The Nautilus Gets Under Way
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 2557
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The Nautilus moved through the underground currents like a fish and
Fred
marveled at its power and design. He had wondered at how the thing could
move without
benefit of sail and oar. But it quickly became apparent that the men along
the main deck
were the source of the ship's motive power. Each man held onto one of the
horizontal
poles that lined the sides of the long deck and cranked it up and down in a
sure, strong
circular arc. It reminded Fred of a well pump and how a mule tied to a
wheel which in
turn was connected to a shaft could bring forth pure, fresh water simply by
walking in
circles. He still did not understand everything about the ship, his people
for instance had
not yet invented the propeller and he wondered at where the air came from,
but he had no
problem in appreciating the skill that had gone into the Nautilus' making.
Astra Thessamar sat with Arthur in the forward cabin and it was there that Fred now went. Thessamar was obviously uneasy about this undersea voyage. "I feel like I am in a coffin," she muttered anxiously. Arthur smiled compassionately, "Many are those who are not fit for such travel. It is a hard thing. But one day I imagine such voyages will be as common as carriage rides." Thessamar looked at him askance, "You have a wild imagination if you think people will gladly lock themselves into iron boxes and sink below the waves. I for one would rather stand on the deck of a fine sailing ship and feel the wind on my face." "But this ship is only the beginning," countered Arthur. "Your sailing ships, how did they begin? A simple dug-out canoe or a river raft with a single mast and a square-cut hide to catch the wind? And yet look at them now. This too shall happen to my submersible. It shall grow and change and reach toward perfection. I imagine a ship with state rooms and audience chambers and grand banquet halls, and it shall all be made of glass and glide like a mighty behemoth across the floor of the terrible ocean. And Poseidon's secrets shall be revealed to me."
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WolfRun
7/6/1999 11:25:08 AM
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