its geological character it was only too evident that it had entirely replaced the former soil so that not a vestige of the old continent of Europe could be discerned the lovely scenery of province with the grace of its rich and undulating landscape its gardens of citrons and oranges rising tear upon tear from the deep red soil all all had vanished of the vegetable kingdom there was not a single representative the most meager of arctic plants the most insignificant of lichens could obtain no hold upon that stony waste nor did the animal world assert the feeblest sway the mineral kingdom reigned supreme Captain Servidaque's deep dejection was in strange contrast to his general hilarity silent and tearful he stood upon an ice-bound rock straining his eyes across the boundless vista of the mysterious territory it cannot be he exclaimed we must somehow have mistaken our bearings true we have encountered this barrier but France is there beyond yes France is there come count come by all that's pitiful I treat you come and explore the farthest verge of the ice-bound track he pushed onwards along the rugged surface of the rock but had not proceeded far before he came to a sudden pause his foot had come in contact with something hard beneath the snow and stooping down he picked up a little block of stony substance which the first glance revealed to be of a geological character altogether alien to the universal rocks around it proved to be a fragment of discolored marble on which several letters were inscribed of which the only part at all decipherable was the syllable Will Will Villa he cried out in his excitement dropping the marble which was broken into atoms by the fall what else could this fragment be but the sole surviving remnant of some sumptuous mansion that once had stood on this unrivaled site was it not the residue of some edifice that had crowned the luxuriant headland of intibs overlooking nice and commanding the gorgeous panorama that embraced the maritime alps and reached beyond Monaco and Mentone to the Italian height of Portugera and did it not give in its sad and too convincing testimony that intibs itself had been involved in the great destruction Servidac gazed upon the shattered marble pensive and disheartened Count Tomaschev laid his hand kindly on the captain's shoulder and said my friend, do you not remember the motto of the old Hope family? he shook his head mournfully Orbe Fractos Pes Iloessa continued the Count though the world be shattered Hope is unimpaired Servidac smiled faintly and replied that he felt rather compelled to take up the despairing cry of Dante all Hope abandoned ye who enter here Nay not so answered the Count for the present at least let our maxim be nil desperandum End of Book 1 Chapter 16