1 |
Excuse me, do you have a moment? I am William Beebe, a naturalist and explorer. I am looking for a captain to accompany me and my team on our next expedition. |
2 |
We are heading to the Galapagos and the Sargassum Sea. The sea is full of seaweed so the navigation through it may be a bit tricky. But I heard you and your crew are exceptional. |
3 |
I am glad we have come to an arrangement. We will be setting off in a week. I am going to get our equipment ready. You could get some food supplies in the meantime. |
4 |
I have prepared several cages and tanks for the live animals we capture. Please send someone to help us load it all up on the ship. |
5 |
The Sargassum Sea and Galapagos are full of unique creatures that can be found nowhere else on the Earth. Let’s catch some of the sea animals living here first. |
6 |
My goal is to collect more data to support the evolution theory. I wish we had some equipment to collect the rocks from the seabed. There must be remains of prehistoric organisms. |
7 |
Do you see those bubbles on the water upfront? It must be some kind of gas escaping from the water. We should try to capture it and examine it closely in the lab once we get back. |
8 |
Let’s make a stop in Panama to buy more fuel and supplies before we continue to the Galapagos. We got delayed studying the Sargassum Sea and used up most of our supplies. |
9 |
At last, we are at the Galapagos Islands. Let’s anchor here in this bay. I will go into the water with my diving helmet. I need to see the sea life here with my own eyes. |
10 |
This diving helmet makes it really hard to see down there and it’s also quite heavy. Unfortunately, I have nothing better. I must tinker with it a bit once we get home. Maybe use a different material. |
11 |
We have collected a lot of precious samples and live animals on the islands. Send some men to help us load it back on the ship. We are ready to return back home. |
12 |
I was very pleased with our cooperation. How about I call you when I plan the next expedition. I can’t stay long in the lab. I must go to the terrain and explore the miracles of nature. |
13 |
As promised, I am back with news of the upcoming expedition. We will need an upgraded vessel for this one. I could use your help with the installation of our equipment on the ship. |
14 |
We are also upgrading the engine of the ship and exchanging the steam for an oil-powered engine. With these upgrades, we will be able to travel at a much faster pace. |
15 |
This time we are going to Haiti to document the local marine life. I have made some adjustments to the diving equipment including a box for the camera and a telephone in the helmet. |
16 |
We can make underwater photographs and collect samples of the sea rocks and animals living inside them. Let’s hope we have enough space on the ship for all that material. |
17 |
We are going to anchor at Port-au-Prince and perform the dives from there. I have marked several coral reefs on the map we will explore. The creatures that live there should be interesting. |
18 |
Now that we are able to make underwater photography, we can catalog all the species living in the coral reefs here. Once we are done, we can go visit the local rum distillery. |
19 |
The diving helmet has still some room for improvement. However, it’s an invaluable piece of equipment for us. And I think it should get popular with laypeople too. |
20 |
Every beach house should have its own piece of a coral reef that can be enjoyed with the diving helmet. Just like the houses in suburbs have a garden. I could build such a house for myself right here. |
21 |
After we finish our work here, I will be setting up a new research center on Nonsuch Island. I am still looking for sponsors to get all the money I need. Maybe you would be interested? |
22 |
The research at Nonsuch Island will require sinking into unprecedented depths of the sea and collecting samples from there. It can’t be done with the diving helmet or by classic dredging. |
23 |
I have designed a special diving bell that will allow me to explore the deep waters. It still needs some adjustments. In the meantime, go help with the construction of the new research center. |
24 |
I had acquired an unexpected partner who helped me rework the design and finance the construction of the diving device. We will call it Bathysphere as it will be in the shape of a sphere. |
25 |
My partner, Mr. Barton, will be joining me on the dives. I hoped we could use your ship to transport the Bathysphere to the dive location. Do you have a vessel and crew available? |
26 |
I can’t wait to test the Bathysphere in the sea. We are ready to set off from Nonsuch Island tomorrow. Don’t forget to check if we have the steel cables for lowering the sphere. |
27 |
It was a big success. We did not go too deep with the Bathysphere yet, but we managed to observe and catch some unique fish. Let’s haul them up aboard so we can examine them. |
28 |
We will gradually increase the depth into which we will dive with the Bathysphere. We must be sure that the device can handle the pressure. We can collect some samples of soil this time. |
29 |
We are going to examine the samples we collected with the Bathysphere. Also, some minor adjustments will be made to the sphere. We need to buy some materials for that first. |
30 |
The next dive will be groundbreaking. We are going to reach depth never accessed by a human before. Let’s load up some food supplies for the trip. It may take a while. |
31 |
We need to lay low for a time. There is a hurricane coming our way. We will examine the samples and photos we took on the last dive while it blows over. Let’s board up the windows. |
32 |
The hurricane wrought havoc on the island. The weather is still not favorable for conducting more dives. You should go help with the repairs after the hurricane. |
33 |
The weather has calmed down and we can continue to explore the depths with the Bathysphere. There is a particular type of fish I would like to observe. |
34 |
Mr. Barton came with an interesting idea concerning the design of the sphere. We will install some new technology that should improve its performance. |
35 |
With the improved Bathysphere, we were able to collect fascinating data. I will take some time off from exploration and write it all down in my next book. Go take a break with your crew in the meantime. |
36 |
The Bathysphere has taken damage during the last dive. We need to fix it before we take her out again. It will be expensive. We should get some cheap material from a scrapyard if possible. |
37 |
Actually, each dive with the sphere is pretty expensive. We have made some amazing discoveries with it, but it stands to be considered if we can still make such significant findings. |
38 |
Mr. Barton and I have come to an agreement to put a stop to the exploration via Bathysphere. He has his own plans and our paths are diverging. We will have one last drink together. |
39 |
I was invited to an expedition to the West Indies. We are going to study tuna fish. You could come with us. But I understand if you have found a more lucrative job elsewhere. |
40 |
Anyway, it was a pleasure. I will be sure to mention you in one of my books. Your contribution to my research was undisputable. |
Final |
Thank you for your help. Don't forget your reward, captain. |