o placed his hand on the stair-rail,
struck from behind by some invisible force, I know not what, fled,
uttering the most fearful cries and making the wildest contortions.

Ten of his companions followed him. They met with the same fate.

Conseil was in ecstasy. Ned Land, carried away by his violent
instincts, rushed on to the staircase. But the moment he seized the
rail with both hands, he, in his turn, was overthrown.

"I am struck by a thunderbolt," cried he, with an oath.

This explained all. It was no rail; but a metallic cable charged with
electricity from the deck communicating with the platform. Whoever
touched it felt a powerful shock--and this shock would have been mortal
if Captain Nemo had discharged into the conductor the whole force of
the current. It might truly be said that between his assailants and
himself he had stretched a network of electricity which none could pass
with impunity.

Meanwhile, the exasperated Papuans had beaten a retreat paralysed with
terror. As for us, half laughing, we consoled and rubbed the
unfortunate Ned Land, who swore like one possessed.

But at this moment the Nautilus, raised by the last waves of the tide,
quitted her coral bed exactly at the fortieth minute fixed by the
Captain. Her screw swept the waters slowly and majestically. Her
speed increased gradually, and, sailing on the surface of the ocean,
she quitted safe and sound the dangerous passes of the Straits of
Torres.

CHAPTER XXII

"AEGRI SOMNIA"

The following day 10th January, the Nautilus continued her course
between two seas, but with such remarkable speed that I could not
estimate it at less than thirty-five miles an hour. The rapidity of
her screw was such that I could neither follow nor count its
revolutions. When I reflected that this marvellous electric agent,
after having afforded motion, heat, and light to the Nautilus, still
protected her from outward attack, and transformed her into an ark of
safety which no profane hand might touch without being thunderstricken,
my admiration was unbounded, and from the structure it extended to the
engineer who had called it into existence.

Our course was directed to the west, and on the 11th of January we
doubled Cape Wessel, situation in 135 deg. long. and 10 deg. S. lat.,
which forms the east point of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The reefs were
still numerous, but more equalised, and marked on the chart with
extreme precision. The Nautilu