Shall I be believed? I do not know. And it matters little, after all.
What I now affirm is, that I have a right to speak of these seas, under which,
in less than ten months, I have crossed 20,000 leagues in that submarine tour
of the world, which has revealed so many wonders.
But what has become of the Nautilus? Did it resist the pressure
of the maelstrom? Does Captain Nemo still live? And does
he still follow under the ocean those frightful retaliations?
Or, did he stop after the last hecatomb?
Will the waves one day carry to him this manuscript containing
the history of his life? Shall I ever know the name of this man?
Will the missing vessel tell us by its nationality that of Captain Nemo?
I hope so. And I also hope that his powerful vessel has conquered
the sea at its most terrible gulf, and that the Nautilus has survived
where so many other vessels have been lost! If it be so--if Captain
Nemo still inhabits the ocean, his adopted country, may hatred be
appeased in that savage heart! May the contemplation of so many wonders
extinguish for ever the spirit of vengeance! May the judge disappear,
and the philosopher continue the peaceful exploration of the sea!
If his destiny be strange, it is also sublime.
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