We arrived there on the 28th of May, and the Nautilus was then not
more than 120 miles from Ireland.
Was Captain Nemo going to land on the British Isles?
No. To my great surprise he made for the south, once more coming
back towards European seas. In rounding the Emerald Isle,
for one instant I caught sight of Cape Clear, and the light which
guides the thousands of vessels leaving Glasgow or Liverpool.
An important question then arose in my mind. Did the Nautilus
dare entangle itself in the Manche? Ned Land, who had re-appeared
since we had been nearing land, did not cease to question me.
How could I answer? Captain Nemo remained invisible.
After having shown the Canadian a glimpse of American shores,
was he going to show me the coast of France?
But the Nautilus was still going southward. On the 30th of May,
it passed in sight of Land's End, between the extreme point
of England and the Scilly Isles, which were left to starboard.
If we wished to enter the Manche, he must go straight to the east.
He did not do so.
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