THE SEA 359 



bounds the view. It is land beginning to show. An- 

 other half-day's journey, and the little gray smoke 

 will have become rocks on the coast or high moun- 

 tains in the interior." 



"The sea is larger than the earth, the geography 

 says," remarked Jules. 



"If you divide the surface of the terrestrial globe 

 into four equal parts, land will occupy about one of 

 tin ->e parts, and the sea, taken all together, the other 

 three." 



"What is under the sea?" 



"Under the sea there is ground, the same as under 

 the waters of a lake or stream. Under-sea ground 

 is uneven, just as dry land is uneven. In certain 

 parts it is hollowed out into deep chasms that can 

 scarcely be sounded ; in others it is cut up with moun- 

 tain-chains, the highest points of which come up 

 ahove the level of the water and form islands; in 

 still others, it extends in vast plains or rises up in 

 plateaus. It' dry, it would not differ from the con- 

 tinent.-." 



"Then the depth is not the same everywhere .' " 



"In no wise. To measure the depth of the water, 

 a plummet attached to one end of a very long cord is 

 cast into the sea; the length of line unrolled by the 

 plummet in its fall indicates the depth of the \vntrr. 



"The greatest depth of the Mediterranean appear- 



to lie between Africa and Greece. In these parts, in 



order to touch bottom, the lend unwinds 4000 or 

 meters of line. This depth e.pials the height of 

 Mont I '.law, the highest mountain in Kurope." 



Jo if Mont I 'da nc were set down in this hollow," 



