sharks. They were man-eaters, terrible creatures with
enormous tails and a dull glassy stare--monstrous brutes which could
crush a whole man in their iron jaws! I noticed their silver undersides
and their huge mouths bristling with teeth, from a very unscientific
point of view and more as a possible victim than as a naturalist.

Happily the [v]voracious creatures do not see well. They passed without
noticing us, brushing us with their brownish fins, and we escaped by a
miracle from a danger certainly greater than that of meeting a tiger
full-face in a forest. Half an hour later, guided by the electric light,
we reached the _Nautilus_. The outside door had been left open, and
Captain Nemo closed it as soon as we entered the first cell. He then
pressed a knob. I heard the pumps working in the midst of the vessel. I
felt the water sinking from around me, and in a few minutes the cell
was entirely empty. The inside door then opened, and we entered the
vestry.

Our diving-dress was taken off, not without some trouble; and fairly
worn out from want of food and sleep, I returned to my room in great
wonder at this surprising excursion at the bottom of the sea.

JULES VERNE.

=HELPS TO STUDY=

What was the hunt to which the adventurers were invited? Describe
the preparations for it. What kind of gun did the hunters carry?
Describe the descent to the bottom of the sea and the walk. What
impressed you most? Would you care to take a nap at the bottom of
the sea? What were the main incidents in the return trip? Find out
all you can about divers and about life on the floor of the ocean.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

The Mysterious Island--Jules Verne.
Thirty Strange Stories--H. G. Wells.
The Great Stone of Sardis--Frank R. Stockton.

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean--roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin--his control
Stops with the shore; upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man's ravage.

LORD BYRON.

UNDER SEAS

This story is a realistic description of a submarine cruise in the
recent war. The _Kate_ was a Russian underwater boat operating
against the German fleet in the Baltic Sea. Her experiences in this
terrible mode of fighting were the same as those of hundreds of
submarines belonging to the various w