10:35
Our engines tried to offer resistance by churning the waves with propeller in reverse , but the Nautilus went with the torrent , as swift as an arrow . Along the narrow walls of this passageway , I saw only brilliant streaks , hard lines , fiery furrows , all scrawled by our speeding electric light . With my hand I tried to curb the pounding of my heart . At 10:35 Captain Nemo left the steering wheel and turned to me : `` The Mediterranean , '' he told me . In less than twenty minutes , swept along by the torrent , the Nautilus had just cleared the Isthmus of Suez . The Greek Islands AT SUNRISE the next morning , February 12 , the Nautilus rose to the surface of the waves . I rushed onto the platform .