The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-11-13

T WAS leaning forward on the star
board bulwark, my servant Con-
- sell beside me, when the voice of
Ned Land, the big harpO0ner, broke
the silence. Look There is the
thing we are looking forr' he cried.
We all saw the sea monster, or
whatever it was, which we had been
hunting for months. 1t made off as
we charged. We gave chase. Through
out all that night and next day we
pursued. We stopped. 1t stopped.
Once it allowed US to creep close to
it; and as we crept it rammed us.
The shock of collision threw me into
the sea. would have drowned but for
my faithful Conseil. He supported me
to the hard metallic back of the mon
ster. Here we were Joined by Ned
Land. AS we were resting there, eight
masked men came through a hatch
and drew us down into the bowels of
what we now saw was not monster,
but a strange kind of sea craft. Thus
began the strange voyage with that
remarkable character who called HIM
self Captain Memo, and in that strange
wonderful ship which he called the
Nautilus.
The Nautilus was a cigar-shaped
steel ship of 232 feet in length, 20 feet
beam and 1900 tons dead weight.
There were two bulls, one inside the
other Joined by T-shaped irons, which
rendered them of almost uncrushable
strength. She was driven by electric
engines of tremendous power. Tanks
which could be flied or emptied at
will enabled her TO cruise on the sur
face or under the water as she pleased
She was fitted with all kinds OF
working and lounging quarters. In a
library were books on the sciences,
morals, literature of almost every Ian
guage There was a drawing room
with a luminous ceiling which served
also as a museum, and into which an
intelligent hand had gathered subma
rine treasures of the world: the rarest
shells, pearls of all cOlors and beyond
price, every variety Of undersea vege
tation; also paintings of the masters
admirable statues in marble anC
bronze, a great organ piano.
From the inside of her a staircase
led to a platform or deck from which
rose two cages, partly enclosed by
thick glasses. One cage was for the
helmsman, the other contained an cleo
trio searchlight to light the course
of the ship in dark waters. On thi:
platform also was a place wherein wa!
stored a long-boat.
Captain Memo was tall and robustly
built, with pale skin, lofty brow, ant
the fine taper hands of a highly nerv
Gus temperament. He spoke French
English, German, Latin, all equal.
well. He may have been thirty-five
he may have been fifty years old.
Tt was on November 6, 1866. wit
the coast of Japan in view, that thi
strange captain told us we were pris
oners for him TO do with as he pleased
"And now" he added. "Our course i
r. N. E. and our cruising depth 2
; fathoms. leave you to the resource
) of these quarters and your own |
flections." .
: We remained mute, not KNOWN
| what surprise awaited us. Suddenly
dazzling light broke l.. on US. We say
. that only glass panels separated us fror
a sea which was illuminated far t
Q either side by the powerful electri
CLEANS from the ship. What a spec
: tacle! An army of undersea creature
1 escorted us. They were various an
: beautiful in the clear water, man
p known, but hundreds unknown to us.
We heard and saw nothing of tn