The trousers were
finished off with thick boots, weighted with heavy leaden soles.
The texture of the waistcoat was held together by bands of copper,
which crossed the chest, protecting it from the great pressure
of the water, and leaving the lungs free to act; the sleeves ended
in gloves, which in no way restrained the movement of the hands.
There was a vast difference noticeable between these consummate
apparatuses and the old cork breastplates, jackets, and other
contrivances in vogue during the eighteenth century.
Captain Nemo and one of his companions (a sort of Hercules,
who must have possessed great strength), Conseil and myself
were soon enveloped in the dresses. There remained nothing
more to be done but to enclose our heads in the metal box.
But, before proceeding to this operation, I asked the Captain's
permission to examine the guns.
One of the Nautilus men gave me a simple gun, the butt end
of which, made of steel, hollow in the centre, was rather large.
It served as a reservoir for compressed air, which a valve,
worked by a spring, allowed to escape into a metal tube.
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