Jules Verne

“ At night-time, when they scour the country in herds, the creatures are somewhat formidable, but singly they are no more dangerous than a dog. Though by no means afraid of them, Ben Zoof had a particular aversion to jackals, perhaps because they had no place among the fauna of his beloved Montmartre. He accordingly began to make threatening gestures, when, to the unmitigated astonishment of himself and the captain, the animal darted forward, and in one single bound gained the summit of the rock. ”

“ Of the left bank there was not the slightest trace, and the right bank, which on the previous evening had bounded the yellow stream, as it murmured peacefully along the fertile plain, had now become the shore of a tumultuous ocean, its azure waters extending westwards far as the eye could reach, and annihilating the tract of country which had hitherto formed the district of Mostaganem. The shore coincided exactly with what had been the right bank of the Shelif, and in a slightly curved line ran north and south. ”

“ Incredible as it might appear, the fact was undeniable that the sun was rising over the Shelif from that quarter of the horizon behind which it usually sank for the latter portion of its daily round. They were utterly bewildered. Some mysterious phenomenon must not only have altered the position of the sun in the sidereal system, but must even have brought about an important modification of the earth's rotation on her axis. ”

“ Servadac was stupefied; he felt instinctively that he was not dreaming, and yet was powerless to solve the mystery. He was not, however, the man to puzzle himself for long over any insoluble problem.
“Come what may,” he presently exclaimed, “we will make up our minds for the future to be surprised at nothing.”
“Right, captain,” replied Ben Zoof; “and, first of all, let us settle our little score with Count Timascheff.”
Beyond the ditch lay a small piece of meadow land, about an acre in extent. ”

“ A soft and delicious herbage carpeted the soil, whilst trees of about fifty years' growth— evergreen oaks, palms, bread-fruits, sycamores, interspersed with cactuses and aloes, and topped by two or three fine specimens of the eucalyptus—formed a charming framework to the whole. ”

“ Somehow or other the conversation would eventually work its way round to the topic of a future collision between the comet and the earth; and in the same degree as this was a matter of sanguine anticipation to Captain Servadac and his friends, it was a matter of aversion to the astronomical enthusiast, who had no desire to quit his present quarters in a sphere which, being of his own discovery, he could hardly have cared for more if it had been of his own creation. The interview would often terminate in a scene of considerable animation. ”

“ I am resolved to find out what my comet weighs.”
“Would it not be of some assistance, if we knew of what substance it is composed?” asked the lieutenant
“That is of no moment at all,” replied the professor; “the problem is independent of it.”
“Then we await your orders,” was the captain's reply.
“You must understand, however,” said Rosette, “that there are various preliminary calculations to be made; you will have to wait till they are finished.” ”

“ Notwithstanding, then, the extreme lowness of the temperature, the little population found that they were able to move about in the open air with perfect immunity. The governour-general made it his special care to see that his people were all well fed and warmly clad. Food was both wholesome and abundant, and besides the furs brought from the Dobryna's stores, fresh skins could very easily be procured and made up into wearing apparel. A daily course of out-door exercise was enforced upon every one; not even Pablo and Nina were exempted from the general rule ”

“ The cause of so many of the diseases that prove fatal to Arctic explorers resides in the cutting winds, unwholesome fogs, or terrible snow-drifts, which, by drying up, relaxing, or otherwise affecting the lungs, make them incapable of fulfilling their propel functions. But during periods of calm weather, when the air has been absolutely still, many polar navigators, well-clothed and properly fed, have been known to withstand a temperature when the spirit in the thermometer has fallen to 60° below zero. ”

“ I do not intend to use any other,” was the professor's bluff reply.
After pondering for a few moments, the captain spoke again:
“According, then, to this new calendar, it isn't the middle of May at all; it must now be some time in March.”
“Yes,” said the professor, “to-day is the 26th of March. It is the 266th day of the Gallian year. It corresponds with the 133rd day of the terrestrial year. You are quite correct, it is the 26th of March.”
“Strange!” muttered Servadac. ”

“ As these thoughts were crossing his mind, a harsh bark was heard to the left of the footpath, and a jackal was seen emerging from a large grove of lentisks. Regarding the two wayfarers with manifest uneasiness, the beast took up its position at the foot of a rock, more than thirty feet in height. It belonged to an African species distinguished by a black spotted skin, and a black line down the front of the legs. ”

“ According to the old calendar, June had now arrived; and by the professor's tables Gallia during the month would have advanced 27,500,000 leagues further along its orbit, and would have attained a distance of 155,000,000 leagues from the sun. The thermometer continued to fall; the atmosphere remained clear as heretofore. The population performed their daily avocations with systematic routine ”