[00:00.05] Chapter 5.
[00:03.24] Birds of Paradise.
[00:08.05] We did not speak to each other for a long time after our argument over the orcas.
[00:13.39] Ned and I both thought we were right, and Conseil didn't say anything, because he didn't want to take sides.
[00:22.34] Why was I being so stubborn?
[00:25.92] Was my work more important to me than my friends?
[00:30.99] The Nautilus sailed south past the Philippines and through the islands of Indonesia, until it reached the dangerous shores of the Coral Sea, on the northeast coast of Australia.
[00:42.85] We passed the reef where Captain Cook the explorer had lost his ship, on 11th June, 1770.
[00:53.45] Shoals of brightly colored fish swam alongside the Nautilus.
[01:00.60] There were giltheads, dories, and flying fish.
[01:07.34] The flying fish were like submarine swallows, diving in and out of the waves, and on dark nights, they lit up the air and water with their glowing scales.
[01:19.28] Two days after crossing the Coral Sea, we spotted the coast of Papua New Guinea.
[01:24.95] Nemo planned to get into the Indian Ocean through the Straits of Torres.
[01:31.71] The straits of Torres were full of islands and rocks, and it was almost impossible to make our way safely through them.
[01:41.58] "This is a bad sea," Ned said to Nemo, as the Nautilus plunged through the waves.
[01:49.32] Suddenly, the Nautilus shuddered and came to a halt, leaning to one side.
[01:55.13] We had run aground.
[01:59.76] "Are we stranded?" I asked Nemo anxiously.
[02:06.87] "Yes, but only until the tide turns and lifts us off," Nemo said.
[02:13.05] "It's nothing to worry about."
[02:15.92] Ned looked out at a nearby island, spotting a chance to step onto dry land.
[02:25.75] "I see you're looking at the island of Gilboa, Mr. Land," Nemo said.
[02:31.87] "Perhaps you'd like to go ashore."
[02:35.99] "That's right.
[02:37.99] I was thinking of stealing your small boat and sailing away," Ned joked.
[02:45.90] "No need to steal it," Nemo said.
[02:49.91] "You're free to use it if you wish.
[02:53.28] Why don't the three of you go and explore?
[02:57.42] The tide won't turn for another 12 hours.
[03:01.49] The Nautilus can't sail until then."
[03:06.62] We all looked at Nemo with surprise.
[03:11.91] "It's not the mainland," Nemo explained.
[03:17.46] "So you can't run away anywhere."
[03:22.58] We didn't argue and happily borrowed the small boat to sail ashore.
[03:29.70] It was a great chance for me to make more scientific notes, and for Ned to get away from our steel prison.
[03:38.51] But best of all, it was a great chance for us to make friends again.
[03:44.69] The three of us chatted excitedly on the small boat, as though we had never fallen out.
[03:53.96] The island was covered in enormous trees, many tens of meters tall, mingled with swaying palms, white orchids, and green ferns.
[04:08.71] "If the island has plenty of food and fresh water, I vote we stay here until another ship passes by and rescues us," Ned said.
[04:17.81] "But what if Nemo and his men follow us ashore?" Conseil said.
[04:22.44] "Stop it!" I said.
[04:27.07] "This island is full of plants and animals that I haven't seen before.
[04:32.84] I'm going to record my findings before I do anything else."
[04:37.46] "Fine, Professor," Ned said.
[04:41.56] "We'll see what the island has to offer first before we make any plans."
[04:50.74] Ned and Conseil looked for food while I looked for wildlife.
[04:55.54] They collected fruit and coconuts.
[04:59.44] Ned split open a coconut and we drank the milk.
[05:04.66] It was sweet and cool and delicious, and Ned promised to make a pie out of the fruit.
[05:13.13] We were all glad to have a change from seafood after a couple of months on board the Nautilus.
[05:21.25] I saw kingfishers, parrots, and cockatoos of all colors.
[05:31.05] And in a clearing, I saw several birds with long, brilliantly colored feathers, swooping around in graceful circles.
[05:42.78] "Birds of Paradise!" I cried.
[05:47.65] "And so beautiful."
[05:52.90] A herd of kangaroos sprang out of the bushes, and Ned hopped along with them, holding his hands to his chest like kangaroo paws.
[06:05.40] Conseil and I laughed so much we scared the birds away.
[06:13.96] As the sun went down, we built a fire and Ned made the fruit pie he had promised us.
[06:21.65] It was delicious.
[06:25.51] We sat back and relaxed in the firelight.
[06:31.34] "So, Professor," Ned said, "What do you think now?
[06:37.66] Should we take our chances and stay?"
[06:41.80] "It's large enough to find a hiding place," Conseil said.
[06:46.01] "Nemo would never find us."
[06:50.69] I felt a sharp pain of misery.
[06:54.74] I wanted to go back to the Nautilus, but I didn't know how to tell my friends.
[07:02.50] There were so many more things I wanted to see that only the Nautilus could show me.
[07:13.02] Ned and Conseil were looking at me with hope in their eyes.
[07:18.60] How could I ask them to give up their chance of escape just so that I could find out more about the science of the oceans?
[07:29.75] But before I could give them an answer, a stone flew through the air and hit our fire, spraying sparks everywhere.
[07:40.30] "Stones don't just fall from the sky," Conseil said.
[07:44.88] He was right.
[07:47.55] Someone had thrown the stone.
[07:50.91] Suddenly, the faces of several Papuan men were lit up by the fire's glow.
[07:59.10] They threw more stones at us and shouted angrily.
[08:03.98] We were uninvited guests in their home, and they were not going to let us stay.
[08:10.39] "Quick!" I yelled.
[08:12.94] "Back to the boat!"
[08:16.10] We leaped to our feet and ran.
[08:19.90] The Papuans chased us.
[08:23.74] They were armed with bows and arrows and wore nets around their necks full of stones, which they threw at us.
[08:32.26] We reached the boat and shoved off, splashing into the waves.
[08:37.38] The Papuans yelled with rage and followed us into the water.
[08:44.18] Scrambling on board, we grabbed the oars and rowed for our lives.
[08:50.55] The Papuans ran along the shore to their canoes.
[08:55.81] Moments later, they were paddling after us.
[09:00.52] Their canoes, made of tree trunks, were long and narrow, and they were much faster than our little boat.
[09:10.16] "Put up the sail!" Conseil panted.
[09:13.90] "There's no wind," Ned said.
[09:17.24] "It's row or die."
[09:22.34] We put our backs into it, pulling for all we were worth.
[09:30.25] I thought the canoes would reach us before we made the safety of the Nautilus, but Ned kept shouting for us to row faster.
[09:40.24] Just as we came alongside the Nautilus, the Papuans fired their arrows.
[09:46.65] They swished past our heads and pinged off the steel sides of the Nautilus.
[09:53.27] Ned fixed the small boat to the Nautilus, and we dived headlong down the open hatch, landing in a heap at the foot of the ladder.
[10:05.11] I staggered to my feet, stumbled along the corridor, and burst breathlessly into the saloon.
[10:13.24] Nemo was at the piano.
[10:16.44] My crashing entrance did not surprise him, and he didn't stop playing.
[10:22.85] "Nemo, we're under attack.
[10:25.81] The islanders are attacking us," I stammered.
[10:32.98] "Relax, Professor.
[10:36.96] Arrows are no match for the Nautilus."
[10:43.55] "But they're going to climb on board!"
[10:48.39] Nemo casually pressed an electric button on a panel next to the piano and went on playing.
[10:56.19] What did the button do?
[10:59.92] How could Nemo stay so calm?
[11:04.97] I turned and raced back to the hatch, expecting to fight hand-to-hand with the islanders.
[11:13.13] Ned and Conseil were at the bottom of the ladder, fists clenched and ready for action.
[11:20.58] A tremor shook the Nautilus.
[11:24.47] I heard its keel grating against the coral beneath.
[11:29.44] "The tide is turning," Ned said.
[11:33.05] "The Nautilus is floating free."
[11:37.69] At that moment, a head appeared at the opening of the hatch.
[11:43.93] The islander jabbed at us with a spear, but he couldn't reach.
[11:48.61] He put his hand on the ladder, and then let out a terrifying yell.
[11:56.29] His head jerked backwards and disappeared.
[12:00.96] A second later, another head came into view.
[12:08.12] A hand came out and gripped the ladder, and another terrifying scream split the night.
[12:17.50] "What's going on?" Ned asked.
[12:20.77] He put his hand on the ladder as the islanders had done, and was immediately thrown backwards.
[12:29.67] He landed with a jolt and lay there groaning.
[12:34.93] "I put an electric current through the ladder," Nemo said, coming up behind us.
[12:43.05] "The button I pressed in the saloon switched it on.
[12:47.01] It won't kill, but it will hurt enough to keep anyone out."
[12:53.81] "And keep prisoners in," Ned moaned, shaking his tingling hand.
[12:59.74] "You weren't thinking of leaving, were you, Mr. Land?" Nemo said.
[13:08.13] Conseil helped Ned to his feet.
[13:11.85] "I hope you had a good trip to the island, Professor," Nemo said, smiling.
[13:21.68] I wanted to thank Nemo, but I knew it would make Ned and Conseil angry, so I just nodded.
[13:31.39] The Nautilus stirred and was finally free of the coral reef.
[13:39.07] I sighed with relief.
[13:42.76] I was also free.
[13:46.96] Free from having to make up my mind about joining my friends in their bid to escape.
[13:55.11] I had been saved in more ways than one.