CHAPTER XIX.
VANIKORO.
That terrible sight inaugurated the series of maritime catastrophes which the Nautilus encountered. Since we had been passing through more frequented seas we often noticed shipwrecked vessels decaying in mid-sea depths, and, deeper down, the cannons, anchors, chains, cannonballs, and a number of other things that were being devoured by rust.
Still going forward in this Nautilus, in which we existed like an isolated set of beings, as we were, we entered the archipelago of Pomotou on the 11th December. This was the group of “dangerous isles” in ages past, and extend across a space of five hundred leagues from E.S.E. to W.N.W., between 13° 30′ and 23° 50′ S. lat., and 125° 30′ and 151° 30′ W. long., from the Isle Ducie to the Isle Lazareff. This archipelago covers an area of 370 square leagues, and is composed of sixty groups of islands, amongst which is the Gambier group under French protection. These isles are coralaginous. A very gentle but surely building-up process by
