s easy to decide," I answered. I consulted the manometer. To my
great surprise, it showed a depth of more than 180 fathoms. "What does
that mean?" I exclaimed.

"We must ask Captain Nemo," said Conseil.

"But where shall we find him?" said Ned Land.

"Follow me," said I, to my companions.

We left the saloon. There was no one in the library. At the centre
staircase, by the berths of the ship's crew, there was no one. I
thought that Captain Nemo must be in the pilot's cage. It was best to
wait. We all returned to the saloon. For twenty minutes we remained
thus, trying to hear the slightest noise which might be made on board
the Nautilus, when Captain Nemo entered. He seemed not to see us; his
face, generally so impassive, showed signs of uneasiness. He watched
the compass silently, then the manometer; and, going to the
planisphere, placed his finger on a spot representing the southern
seas. I would not interrupt him; but, some minutes later, when he
turned towards me, I said, using one of his own expressions in the
Torres Straits:

"An incident, Captain?"

"No, sir; an accident this time."

"Serious?"

"Perhaps."

"Is the danger immediate?"

"No."

"The Nautilus has stranded?"

"Yes."

"And this has happened--how?"

"From a caprice of nature, not from the ignorance of man. Not a
mistake has been made in the working. But we cannot prevent
equilibrium from producing its effects. We may brave human laws, but
we cannot resist natural ones."

Captain Nemo had chosen a strange moment for uttering this
philosophical reflection. On the whole, his answer helped me little.

"May I ask, sir, the cause of this accident?"

"An enormous block of ice, a whole mountain, has turned over," he
replied. "When icebergs are undermined at their base by warmer water
or reiterated shocks their centre of gravity rises, and the whole thing
turns over. This is what has happened; one of these blocks, as it
fell, struck the Nautilus, then, gliding under its hull, raised it with
irresistible force, bringing it into beds which are not so thick, where
it is lying on its side."

"But can we not get the Nautilus off by emptying its reservoirs, that
it might regain its equilibrium?"

"That, sir, is being done at this moment. You can hear the pump
working. Look at the needle of the manometer; it shows that the
Nautilus is rising, but the block of ice is floating with it; and,
until some obstacle stops its asc