two
o’clock in the afternoon
Indeed , despite its efforts , despite the powerful methods it used to split this ice , the Nautilus was reduced to immobility . Ordinarily , when someone ca n't go any farther , he still has the option of returning in his tracks . But here it was just as impossible to turn back as to go forward , because every passageway had closed behind us , and if our submersible remained even slightly stationary , it would be frozen in without delay . Which is exactly what happened near two o'clock in the afternoon , and fresh ice kept forming over the ship 's sides with astonishing speed . I had to admit that Captain Nemo 's leadership had been most injudicious . Just then I was on the platform . Observing the situation for some while , the captain said to me : `` Well , professor !