Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax to a hunting-party, which will take place to-morrow morning in the forests of the island of Crespo. He hopes that nothing will prevent the Professor from being present, and he will with pleasure see him joined by his companions. CAPTAIN NEMO, Commander of the _Nautilus_. “A hunt!” exclaimed Ned. “And in the forests of the island of Crespo!” added Conseil. “Oh! then the gentleman is going on _terra firma?_” replied Ned Land. “That seems to me to be clearly indicated,” said I, reading the letter once more. “Well, we must accept,” said the Canadian. “But once more on dry ground, we shall know what to do. Indeed, I shall not be sorry to eat a piece of fresh venison.” Without seeking to reconcile what was contradictory between Captain Nemo’s manifest aversion to islands and continents, and his invitation to hunt in a forest, I contented myself with replying— “Let us first see where the island of Crespo is.” I consulted the planisphere, and in 32° 40′ north lat. and 157° 50′ west long., I found a small island, recognised in 1801 by Captain Crespo, and marked in the ancient Spanish maps as Rocca de la Plata, the meaning of which is “The Silver Rock.” We were then about eighteen hundred miles from our starting-point, and the course of the _Nautilus_, a little changed, was bringing it back towards the south-east. I showed this little rock lost in the midst of the North Pacific to my companions. “If Captain Nemo does sometimes go on dry ground,” said I, “he at least chooses desert islands.” Ned Land shrugged his shoulders without speaking, and Conseil and he left me. After supper, which was served by the steward mute and impassive, I went to bed, not without some anxiety. The next morning, the 17th of November, on awakening, I felt that the _Nautilus_ was perfectly still. I dressed quickly and entered the saloon. Captain Nemo was there, waiting for me. He rose, bowed, and asked me if it was convenient for me to accompany him. As he made no allusion to his absence during the last eight days, I did not mention it, and simply answered that my companions and myself were ready to follow him. We entered the dining-room, where breakfast was served. “M. Aronnax,” said the Captain, “pray, share my breakfast without ceremony; we will chat as we eat. For though I promised you a walk in the forest, I did not undertake to find hotels there. So breakfast as a man who will most likely not have his dinner till very late.” I did honour to the repast. It was composed of several kinds of fish, and slices of holothuridæ (excellent zoophytes), and different sorts of sea-weed. Our drink consisted of pure water, to which the Captain added some drops of a fermented liquor, extracted by the Kamschatcha method from a sea-weed known under the name of _Rhodomenia palmata_. Captain Nemo ate at first without saying a word. Then he began—