Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Part 2, Chapter 15 summary

What happens

1. On March 22, the Nautilus leaves the polar waters and travels north beneath the ice.
2. A violent collision leaves the submarine tilted, and Captain Nemo explains that an overturning iceberg lifts it from below.
3. Pumping water from the reservoirs helps the Nautilus regain its balance inside a narrow tunnel of ice.
4. Electric light makes the ice dazzling, but forward movement ends with a collision and a retreat south.
5. The narrator struggles to hide his anxiety while the submarine reverses through the tunnel.
6. A second collision stops the retreat, and Nemo confirms that ice blocks every exit.

In this chapter

What to notice

Nemo identifies a limit to his command. His explanation connects the accident to physical forces rather than human carelessness.

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