"
"In whose name, Captain?"
"In my own, sir!"
Saying which, Captain Nemo unfurled a black banner, bearing an "N"
in gold quartered on its bunting. Then, turning towards the orb of day,
whose last rays lapped the horizon of the sea, he exclaimed:
"Adieu, sun! Disappear, thou radiant orb! rest beneath this open sea,
and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains!"
CHAPTER XV
ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT?
The next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning,
preparations for departure were begun. The last gleams
of twilight were melting into night. The cold was great,
the constellations shone with wonderful intensity.
In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross--
the polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 120
below zero, and when the wind freshened it was most biting.
Flakes of ice increased on the open water. The sea seemed
everywhere alike. Numerous blackish patches spread on the surface,
showing the formation of fresh ice. Evidently the southern basin,
frozen during the six winter months, was absolutely inaccessible.
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