ng. At ten yards deep, we walked amid a shoal of
little fishes, more numerous than the birds of the air; but no
[v]aquatic game worthy of a shot had as yet met our gaze. Suddenly I saw
the captain put his gun to his shoulder and follow a moving object into
the shrubs. He fired; I heard a slight hissing and the creature fell
stunned at some distance from us.

It was a magnificent sea-otter, five feet long and very valuable. Its
skin, chestnut-brown above and silvery underneath, would have made one
of those beautiful furs so sought after in the Russian and Chinese
markets. I admired the curious animal, with its rounded head ornamented
with short ears, its round eyes, and white whiskers like those of a cat,
and its webbed feet and nails and tufted tail. This precious beast,
hunted and tracked by fishermen, has now become very rare and has sought
refuge in the northern parts of the Pacific.

Captain Nemo's companion threw the sea-otter over his shoulder, and we
continued our journey. For an hour a plain of sand lay stretched before
us, which sometimes rose to within two yards of the surface of the
water. I then saw our image clearly reflected, drawn inversely, and
above us appeared an identical group reflecting our movements: in a
word, the image was like us in every point, except that the figures
walked with their heads downward and their feet in the air.

For two hours we followed these sandy plains, then fields of [v]algae
very disagreeable to cross. Candidly, I felt that I could do no more
when I saw a glimmer of light, which for a half-mile broke the darkness
of the waters. It was the lantern of the _Nautilus_. Before twenty
minutes were over we should be on board, and I should be able to breathe
with ease, for it seemed that my reservoir supplied air very deficient
in oxygen. But I did not reckon on an accidental meeting which delayed
our arrival for some time.

I had remained some steps behind, when presently I saw Captain Nemo come
hurriedly toward me. With his strong hand he bent me to the ground,
while his companion did the same to Conseil. At first I knew not what to
think of this sudden attack, but I was soon reassured by seeing the
captain lie down beside me and remain immovable.

I was stretched on the ground, just under shelter of a bush of algae,
when, raising my head, I saw some enormous mass, casting phosphorescent
gleams, pass blusteringly by. My blood froze in my veins as I recognized
two formidable