In the summer of 1866, strange things began to take place in the ocean of the world. Ships reported seeing a huge creature that no one had ever seen before . Some of the ships actually collided with this creature. One even had its iron hull powered right through in an encounter with the sea monster. Or so it was described as a sea monster.
Professor Pierre Aronnax was an expert on the sea and it's creatures. When asked about the sea monster, the professor's guess was that the creature was a giant Narwhal. Since the monster was a big hazard, preparations were made to capture the monster. A ship was prepared to take the sea in search of the creature. Professor Aronnax was also to be a part of the expedition.
For three months, the ship searched the ocean but they did not spot the monster. By the end of the time, the crew felt discouraged and supplies were running low. Their captain asked them to be patient for three days more. If the monster had not been spotted in that time, the captain agreed to return home.
Two days passed without a sign of the monsters. On the third day at eight in the evening, Professor Aronnax stood looking out to sea with his assistant, Conseil. The moon was low on the horizon and the sea was calm.
"Well, sir" said Conseil, "it looks as if we will have to return empty handed"
"Yes", replied Professor. "I will look a bit of a fool now, won't I?
"But sir", began Conseil, "you only....."
Conseil didn't have time to complete the sentence. They heard a bellow from the lookout at the top of the mast-"Look out there ! The beast ! Out there ! Off the starboard bow !
Everyone ran to the side of the ship and stared out to sea. There, before their eyes, was the monster they had been looking for. It was on the surface of the sea, an enormous creature with two blazing eyes that cast an eerie glow on the water.
The captain ordered his crew to cut the engines. Suddenly the monster moved towards their ship. Professor Aronnax started in amazement. The creature cut through the water with such great speed, that he was sure that it would ram into their ship. But it stopped some distance away from the ship before diving beneath the waves, and reappearing on the other side. The creature then began to move away from the ship. The captain now ordered his men to go in pursuit. All night they chased the creature, but always, the monster stayed out of reach.
When morning broke, they saw that it had stopped and lay motionless in the water.
Slowly, the ship approached the creature despite the risk. Everyone held their breath as the ship crept closer and closer to the monster. When the ship was close enough, the crew tried to throw a sharp harpoon at the beast. The harpoon appeared to strike something hard. Then, the ship suddenly shook from end to end. The sailors fell all over the decks and one of the masts came tumbling down. Professor Aronnax and Conseil were thrown into the ocean.
"Help! Help!" they shouted when they came to the surface of the water. They tried to swim towards the ship but could not make progress as their clothes weighed them down. They realised that the monster had struck the ship a fearsome blow and the ship either sinking or too crippled to rescue anyone. For hours on end they thoroughly exhausted. Conseil had just enough energy to call out once more. This time they heard a faint reply. They moved towards the voice. Suddenly, the professor felt his body hit something hard and he lost consciousness.
When the professor came to his senses, he saw Conseil and the familiar face of a crew member bending over him.
"Ned", he cried, "You've come to our rescue"
"Well, I don't know if I've rescued you or not. I was thrown into the ocean just like you were, when the creature hit our ship. But I landed in a floating island—the back of the beast we were trying to capture. The very beast we are resting on right now ! This beast is made out of sheet iron. It's a ship if ever I saw one. But it's he strangest ship I've ever laid eyes on!"
The three man landed on a submarine—The Nautilus—designed, built and commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo. The Captain takes the men as his prisoners but allows them to move freely within his ship. What follows is a long underwater adventure—20,000 leagues under the sea—in which the Nautilus explores the entire ocean world and the sea floor beneath. How the men finally escape from the Nautilus forms the rest of the story.
Abridged from "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea" by Jules Verne.
