Page:Twenty Thousand Verne Frith 1876.pdf/187

 of oysters will soon fill up the bay, as we counted 2,000,000 of eggs in a single oyster. And if Master Ned Land did not repent of his gluttony in this respect, it was because the oyster is the only thing that does not cause indigestion. In fact it would necessitate the consumption of sixteen dozen oysters to furnish the 315 grammes of azote substance necessary to nourish one man. On the 25th December the Nautilus sailed into the midst of the group of the New Hebrides, discovered by Quiros, in 1606, which Bongainville explored in 1768, and to which Captain Cook gave its name in 1773. This group is composed principally of nine large islands, and forms a band of 120 leagues from N.N.W. to S.S.E., included between 15° and 2° S. lat., and 164° and 168° long. We also passed close to the island of Auron, which at midday appeared to be a mass of green woods, commanded by a mountain of immense height.

This was Christmas Day, and Ned Land appeared to regret keenly the usual celebration of the day—the family gathering in which some people are so fanatical.

I had not seen Captain Nemo for eight days, when, on the 27th, very early in the morning, he entered the saloon, having as usual the air of a man who had left you but five minutes before. I was engaged in tracing our course upon the map. The captain approached, placed his finger upon a spot in the map, and uttered the single word, “Vanikoro!”

The word was magical. It was the name of the island where the ships of La Perouse were lost. I rose up suddenly.

“Is the Nautilus carrying us to Vanikoro?” I said.

“Yes,” replied the captain.