Chapter 2 The Pros and Cons Kapitel 2 Das Für und Wider Capítulo 2 Ventajas e inconvenientes Chapitre 2 Le pour et le contre 2 skyrius Argumentai "už" ir "prieš Rozdział 2 Plusy i minusy Capítulo 2 Os prós e os contras Глава 2 Плюсы и минусы Bölüm 2 Artılar ve Eksiler Розділ 2 "За" і "проти 第 2 章优点和缺点

DURING THE PERIOD in which these developments were occurring, I had returned from a scientific undertaking organized to explore the Nebraska badlands in the United States. Pendant cette période, je revenais d'une entreprise scientifique organisée pour explorer les badlands du Nebraska, aux États-Unis. In my capacity as Assistant Professor at the Paris Museum of Natural History, I had been attached to this expedition by the French government. After spending six months in Nebraska, I arrived in New York laden with valuable collections near the end of March. Après avoir passé six mois dans le Nebraska, je suis arrivé à New York, chargé de précieuses collections, vers la fin du mois de mars. My departure for France was set for early May. Mon départ pour la France était prévu pour le début du mois de mai. In the meantime, then, I was busy classifying my mineralogical, botanical, and zoological treasures when that incident took place with the Scotia .

I was perfectly abreast of this question, which was the big news of the day, and how could I not have been? J'étais parfaitement au courant de cette question, qui était la grande nouvelle du jour, et comment aurais-je pu ne pas l'être ? I had read and reread every American and European newspaper without being any farther along. J'avais lu et relu tous les journaux américains et européens sans être plus avancé. This mystery puzzled me. Finding it impossible to form any views, I drifted from one extreme to the other. Something was out there, that much was certain, and any doubting Thomas was invited to place his finger on the Scotia's wound. Il y a quelque chose, c'est certain, et Thomas, qui en doute, est invité à mettre le doigt sur la plaie du Scotia. When I arrived in New York, the question was at the boiling point. The hypothesis of a drifting islet or an elusive reef, put forward by people not quite in their right minds, was completely eliminated. L'hypothèse d'un îlot à la dérive ou d'un récif insaisissable, émise par des personnes mal intentionnées, a été totalement écartée. And indeed, unless this reef had an engine in its belly, how could it move about with such prodigious speed? Et en effet, à moins que ce récif n'ait un moteur dans son ventre, comment pourrait-il se déplacer à une vitesse aussi prodigieuse ?

Also discredited was the idea of a floating hull or some other enormous wreckage, and again because of this speed of movement.

So only two possible solutions to the question were left, creating two very distinct groups of supporters: on one side, those favoring a monster of colossal strength; on the other, those favoring an "underwater boat" of tremendous motor power. Now then, although the latter hypothesis was completely admissible, it couldn't stand up to inquiries conducted in both the New World and the Old. Or, si cette dernière hypothèse est tout à fait recevable, elle ne résiste pas aux enquêtes menées tant dans le Nouveau Monde que dans l'Ancien. That a private individual had such a mechanism at his disposal was less than probable. Il est peu probable qu'un particulier dispose d'un tel mécanisme. Where and when had he built it, and how could he have built it in secret?

Only some government could own such an engine of destruction, and in these disaster–filled times, when men tax their ingenuity to build increasingly powerful aggressive weapons, it was possible that, unknown to the rest of the world, some nation could have been testing such a fearsome machine. Seul un gouvernement pouvait posséder un tel engin de destruction, et en ces temps de catastrophes, où les hommes taxent leur ingéniosité pour construire des armes agressives de plus en plus puissantes, il était possible que, à l'insu du reste du monde, une nation ait pu tester une machine aussi redoutable. The Chassepot rifle led to the torpedo, and the torpedo has led to this underwater battering ram, which in turn will lead to the world putting its foot down. Le fusil Chassepot a conduit à la torpille, et la torpille a conduit à ce bélier sous-marin, qui à son tour conduira le monde à mettre les pieds dans le plat. At least I hope it will.

But this hypothesis of a war machine collapsed in the face of formal denials from the various governments. Since the public interest was at stake and transoceanic travel was suffering, the sincerity of these governments could not be doubted. L'intérêt public étant en jeu et les voyages transocéaniques souffrant, la sincérité de ces gouvernements ne pouvait être mise en doute. Besides, how could the assembly of this underwater boat have escaped public notice? Keeping a secret under such circumstances would be difficult enough for an individual, and certainly impossible for a nation whose every move is under constant surveillance by rival powers.

So, after inquiries conducted in England, France, Russia, Prussia, Spain, Italy, America, and even Turkey, the hypothesis of an underwater Monitor was ultimately rejected.

And so the monster surfaced again, despite the endless witticisms heaped on it by the popular press, and the human imagination soon got caught up in the most ridiculous ichthyological fantasies.

After I arrived in New York, several people did me the honor of consulting me on the phenomenon in question. In France I had published a two–volume work, in quarto, entitled The Mysteries of the Great Ocean Depths . Well received in scholarly circles, this book had established me as a specialist in this pretty obscure field of natural history. My views were in demand. As long as I could deny the reality of the business, I confined myself to a flat "no comment." But soon, pinned to the wall, I had to explain myself straight out. Mais bientôt, clouée au mur, j'ai dû m'expliquer sans détour. And in this vein, "the honorable Pierre Aronnax, Professor at the Paris Museum," was summoned by The New York Herald to formulate his views no matter what. I complied. Since I could no longer hold my tongue, I let it wag. I discussed the question in its every aspect, both political and scientific, and this is an excerpt from the well–padded article I published in the issue of April 30. J'ai abordé la question sous tous ses aspects, tant politiques que scientifiques, et voici un extrait de l'article bien étoffé que j'ai publié dans le numéro du 30 avril.

"Therefore," I wrote, "after examining these different hypotheses one by one, we are forced, every other supposition having been refuted, to accept the existence of an extremely powerful marine animal. "Ainsi, écrivais-je, après avoir examiné une à une ces différentes hypothèses, nous sommes contraints, toutes les autres ayant été réfutées, d'accepter l'existence d'un animal marin extrêmement puissant. "The deepest parts of the ocean are totally unknown to us. No soundings have been able to reach them. What goes on in those distant depths? What creatures inhabit, or could inhabit, those regions twelve or fifteen miles beneath the surface of the water? What is the constitution of these animals? It's almost beyond conjecture. "However, the solution to this problem submitted to me can take the form of a choice between two alternatives. "Either we know every variety of creature populating our planet, or we do not. "Soit nous connaissons toutes les variétés de créatures qui peuplent notre planète, soit nous ne les connaissons pas. "If we do not know every one of them, if nature still keeps ichthyological secrets from us, nothing is more admissible than to accept the existence of fish or cetacean s of new species or even new genera, animals with a basically 'cast–iron' constitution that inhabit strata beyond the reach of our soundings, and which some development or other, an urge or a whim if you prefer, can bring to the upper level of the ocean for long intervals. Si nous ne les connaissons pas tous, si la nature nous cache encore des secrets ichtyologiques, rien n'est plus admissible que d'admettre l'existence de poissons ou de cétacés d'espèces nouvelles ou même de genres nouveaux, d'animaux à la constitution foncièrement "en fonte" qui habitent des strates hors de portée de nos sondages, et qu'un développement ou un autre, une pulsion ou un caprice si l'on préfère, peut amener à l'étage supérieur de l'océan pendant de longs intervalles. "If, on the other hand, we do know every living species, we must look for the animal in question among those marine creatures already cataloged, and in this event I would be inclined to accept the existence of a giant narwhale. "Si, en revanche, nous connaissons toutes les espèces vivantes, nous devons chercher l'animal en question parmi les créatures marines déjà répertoriées et, dans ce cas, je serais enclin à accepter l'existence d'un narval géant. "The common narwhale, or sea unicorn, often reaches a length of sixty feet. Increase its dimensions fivefold or even tenfold, then give this cetacean a strength in proportion to its size while enlarging its offensive weapons, and you have the animal we're looking for. Multipliez ses dimensions par cinq, voire par dix, puis donnez à ce cétacé une force proportionnelle à sa taille tout en augmentant ses armes offensives, et vous obtenez l'animal que nous recherchons. It would have the proportions determined by the officers of the Shannon , the instrument needed to perforate the Scotia , and the power to pierce a steamer's hull. "In essence, the narwhale is armed with a sort of ivory sword, or lance, as certain naturalists have expressed it. It's a king–sized tooth as hard as steel. Some of these teeth have been found buried in the bodies of baleen whales, which the narwhale attacks with invariable success. Certaines de ces dents ont été retrouvées enfouies dans le corps de baleines à fanons, que le narval attaque avec un succès invariable. Others have been wrenched, not without difficulty, from the undersides of vessels that narwhales have pierced clean through, as a gimlet pierces a wine barrel. Otros han sido arrancados, no sin dificultad, de la parte inferior de vasijas que los narvales han perforado limpiamente, como una barrena perfora un barril de vino. D'autres ont été arrachés, non sans difficulté, du dessous des navires que les narvals ont transpercés de part en part, comme un gimlet transperce un tonneau de vin. The museum at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris owns one of these tusks with a length of 2.25 meters and a width at its base of forty–eight centimeters! Le musée de la faculté de médecine de Paris possède une de ces défenses d'une longueur de 2,25 mètres et d'une largeur à la base de quarante-huit centimètres !

"All right then! Imagine this weapon to be ten times stronger and the animal ten times more powerful, launch it at a speed of twenty miles per hour, multiply its mass times its velocity, and you get just the collision we need to cause the specified catastrophe.

"So, until information becomes more abundant, I plump for a sea unicorn of colossal dimensions, no longer armed with a mere lance but with an actual spur, like ironclad frigates or those warships called 'rams,' whose mass and motor power it would possess simultaneously. Alors, en attendant que l'information soit plus abondante, j'opte pour une licorne marine aux dimensions colossales, armée non plus d'une simple lance mais d'un véritable éperon, à l'instar des frégates de fer ou de ces navires de guerre appelés "béliers", dont elle posséderait à la fois la masse et la puissance motrice. "This inexplicable phenomenon is thus explained away—unless it's something else entirely, which, despite everything that has been sighted, studied, explored and experienced, is still possible!" "Ce phénomène inexplicable est donc expliqué, à moins qu'il ne s'agisse de quelque chose d'autre, ce qui, malgré tout ce qui a été vu, étudié, exploré et expérimenté, est encore possible ! These last words were cowardly of me; but as far as I could, I wanted to protect my professorial dignity and not lay myself open to laughter from the Americans, who when they do laugh, laugh raucously. Estas últimas palabras fueron cobardes por mi parte; pero, en la medida de lo posible, quería proteger mi dignidad de profesor y no exponerme a las risas de los americanos, que cuando ríen, ríen a carcajadas. Ces derniers mots étaient lâches de ma part, mais je voulais autant que possible protéger ma dignité de professeur et ne pas prêter le flanc aux rires des Américains qui, lorsqu'ils rient, le font de manière bruyante. I had left myself a loophole. Je m'étais laissé une marge de manœuvre. Yet deep down, I had accepted the existence of "the monster." Pourtant, au fond de moi, j'avais accepté l'existence du "monstre". My article was hotly debated, causing a fine old uproar. Mon article a fait l'objet d'un débat animé, provoquant un beau tollé. It rallied a number of supporters. Moreover, the solution it proposed allowed for free play of the imagination. De plus, la solution qu'il propose permet de laisser libre cours à l'imagination. The human mind enjoys impressive visions of unearthly creatures. Now then, the sea is precisely their best medium, the only setting suitable for the breeding and growing of such giants—next to which such land animals as elephants or rhinoceroses are mere dwarves. Or, la mer est précisément leur meilleur milieu, le seul qui convienne à l'élevage et à la croissance de ces géants, à côté desquels des animaux terrestres comme les éléphants ou les rhinocéros ne sont que des nains. The liquid masses support the largest known species of mammals and perhaps conceal mollusks of incomparable size or crustaceans too frightful to contemplate, such as 100–meter lobsters or crabs weighing 200 metric tons! Les masses liquides abritent les plus grandes espèces de mammifères connues et cachent peut-être des mollusques d'une taille incomparable ou des crustacés trop effrayants pour être envisagés, comme des homards de 100 mètres ou des crabes pesant 200 tonnes ! Why not? Formerly, in prehistoric days, land animals (quadrupeds, apes, reptiles, birds) were built on a gigantic scale. Our Creator cast them using a colossal mold that time has gradually made smaller. Notre Créateur les a coulés dans un moule colossal que le temps a progressivement réduit. With its untold depths, couldn't the sea keep alive such huge specimens of life from another age, this sea that never changes while the land masses undergo almost continuous alteration? Avec ses profondeurs inouïes, la mer ne pourrait-elle pas garder en vie de si grands spécimens de vie d'un autre âge, cette mer qui ne change pas alors que les terres émergées subissent des altérations quasi permanentes ? Couldn't the heart of the ocean hide the last–remaining varieties of these titanic species, for whom years are centuries and centuries millennia? But I mustn't let these fantasies run away with me! Mais je ne dois pas me laisser emporter par mes fantasmes ! Enough of these fairy tales that time has changed for me into harsh realities. Assez de ces contes de fées que le temps a transformés pour moi en dures réalités. I repeat: opinion had crystallized as to the nature of this phenomenon, and the public accepted without argument the existence of a prodigious creature that had nothing in common with the fabled sea serpent. Je le répète : l'opinion s'était cristallisée sur la nature du phénomène et le public acceptait sans discussion l'existence d'une créature prodigieuse qui n'avait rien à voir avec le légendaire serpent de mer.

Yet if some saw it purely as a scientific problem to be solved, more practical people, especially in America and England, were determined to purge the ocean of this daunting monster, to insure the safety of transoceanic travel. The industrial and commercial newspapers dealt with the question chiefly from this viewpoint. The Shipping & Mercantile Gazette, the Lloyd's List, France's Packetboat and Maritime & Colonial Review, all the rags devoted to insurance companies—who threatened to raise their premium rates—were unanimous on this point. La Shipping & Mercantile Gazette, la Lloyd's List, la France's Packetboat et la Maritime & Colonial Review, tous les torchons consacrés aux compagnies d'assurance - qui menacent d'augmenter leurs primes - sont unanimes sur ce point. Public opinion being pronounced, the States of the Union were the first in the field. L'opinion publique s'étant prononcée, les États de l'Union ont été les premiers sur le terrain. In New York preparations were under way for an expedition designed to chase this narwhale. A high–speed frigate, the Abraham Lincoln , was fitted out for putting to sea as soon as possible. The naval arsenals were unlocked for Commander Farragut, who pressed energetically forward with the arming of his frigate. Les arsenaux navals sont débloqués pour le commandant Farragut, qui s'active énergiquement pour armer sa frégate.

But, as it always happens, just when a decision had been made to chase the monster, the monster put in no further appearances. Mais, comme c'est toujours le cas, au moment où l'on décide de poursuivre le monstre, celui-ci ne se manifeste plus. For two months nobody heard a word about it. Not a single ship encountered it. Apparently the unicorn had gotten wise to these plots being woven around it. Apparemment, la licorne a pris conscience des intrigues qui se nouent autour d'elle. People were constantly babbling about the creature, even via the Atlantic Cable! Accordingly, the wags claimed that this slippery rascal had waylaid some passing telegram and was making the most of it. C'est ainsi que les gens du métier ont prétendu que ce petit malin avait détourné un télégramme qui passait et qu'il en tirait profit.

So the frigate was equipped for a far–off voyage and armed with fearsome fishing gear, but nobody knew where to steer it. La frégate est donc équipée pour un voyage lointain et armée d'un redoutable matériel de pêche, mais personne ne sait où la diriger. And impatience grew until, on June 2, word came that the Tampico , a steamer on the San Francisco line sailing from California to Shanghai, had sighted the animal again, three weeks before in the northerly seas of the Pacific. L'impatience grandit jusqu'à ce que, le 2 juin, on apprenne que le Tampico, un vapeur de la ligne de San Francisco reliant la Californie à Shanghai, a de nouveau aperçu l'animal, trois semaines auparavant, dans les mers septentrionales du Pacifique.

This news caused intense excitement. Not even a 24–hour breather was granted to Commander Farragut. Le commandant Farragut ne bénéficie même pas d'un répit de 24 heures. His provisions were loaded on board. His coal bunkers were overflowing. Ses soutes à charbon débordent. Not a crewman was missing from his post. To cast off, he needed only to fire and stoke his furnaces! Pour larguer les amarres, il lui suffit d'allumer et d'alimenter ses fourneaux ! Half a day's delay would have been unforgivable! Une demi-journée de retard aurait été impardonnable ! But Commander Farragut wanted nothing more than to go forth. Mais le commandant Farragut ne veut rien d'autre qu'aller de l'avant.

I received a letter three hours before the Abraham Lincoln left its Brooklyn pier;* the letter read as follows:

Pierre Aronnax Professor at the Paris Museum Fifth Avenue Hotel New York

Sir:

If you would like to join the expedition on the Abraham Lincoln , the government of the Union will be pleased to regard you as France's representative in this undertaking. Commander Farragut has a cabin at your disposal.

Very cordially yours,

J. B. HOBSON, Secretary of the Navy.

*Author's Note: A pier is a type of wharf expressly set aside for an individual vessel. *Note de l'auteur : Une jetée est un type de quai expressément réservé à un navire individuel.