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+Project Gutenberg's A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
+
+Author: Jules Verne
+
+Release Date: July 18, 2006 [EBook #18857]
+Last updated: December 27, 2012
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CENTRE OF THE EARTH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Norm Wolcott
+
+
+
+
+
+A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
+
+By Jules Verne
+
+
+
+
+[Redactor's Note: Journey to the Centre of the Earth is number
+V002 in the Taves and Michaluk numbering of the works of Jules
+Verne. First published in England by Griffith and Farran, 1871,
+this edition is not a translation at all but a complete re-write
+of the novel, with portions added and omitted, and names changed.
+The most reprinted version, it is entered into Project Gutenberg
+for reference purposes only. A better translation is _A Journey
+into the Interior of the Earth_ translated by Rev. F. A. Malleson,
+also available on Project Gutenberg.]
+
+
+
+
+TABLE OF CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER 1 MY UNCLE MAKES A GREAT DISCOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 2 THE MYSTERIOUS PARCHMENT
+
+CHAPTER 3 AN ASTOUNDING DISCOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 4 WE START ON THE JOURNEY
+
+CHAPTER 5 FIRST LESSONS IN CLIMBING
+
+CHAPTER 6 OUR VOYAGE TO ICELAND
+
+CHAPTER 7 CONVERSATION AND DISCOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 8 THE EIDER-DOWN HUNTER--OFF AT LAST
+
+CHAPTER 9 OUR START--WE MEET WITH ADVENTURES BY THE WAY
+
+CHAPTER 10 TRAVELING IN ICELAND
+
+CHAPTER 11 WE REACH MOUNT SNEFFELS--THE "REYKIR"
+
+CHAPTER 12 THE ASCENT OF MOUNT SNEFFELS
+
+CHAPTER 13 THE SHADOW OF SCARTARIS
+
+CHAPTER 14 THE REAL JOURNEY COMMENCES
+
+CHAPTER 15 WE CONTINUE OUR DESCENT
+
+CHAPTER 16 THE EASTERN TUNNEL
+
+CHAPTER 17 DEEPER AND DEEPER--THE COAL MINE
+
+CHAPTER 18 THE WRONG ROAD!
+
+CHAPTER 19 THE WESTERN GALLERY--A NEW ROUTE
+
+CHAPTER 20 WATER, WHERE IS IT? A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT
+
+CHAPTER 21 UNDER THE OCEAN
+
+CHAPTER 22 SUNDAY BELOW GROUND
+
+CHAPTER 23 ALONE
+
+CHAPTER 24 LOST!
+
+CHAPTER 25 THE WHISPERING GALLERY
+
+CHAPTER 26 A RAPID RECOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 27 THE CENTRAL SEA
+
+CHAPTER 28 LAUNCHING THE RAFT
+
+CHAPTER 29 ON THE WATERS--A RAFT VOYAGE
+
+CHAPTER 30 TERRIFIC SAURIAN COMBAT
+
+CHAPTER 31 THE SEA MONSTER
+
+CHAPTER 32 THE BATTLE OF THE ELEMENTS
+
+CHAPTER 33 OUR ROUTE REVERSED
+
+CHAPTER 34 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 35 DISCOVERY UPON DISCOVERY
+
+CHAPTER 36 WHAT IS IT?
+
+CHAPTER 37 THE MYSTERIOUS DAGGER
+
+CHAPTER 38 NO OUTLET--BLASTING THE ROCK
+
+CHAPTER 39 THE EXPLOSION AND ITS RESULTS
+
+CHAPTER 40 THE APE GIGANS
+
+CHAPTER 41 HUNGER
+
+CHAPTER 42 THE VOLCANIC SHAFT
+
+CHAPTER 43 DAYLIGHT AT LAST
+
+CHAPTER 44 THE JOURNEY ENDED
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 1
+
+MY UNCLE MAKES A GREAT DISCOVERY
+
+
+Looking back to all that has occurred to me since that eventful day, I
+am scarcely able to believe in the reality of my adventures. They were
+truly so wonderful that even now I am bewildered when I think of them.
+
+My uncle was a German, having married my mother's sister, an
+Englishwoman. Being very much attached to his fatherless nephew, he
+invited me to study under him in his home in the fatherland. This home
+was in a large town, and my uncle a professor of philosophy, chemistry,
+geology, mineralogy, and many other ologies.
+
+One day, after passing some hours in the laboratory--my uncle being
+absent at the time--I suddenly felt the necessity of renovating the
+tissues--<i>i.e.</i>, I was hungry, and was about to rouse up our old French
+cook, when my uncle, Professor Von Hardwigg, suddenly opened the street
+door, and came rushing upstairs.
+
+Now Professor Hardwigg, my worthy uncle, is by no means a bad sort of
+man; he is, however, choleric and original. To bear with him means to
+obey; and scarcely had his heavy feet resounded within our joint
+domicile than he shouted for me to attend upon him.
+
+"Harry--Harry--Harry--"
+
+I hastened to obey, but before I could reach his room, jumping three
+steps at a time, he was stamping his right foot upon the landing.
+
+"Harry!" he cried, in a frantic tone, "are you coming up?"
+
+Now to tell the truth, at that moment I was far more interested in the
+question as to what was to constitute our dinner than in any problem of
+science; to me soup was more interesting than soda, an omelette more
+tempting than arithmetic, and an artichoke of ten times more value than
+any amount of asbestos.
+
+But my uncle was not a man to be kept waiting; so adjourning therefore
+all minor questions, I presented myself before him.
+
+He was a very learned man. Now most persons in this category supply
+themselves with information, as peddlers do with goods, for the benefit
+of others, and lay up stores in order to diffuse them abroad for the
+benefit of society in general. Not so my excellent uncle, Professor
+Hardwigg; he studied, he consumed the midnight oil, he pored over heavy
+tomes, and digested huge quartos and folios in order to keep the
+knowledge acquired to himself.
+
+There was a reason, and it may be regarded as a good one, why my uncle
+objected to display his learning more than was absolutely necessary: he
+stammered; and when intent upon explaining the phenomena of the heavens,
+was apt to find himself at fault, and allude in such a vague way to sun,
+moon, and stars that few were able to comprehend his meaning. To tell
+the honest truth, when the right word would not come, it was generally
+replaced by a very powerful adjective.
+
+In connection with the sciences there are many almost unpronounceable
+names--names very much resembling those of Welsh villages; and my uncle
+being very fond of using them, his habit of stammering was not thereby
+improved. In fact, there were periods in his discourse when he would
+finally give up and swallow his discomfiture--in a glass of water.
+
+As I said, my uncle, Professor Hardwigg, was a very learned man; and I
+now add a most kind relative. I was bound to him by the double ties of
+affection and interest. I took deep interest in all his doings, and
+hoped some day to be almost as learned myself. It was a rare thing for
+me to be absent from his lectures. Like him, I preferred mineralogy to
+all the other sciences. My anxiety was to gain real <i>knowledge of the
+earth</i>. Geology and mineralogy were to us the sole objects of life, and
+in connection with these studies many a fair specimen of stone, chalk,
+or metal did we break with our hammers.
+
+Steel rods, loadstones, glass pipes, and bottles of various acids were
+oftener before us than our meals. My uncle Hardwigg was once known to
+classify six hundred different geological specimens by their weight,
+hardness, fusibility, sound, taste, and smell.
+
+He corresponded with all the great, learned, and scientific men of the
+age. I was, therefore, in constant communication with, at all events the
+letters of, Sir Humphry Davy, Captain Franklin, and other great men.
+
+But before I state the subject on which my uncle wished to confer with
+me, I must say a word about his personal appearance. Alas! my readers
+will see a very different portrait of him at a future time, after he has
+gone through the fearful adventures yet to be related.
+
+My uncle was fifty years old; tall, thin, and wiry. Large spectacles
+hid, to a certain extent, his vast, round, and goggle eyes, while his
+nose was irreverently compared to a thin file. So much indeed did it
+resemble that useful article, that a compass was said in his presence to
+have made considerable N (Nasal) deviation.
+
+The truth being told, however, the only article really attracted to my
+uncle's nose was tobacco.
+
+Another peculiarity of his was, that he always stepped a yard at a time,
+clenched his fists as if he were going to hit you, and was, when in one
+of his peculiar humors, very far from a pleasant companion.
+
+It is further necessary to observe that he lived in a very nice house,
+in that very nice street, the Konigstrasse at Hamburg. Though lying in
+the centre of a town, it was perfectly rural in its aspect--half wood,
+half bricks, with old-fashioned gables--one of the few old houses spared
+by the great fire of 1842.
+
+When I say a nice house, I mean a handsome house--old, tottering, and
+not exactly comfortable to English notions: a house a little off the
+perpendicular and inclined to fall into the neighboring canal; exactly
+the house for a wandering artist to depict; all the more that you could
+scarcely see it for ivy and a magnificent old tree which grew over the
+door.
+
+My uncle was rich; his house was his own property, while he had a
+considerable private income. To my notion the best part of his
+possessions was his god-daughter, Gretchen. And the old cook, the young
+lady, the Professor and I were the sole inhabitants.
+
+I loved mineralogy, I loved geology. To me there was nothing like
+pebbles--and if my uncle had been in a little less of a fury, we should
+have been the happiest of families. To prove the excellent Hardwigg's
+impatience, I solemnly declare that when the flowers in the drawing-room
+pots began to grow, he rose every morning at four o'clock to make them
+grow quicker by pulling the leaves!
+
+Having described my uncle, I will now give an account of our interview.
+
+He received me in his study; a perfect museum, containing every natural
+curiosity that can well be imagined--minerals, however, predominating.
+Every one was familiar to me, having been catalogued by my own hand. My
+uncle, apparently oblivious of the fact that he had summoned me to his
+presence, was absorbed in a book. He was particularly fond of early
+editions, tall copies, and unique works.
+
+"Wonderful!" he cried, tapping his forehead. "Wonderful--wonderful!"
+
+It was one of those yellow-leaved volumes now rarely found on stalls,
+and to me it appeared to possess but little value. My uncle, however,
+was in raptures.
+
+He admired its binding, the clearness of its characters, the ease with
+which it opened in his hand, and repeated aloud, half a dozen times,
+that it was very, very old.
+
+To my fancy he was making a great fuss about nothing, but it was not my
+province to say so. On the contrary, I professed considerable interest
+in the subject, and asked him what it was about.
+
+"It is the Heims-Kringla of Snorre Tarleson," he said, "the celebrated
+Icelandic author of the twelfth century--it is a true and correct
+account of the Norwegian princes who reigned in Iceland."
+
+My next question related to the language in which it was written. I
+hoped at all events it was translated into German. My uncle was
+indignant at the very thought, and declared he wouldn't give a penny for
+a translation. His delight was to have found the original work in the
+Icelandic tongue, which he declared to be one of the most magnificent
+and yet simple idioms in the world--while at the same time its
+grammatical combinations were the most varied known to students.
+
+"About as easy as German?" was my insidious remark.
+
+My uncle shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"The letters at all events," I said, "are rather difficult of
+comprehension."
+
+"It is a Runic manuscript, the language of the original population of
+Iceland, invented by Odin himself," cried my uncle, angry at my
+ignorance.
+
+I was about to venture upon some misplaced joke on the subject, when a
+small scrap of parchment fell out of the leaves. Like a hungry man
+snatching at a morsel of bread the Professor seized it. It was about
+five inches by three and was scrawled over in the most extraordinary
+fashion.
+
+The lines shown here are an exact facsimile of what was written on the
+venerable piece of parchment--and have wonderful importance, as they
+induced my uncle to undertake the most wonderful series of adventures
+which ever fell to the lot of human beings.
+
+My uncle looked keenly at the document for some moments and then
+declared that it was Runic. The letters were similar to those in the
+book, but then what did they mean? This was exactly what I wanted to
+know.
+
+Now as I had a strong conviction that the Runic alphabet and dialect
+were simply an invention to mystify poor human nature, I was delighted
+to find that my uncle knew as much about the matter as I did--which was
+nothing. At all events the tremulous motion of his fingers made me think
+so.
+
+"And yet," he muttered to himself, "it is old Icelandic, I am sure of
+it."
+
+And my uncle ought to have known, for he was a perfect polyglot
+dictionary in himself. He did not pretend, like a certain learned
+pundit, to speak the two thousand languages and four thousand idioms
+made use of in different parts of the globe, but he did know all the
+more important ones.
+
+It is a matter of great doubt to me now, to what violent measures my
+uncle's impetuosity might have led him, had not the clock struck two,
+and our old French cook called out to let us know that dinner was on the
+table.
+
+"Bother the dinner!" cried my uncle.
+
+But as I was hungry, I sallied forth to the dining room, where I took up
+my usual quarters. Out of politeness I waited three minutes, but no sign
+of my uncle, the Professor. I was surprised. He was not usually so blind
+to the pleasure of a good dinner. It was the acme of German
+luxury--parsley soup, a ham omelette with sorrel trimmings, an oyster of
+veal stewed with prunes, delicious fruit, and sparkling Moselle. For the
+sake of poring over this musty old piece of parchment, my uncle forbore
+to share our meal. To satisfy my conscience, I ate for both.
+
+The old cook and housekeeper was nearly out of her mind. After taking so
+much trouble, to find her master not appear at dinner was to her a sad
+disappointment--which, as she occasionally watched the havoc I was
+making on the viands, became also alarm. If my uncle were to come to
+table after all?
+
+Suddenly, just as I had consumed the last apple and drunk the last glass
+of wine, a terrible voice was heard at no great distance. It was my
+uncle roaring for me to come to him. I made very nearly one leap of
+it--so loud, so fierce was his tone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 2
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS PARCHMENT
+
+
+[Illustration: Runic Glyphs]
+
+"I Declare," cried my uncle, striking the table fiercely with his fist,
+"I declare to you it is Runic--and contains some wonderful secret, which
+I must get at, at any price."
+
+I was about to reply when he stopped me.
+
+"Sit down," he said, quite fiercely, "and write to my dictation."
+
+I obeyed.
+
+"I will substitute," he said, "a letter of our alphabet for that of the
+Runic: we will then see what that will produce. Now, begin and make no
+mistakes."
+
+The dictation commenced with the following incomprehensible result:
+
+
+     mm.rnlls esruel seecJde
+     sgtssmf unteief niedrke
+     kt,samn atrateS Saodrrn
+     emtnaeI nuaect  rrilSa
+     Atvaar  .nscrc  ieaabs
+     ccdrmi  eeutul  frantu
+     dt,iac  oseibo  KediiY
+
+
+Scarcely giving me time to finish, my uncle snatched the document from
+my hands and examined it with the most rapt and deep attention.
+
+"I should like to know what it means," he said, after a long period.
+
+I certainly could not tell him, nor did he expect me to--his
+conversation being uniformly answered by himself.
+
+"I declare it puts me in mind of a cryptograph," he cried, "unless,
+indeed, the letters have been written without any real meaning; and yet
+why take so much trouble? Who knows but I may be on the verge of some
+great discovery?"
+
+My candid opinion was that it was all rubbish! But this opinion I kept
+carefully to myself, as my uncle's choler was not pleasant to bear. All
+this time he was comparing the book with the parchment.
+
+"The manuscript volume and the smaller document are written in different
+hands," he said, "the cryptograph is of much later date than the book;
+there is an undoubted proof of the correctness of my surmise. [An
+irrefragable proof I took it to be.] The first letter is a double M,
+which was only added to the Icelandic language in the twelfth
+century--this makes the parchment two hundred years posterior to the
+volume."
+
+The circumstances appeared very probable and very logical, but it was
+all surmise to me.
+
+"To me it appears probable that this sentence was written by some owner
+of the book. Now who was the owner, is the next important question.
+Perhaps by great good luck it may be written somewhere in the volume."
+
+With these words Professor Hardwigg took off his spectacles, and, taking
+a powerful magnifying glass, examined the book carefully.
+
+On the fly leaf was what appeared to be a blot of ink, but on
+examination proved to be a line of writing almost effaced by time. This
+was what he sought; and, after some considerable time, he made out these
+letters:
+
+[Illustration: Runic Glyphs]
+
+"Arne Saknussemm!" he cried in a joyous and triumphant tone, "that is
+not only an Icelandic name, but of a learned professor of the sixteenth
+century, a celebrated alchemist."
+
+I bowed as a sign of respect.
+
+"These alchemists," he continued, "Avicenna, Bacon, Lully, Paracelsus,
+were the true, the only learned men of the day. They made surprising
+discoveries. May not this Saknussemm, nephew mine, have hidden on this
+bit of parchment some astounding invention? I believe the cryptograph to
+have a profound meaning--which I must make out."
+
+My uncle walked about the room in a state of excitement almost
+impossible to describe.
+
+"It may be so, sir," I timidly observed, "but why conceal it from
+posterity, if it be a useful, a worthy discovery?"
+
+"Why--how should I know? Did not Galileo make a secret of his
+discoveries in connection with Saturn? But we shall see. Until I
+discover the meaning of this sentence I will neither eat nor sleep."
+
+"My dear uncle--" I began.
+
+"Nor you neither," he added.
+
+It was lucky I had taken double allowance that day.
+
+"In the first place," he continued, "there must be a clue to the
+meaning. If we could find that, the rest would be easy enough."
+
+I began seriously to reflect. The prospect of going without food and
+sleep was not a promising one, so I determined to do my best to solve
+the mystery. My uncle, meanwhile, went on with his soliloquy.
+
+"The way to discover it is easy enough. In this document there are one
+hundred and thirty-two letters, giving seventy-nine consonants to
+fifty-three vowels. This is about the proportion found in most southern
+languages, the idioms of the north being much more rich in consonants.
+We may confidently predict, therefore, that we have to deal with a
+southern dialect."
+
+Nothing could be more logical.
+
+"Now," said Professor Hardwigg, "to trace the particular language."
+
+"As Shakespeare says, 'that is the question,"' was my rather satirical
+reply.
+
+"This man Saknussemm," he continued, "was a very learned man: now as he
+did not write in the language of his birthplace, he probably, like most
+learned men of the sixteenth century, wrote in Latin. If, however, I
+prove wrong in this guess, we must try Spanish, French, Italian, Greek,
+and even Hebrew. My own opinion, though, is decidedly in favor of
+Latin."
+
+This proposition startled me. Latin was my favorite study, and it seemed
+sacrilege to believe this gibberish to belong to the country of Virgil.
+
+"Barbarous Latin, in all probability," continued my uncle, "but still
+Latin."
+
+"Very probably," I replied, not to contradict him.
+
+"Let us see into the matter," continued my uncle; "here you see we have
+a series of one hundred and thirty-two letters, apparently thrown
+pell-mell upon paper, without method or organization. There are words
+which are composed wholly of consonants, such as <i>mm.rnlls</i>, others
+which are nearly all vowels, the fifth, for instance, which is unteief,
+and one of the last oseibo. This appears an extraordinary combination.
+Probably we shall find that the phrase is arranged according to some
+mathematical plan. No doubt a certain sentence has been written out and
+then jumbled up--some plan to which some figure is the clue. Now, Harry,
+to show your English wit--what is that figure?"
+
+I could give him no hint. My thoughts were indeed far away. While he was
+speaking I had caught sight of the portrait of my cousin Gretchen, and
+was wondering when she would return.
+
+We were affianced, and loved one another very sincerely. But my uncle,
+who never thought even of such sublunary matters, knew nothing of this.
+Without noticing my abstraction, the Professor began reading the
+puzzling cryptograph all sorts of ways, according to some theory of his
+own. Presently, rousing my wandering attention, he dictated one precious
+attempt to me.
+
+I mildly handed it over to him. It read as follows:
+
+
+    <i>mmessunkaSenrA.icefdoK.segnittamurtn
+    ecertserrette,rotaivsadua,ednecsedsadne
+    lacartniiilrJsiratracSarbmutabiledmek
+    meretarcsilucoYsleffenSnI.</i>
+
+
+I could scarcely keep from laughing, while my uncle, on the contrary,
+got in a towering passion, struck the table with his fist, darted out of
+the room, out of the house, and then taking to his heels was presently
+lost to sight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 3
+
+AN ASTOUNDING DISCOVERY
+
+
+"What is the matter?" cried the cook, entering the room; "when will
+master have his dinner?"
+
+"Never."
+
+"And, his supper?"
+
+"I don't know. He says he will eat no more, neither shall I. My uncle
+has determined to fast and make me fast until he makes out this
+abominable inscription," I replied.
+
+"You will be starved to death," she said.
+
+I was very much of the same opinion, but not liking to say so, sent her
+away, and began some of my usual work of classification. But try as I
+might, nothing could keep me from thinking alternately of the stupid
+manuscript and of the pretty Gretchen.
+
+Several times I thought of going out, but my uncle would have been angry
+at my absence. At the end of an hour, my allotted task was done. How to
+pass the time? I began by lighting my pipe. Like all other students, I
+delighted in tobacco; and, seating myself in the great armchair, I began
+to think.
+
+Where was my uncle? I could easily imagine him tearing along some
+solitary road, gesticulating, talking to himself, cutting the air with
+his cane, and still thinking of the absurd bit of hieroglyphics. Would
+he hit upon some clue? Would he come home in better humor? While these
+thoughts were passing through my brain, I mechanically took up the
+execrable puzzle and tried every imaginable way of grouping the letters.
+I put them together by twos, by threes, fours, and fives--in vain.
+Nothing intelligible came out, except that the fourteenth, fifteenth,
+and sixteenth made <i>ice</i> in English; the eighty-fourth, eighty-fifth,
+and eighty-sixth, the word <i>sir</i>; then at last I seemed to find the
+Latin words <i>rota, mutabile, ira, nec, atra</i>.
+
+"Ha! there seems to be some truth in my uncle's notion," thought I.
+
+Then again I seemed to find the word <i>luco</i>, which means sacred wood.
+Then in the third line I appeared to make out <i>labiled</i>, a perfect
+Hebrew word, and at the last the syllables mere, are, mer, which were
+French.
+
+It was enough to drive one mad. Four different idioms in this absurd
+phrase. What connection could there be between ice, sir, anger, cruel,
+sacred wood, changing, mother, are, and sea? The first and the last
+might, in a sentence connected with Iceland, mean sea of ice. But what
+of the rest of this monstrous cryptograph?
+
+I was, in fact, fighting against an insurmountable difficulty; my brain
+was almost on fire; my eyes were strained with staring at the parchment;
+the whole absurd collection of letters appeared to dance before my
+vision in a number of black little groups. My mind was possessed with
+temporary hallucination--I was stifling. I wanted air. Mechanically I
+fanned myself with the document, of which now I saw the back and then
+the front.
+
+Imagine my surprise when glancing at the back of the wearisome puzzle,
+the ink having gone through, I clearly made out Latin words, and among
+others craterem and terrestre.
+
+I had discovered the secret!
+
+It came upon me like a flash of lightning. I had got the clue. All you
+had to do to understand the document was to read it backwards. All the
+ingenious ideas of the Professor were realized; he had dictated it
+rightly to me; by a mere accident I had discovered what he so much
+desired.
+
+My delight, my emotion may be imagined, my eyes were dazzled and I
+trembled so that at first I could make nothing of it. One look, however,
+would tell me all I wished to know.
+
+"Let me read," I said to myself, after drawing a long breath.
+
+I spread it before me on the table, I passed my finger over each letter,
+I spelled it through; in my excitement I read it out.
+
+What horror and stupefaction took possession of my soul. I was like a
+man who had received a knock-down blow. Was it possible that I really
+read the terrible secret, and it had really been accomplished! A man had
+dared to do--what?
+
+No living being should ever know.
+
+"Never!" cried I, jumping up. "Never shall my uncle be made aware of the
+dread secret. He would be quite capable of undertaking the terrible
+journey. Nothing would check him, nothing stop him. Worse, he would
+compel me to accompany him, and we should be lost forever. But no; such
+folly and madness cannot be allowed."
+
+I was almost beside myself with rage and fury.
+
+"My worthy uncle is already nearly mad," I cried aloud. "This would
+finish him. By some accident he may make the discovery; in which case,
+we are both lost. Perish the fearful secret--let the flames forever bury
+it in oblivion."
+
+I snatched up book and parchment, and was about to cast them into the
+fire, when the door opened and my uncle entered.
+
+I had scarcely time to put down the wretched documents before my uncle
+was by my side. He was profoundly absorbed. His thoughts were evidently
+bent on the terrible parchment. Some new combination had probably struck
+him while taking his walk.
+
+He seated himself in his armchair, and with a pen began to make an
+algebraical calculation. I watched him with anxious eyes. My flesh
+crawled as it became probable that he would discover the secret.
+
+His combinations I knew now were useless, I having discovered the one
+only clue. For three mortal hours he continued without speaking a word,
+without raising his head, scratching, rewriting, calculating over and
+over again. I knew that in time he must hit upon the right phrase. The
+letters of every alphabet have only a certain number of combinations.
+But then years might elapse before he would arrive at the correct
+solution.
+
+Still time went on; night came, the sounds in the streets ceased--and
+still my uncle went on, not even answering our worthy cook when she
+called us to supper.
+
+I did not dare to leave him, so waved her away, and at last fell asleep
+on the sofa.
+
+When I awoke my uncle was still at work. His red eyes, his pallid
+countenance, his matted hair, his feverish hands, his hectically flushed
+cheeks, showed how terrible had been his struggle with the impossible,
+and what fearful fatigue he had undergone during that long sleepless
+night. It made me quite ill to look at him. Though he was rather severe
+with me, I loved him, and my heart ached at his sufferings. He was so
+overcome by one idea that he could not even get in a passion! All his
+energies were focused on one point. And I knew that by speaking one
+little word all this suffering would cease. I could not speak it.
+
+My heart was, nevertheless, inclining towards him. Why, then, did I
+remain silent? In the interest of my uncle himself.
+
+"Nothing shall make me speak," I muttered. "He will want to follow in
+the footsteps of the other! I know him well. His imagination is a
+perfect volcano, and to make discoveries in the interests of geology he
+would sacrifice his life. I will therefore be silent and strictly keep
+the secret I have discovered. To reveal it would be suicidal. He would
+not only rush, himself, to destruction, but drag me with him."
+
+I crossed my arms, looked another way and smoked--resolved never to
+speak.
+
+When our cook wanted to go out to market, or on any other errand, she
+found the front door locked and the key taken away. Was this done
+purposely or not? Surely Professor Hardwigg did not intend the old woman
+and myself to become martyrs to his obstinate will. Were we to be
+starved to death? A frightful recollection came to my mind. Once we had
+fed on bits and scraps for a week while he sorted some curiosities. It
+gave me the cramp even to think of it!
+
+I wanted my breakfast, and I saw no way of getting it. Still my
+resolution held good. I would starve rather than yield. But the cook
+began to take me seriously to task. What was to be done? She could not
+go out; and I dared not.
+
+My uncle continued counting and writing; his imagination seemed to have
+translated him to the skies. He neither thought of eating nor drinking.
+In this way twelve o'clock came round. I was hungry, and there was
+nothing in the house. The cook had eaten the last bit of bread. This
+could not go on. It did, however, until two, when my sensations were
+terrible. After all, I began to think the document very absurd. Perhaps
+it might only be a gigantic hoax. Besides, some means would surely be
+found to keep my uncle back from attempting any such absurd expedition.
+On the other hand, if he did attempt anything so quixotic, I should not
+be compelled to accompany him. Another line of reasoning partially
+decided me. Very likely he would make the discovery himself when I
+should have suffered starvation for nothing. Under the influence of
+hunger this reasoning appeared admirable. I determined to tell all.
+
+The question now arose as to how it was to be done. I was still dwelling
+on the thought, when he rose and put on his hat.
+
+What! go out and lock us in? Never!
+
+"Uncle," I began.
+
+He did not appear even to hear me.
+
+"Professor Hardwigg," I cried.
+
+"What," he retorted, "did you speak?"
+
+"How about the key?"
+
+"What key--the key of the door?"
+
+"No--of these horrible hieroglyphics?"
+
+He looked at me from under his spectacles, and started at the odd
+expression of my face. Rushing forward, he clutched me by the arm and
+keenly examined my countenance. His very look was an interrogation.
+
+I simply nodded.
+
+With an incredulous shrug of the shoulders, he turned upon his heel.
+Undoubtedly he thought I had gone mad.
+
+"I have made a very important discovery."
+
+His eyes flashed with excitement. His hand was lifted in a menacing
+attitude. For a moment neither of us spoke. It is hard to say which was
+most excited.
+
+"You don't mean to say that you have any idea of the meaning of the
+scrawl?"
+
+"I do," was my desperate reply. "Look at the sentence as dictated by
+you."
+
+"Well, but it means nothing," was the angry answer.
+
+"Nothing if you read from left to right, but mark, if from right to
+left--"
+
+"Backwards!" cried my uncle, in wild amazement. "Oh most cunning
+Saknussemm; and I to be such a blockhead!"
+
+He snatched up the document, gazed at it with haggard eye, and read it
+out as I had done.
+
+It read as follows:
+
+
+    <i>In Sneffels Yoculis craterem kem delibat
+    umbra Scartaris Julii intra calendas descende,
+    audas viator, et terrestre centrum attinges.
+    Kod feci. Arne Saknussemm</i>
+
+
+Which dog Latin being translated, reads as follows:
+
+
+     Descend into the crater of Yocul of Sneffels, which the shade of
+     Scartaris caresses, before the kalends of July, audacious traveler,
+     and you will reach the centre of the earth. I did it.
+
+                                               ARNE SAKNUSSEMM
+
+
+My uncle leaped three feet from the ground with joy. He looked radiant
+and handsome. He rushed about the room wild with delight and
+satisfaction. He knocked over tables and chairs. He threw his books
+about until at last, utterly exhausted, he fell into his armchair.
+
+"What's o'clock?" he asked.
+
+"About three."
+
+"My dinner does not seem to have done me much good," he observed. "Let
+me have something to eat. We can then start at once. Get my portmanteau
+ready."
+
+"What for?"
+
+"And your own," he continued. "We start at once."
+
+My horror may be conceived. I resolved however to show no fear.
+Scientific reasons were the only ones likely to influence my uncle. Now,
+there were many against this terrible journey. The very idea of going
+down to the centre of the earth was simply absurd. I determined
+therefore to argue the point after dinner.
+
+My uncle's rage was now directed against the cook for having no dinner
+ready. My explanation however satisfied him, and having gotten the key,
+she soon contrived to get sufficient to satisfy our voracious appetites.
+
+During the repast my uncle was rather gay than otherwise. He made some
+of those peculiar jokes which belong exclusively to the learned. As
+soon, however, as dessert was over, he called me to his study. We each
+took a chair on opposite sides of the table.
+
+"Henry," he said, in a soft and winning voice; "I have always believed
+you ingenious, and you have rendered me a service never to be forgotten.
+Without you, this great, this wondrous discovery would never have been
+made. It is my duty, therefore, to insist on your sharing the glory."
+
+"He is in a good humor," thought I; "I'll soon let him know my opinion
+of glory."
+
+"In the first place," he continued, "you must keep the whole affair a
+profound secret. There is no more envious race of men than scientific
+discoverers. Many would start on the same journey. At all events, we
+will be the first in the field."
+
+"I doubt your having many competitors," was my reply.
+
+"A man of real scientific acquirements would be delighted at the chance.
+We should find a perfect stream of pilgrims on the traces of Arne
+Saknussemm, if this document were once made public."
+
+"But, my dear sir, is not this paper very likely to be a hoax?" I urged.
+
+"The book in which we find it is sufficient proof of its authenticity,"
+he replied.
+
+"I thoroughly allow that the celebrated Professor wrote the lines, but
+only, I believe, as a kind of mystification," was my answer.
+
+Scarcely were the words out of my mouth, when I was sorry I had uttered
+them. My uncle looked at me with a dark and gloomy scowl, and I began to
+be alarmed for the results of our conversation. His mood soon changed,
+however, and a smile took the place of a frown.
+
+"We shall see," he remarked, with decisive emphasis.
+
+"But see, what is all this about Yocul, and Sneffels, and this
+Scartaris? I have never heard anything about them."
+
+"The very point to which I am coming. I lately received from my friend
+Augustus Peterman, of Leipzig, a map. Take down the third atlas from the
+second shelf, series Z, plate 4."
+
+I rose, went to the shelf, and presently returned with the volume
+indicated.
+
+"This," said my uncle, "is one of the best maps of Iceland. I believe it
+will settle all your doubts, difficulties and objections."
+
+With a grim hope to the contrary, I stooped over the map.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 4
+
+WE START ON THE JOURNEY
+
+
+"You see, the whole island is composed of volcanoes," said the
+Professor, "and remark carefully that they all bear the name of Yocul.
+The word is Icelandic, and means a glacier. In most of the lofty
+mountains of that region the volcanic eruptions come forth from icebound
+caverns. Hence the name applied to every volcano on this extraordinary
+island."
+
+"But what does this word Sneffels mean?"
+
+To this question I expected no rational answer. I was mistaken.
+
+"Follow my finger to the western coast of Iceland, there you see
+Reykjavik, its capital. Follow the direction of one of its innumerable
+fjords or arms of the sea, and what do you see below the sixty-fifth
+degree of latitude?"
+
+"A peninsula--very like a thighbone in shape."
+
+"And in the centre of it--?"
+
+"A mountain."
+
+"Well, that's Sneffels."
+
+I had nothing to say.
+
+"That is Sneffels--a mountain about five thousand feet in height, one of
+the most remarkable in the whole island, and certainly doomed to be the
+most celebrated in the world, for through its crater we shall reach the
+centre of the earth."
+
+"Impossible!" cried I, startled and shocked at the thought.
+
+"Why impossible?" said Professor Hardwigg in his severest tones.
+
+"Because its crater is choked with lava, by burning rocks--by infinite
+dangers."
+
+"But if it be extinct?"
+
+"That would make a difference."
+
+"Of course it would. There are about three hundred volcanoes on the
+whole surface of the globe--but the greater number are extinct. Of these
+Sneffels is one. No eruption has occurred since 1219--in fact it has
+ceased to be a volcano at all."
+
+After this what more could I say? Yes,--I thought of another objection.
+
+"But what is all this about Scartaris and the kalends of July--?"
+
+My uncle reflected deeply. Presently he gave forth the result of his
+reflections in a sententious tone. "What appears obscure to you, to me
+is light. This very phrase shows how particular Saknussemm is in his
+directions. The Sneffels mountain has many craters. He is careful
+therefore to point the exact one which is the highway into the Interior
+of the Earth. He lets us know, for this purpose, that about the end of
+the month of June, the shadow of Mount Scartaris falls upon the one
+crater. There can be no doubt about the matter."
+
+My uncle had an answer for everything.
+
+"I accept all your explanations" I said, "and Saknussemm is right. He
+found out the entrance to the bowels of the earth, he has indicated
+correctly, but that he or anyone else ever followed up the discovery is
+madness to suppose."
+
+"Why so, young man?"
+
+"All scientific teaching, theoretical and practical, shows it to be
+impossible."
+
+"I care nothing for theories," retorted my uncle.
+
+"But is it not well-known that heat increases one degree for every
+seventy feet you descend into the earth? Which gives a fine idea of the
+central heat. All the matters which compose the globe are in a state of
+incandescence; even gold, platinum, and the hardest rocks are in a state
+of fusion. What would become of us?"
+
+"Don't be alarmed at the heat, my boy."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"Neither you nor anybody else know anything about the real state of the
+earth's interior. All modern experiments tend to explode the older
+theories. Were any such heat to exist, the upper crust of the earth
+would be shattered to atoms, and the world would be at an end."
+
+A long, learned and not uninteresting discussion followed, which ended
+in this wise:
+
+"I do not believe in the dangers and difficulties which you, Henry, seem
+to multiply; and the only way to learn, is like Arne Saknussemm, to go
+and see."
+
+"Well," cried I, overcome at last, "let us go and see. Though how we can
+do that in the dark is another mystery."
+
+"Fear nothing. We shall overcome these, and many other difficulties.
+Besides, as we approach the centre, I expect to find it luminous--"
+
+"Nothing is impossible."
+
+"And now that we have come to a thorough understanding, not a word to
+any living soul. Our success depends on secrecy and dispatch."
+
+Thus ended our memorable conference, which roused a perfect fever in me.
+Leaving my uncle, I went forth like one possessed. Reaching the banks of
+the Elbe, I began to think. Was all I had heard really and truly
+possible? Was my uncle in his sober senses, and could the interior of
+the earth be reached? Was I the victim of a madman, or was he a
+discoverer of rare courage and grandeur of conception?
+
+To a certain extent I was anxious to be off. I was afraid my enthusiasm
+would cool. I determined to pack up at once. At the end of an hour,
+however, on my way home, I found that my feelings had very much changed.
+
+"I'm all abroad," I cried; "'tis a nightmare--I must have dreamed it."
+
+At this moment I came face to face with Gretchen, whom I warmly
+embraced.
+
+"So you have come to meet me," she said; "how good of you. But what is
+the matter?"
+
+Well, it was no use mincing the matter, I told her all. She listened
+with awe, and for some minutes she could not speak.
+
+"Well?" I at last said, rather anxiously.
+
+"What a magnificent journey. If I were only a man! A journey worthy of
+the nephew of Professor Hardwigg. I should look upon it as an honor to
+accompany him."
+
+"My dear Gretchen, I thought you would be the first to cry out against
+this mad enterprise."
+
+"No; on the contrary, I glory in it. It is magnificent, splendid--an
+idea worthy of my father. Henry Lawson, I envy you."
+
+This was, as it were, conclusive. The final blow of all.
+
+When we entered the house we found my uncle surrounded by workmen and
+porters, who were packing up. He was pulling and hauling at a bell.
+
+"Where have you been wasting your time? Your portmanteau is not
+packed--my papers are not in order--the precious tailor has not brought
+my clothes, nor my gaiters--the key of my carpet bag is gone!"
+
+I looked at him stupefied. And still he tugged away at the bell.
+
+"We are really off, then?" I said.
+
+"Yes--of course, and yet you go out for a stroll, unfortunate boy!"
+
+"And when do we go?"
+
+"The day after tomorrow, at daybreak."
+
+I heard no more; but darted off to my little bedchamber and locked
+myself in. There was no doubt about it now. My uncle had been hard at
+work all the afternoon. The garden was full of ropes, rope ladders,
+torches, gourds, iron clamps, crowbars, alpenstocks, and
+pickaxes--enough to load ten men.
+
+I passed a terrible night. I was called early the next day to learn that
+the resolution of my uncle was unchanged and irrevocable. I also found
+my cousin and affianced wife as warm on the subject as was her father.
+
+Next day, at five o'clock in the morning, the post chaise was at the
+door. Gretchen and the old cook received the keys of the house; and,
+scarcely pausing to wish anyone good-by, we started on our adventurous
+journey into the centre of the earth.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 5
+
+First Lessons in Climbing
+
+
+At Altona, a suburb of Hamburg, is the Chief Station of the Kiel
+railway, which was to take us to the shores of the Belt. In twenty
+minutes from the moment of our departure we were in Holstein, and our
+carriage entered the station. Our heavy luggage was taken out, weighed,
+labeled, and placed in a huge van. We then took our tickets, and exactly
+at seven o'clock were seated opposite each other in a firstclass railway
+carriage.
+
+My uncle said nothing. He was too busy examining his papers, among which
+of course was the famous parchment, and some letters of introduction
+from the Danish consul which were to pave the way to an introduction to
+the Governor of Iceland. My only amusement was looking out of the
+window. But as we passed through a flat though fertile country, this
+occupation was slightly monotonous. In three hours we reached Kiel, and
+our baggage was at once transferred to the steamer.
+
+We had now a day before us, a delay of about ten hours. Which fact put
+my uncle in a towering passion. We had nothing to do but to walk about
+the pretty town and bay. At length, however, we went on board, and at
+half past ten were steaming down the Great Belt. It was a dark night,
+with a strong breeze and a rough sea, nothing being visible but the
+occasional fires on shore, with here and there a lighthouse. At seven in
+the morning we left Korsor, a little town on the western side of
+Seeland.
+
+Here we took another railway, which in three hours brought us to the
+capital, Copenhagen, where, scarcely taking time for refreshment, my
+uncle hurried out to present one of his letters of introduction. It was
+to the director of the Museum of Antiquities, who, having been informed
+that we were tourists bound for Iceland, did all he could to assist us.
+One wretched hope sustained me now. Perhaps no vessel was bound for such
+distant parts.
+
+Alas! a little Danish schooner, the <i>Valkyrie</i>, was to sail on the
+second of June for Reykjavik. The captain, M. Bjarne, was on board, and
+was rather surprised at the energy and cordiality with which his future
+passenger shook him by the hand. To him a voyage to Iceland was merely a
+matter of course. My uncle, on the other hand, considered the event of
+sublime importance. The honest sailor took advantage of the Professor's
+enthusiasm to double the fare.
+
+"On Tuesday morning at seven o'clock be on board," said M. Bjarne,
+handing us our receipts.
+
+"Excellent! Capital! Glorious!" remarked my uncle as we sat down to a
+late breakfast; "refresh yourself, my boy, and we will take a run
+through the town."
+
+Our meal concluded, we went to the Kongens-Nye-Torw; to the king's
+magnificent palace; to the beautiful bridge over the canal near the
+Museum; to the immense cenotaph of Thorwaldsen with its hideous naval
+groups; to the castle of Rosenberg; and to all the other lions of the
+place-none of which my uncle even saw, so absorbed was he in his
+anticipated triumphs.
+
+But one thing struck his fancy, and that was a certain singular steeple
+situated on the Island of Amak, which is the southeast quarter of the
+city of Copenhagen. My uncle at once ordered me to turn my steps that
+way, and accordingly we went on board the steam ferry boat which does
+duty on the canal, and very soon reached the noted dockyard quay.
+
+In the first instance we crossed some narrow streets, where we met
+numerous groups of galley slaves, with particolored trousers, grey and
+yellow, working under the orders and the sticks of severe taskmasters,
+and finally reached the Vor-Frelser's-Kirk.
+
+This church exhibited nothing remarkable in itself; in fact, the worthy
+Professor had only been attracted to it by one circumstance, which was,
+that its rather elevated steeple started from a circular platform, after
+which there was an exterior staircase, which wound round to the very
+summit.
+
+"Let us ascend," said my uncle.
+
+"But I never could climb church towers," I cried, "I am subject to
+dizziness in my head."
+
+"The very reason why you should go up. I want to cure you of a bad
+habit."
+
+"But, my good sir--"
+
+"I tell you to come. What is the use of wasting so much valuable time?"
+
+It was impossible to dispute the dictatorial commands of my uncle. I
+yielded with a groan. On payment of a fee, a verger gave us the key. He,
+for one, was not partial to the ascent. My uncle at once showed me the
+way, running up the steps like a schoolboy. I followed as well as I
+could, though no sooner was I outside the tower, than my head began to
+swim. There was nothing of the eagle about me. The earth was enough for
+me, and no ambitious desire to soar ever entered my mind. Still things
+did not go badly until I had ascended 150 steps, and was near the
+platform, when I began to feel the rush of cold air. I could scarcely
+stand, when clutching the railings, I looked upwards. The railing was
+frail enough, but nothing to those which skirted the terrible winding
+staircase, that appeared, from where I stood, to ascend to the skies.
+
+"Now then, Henry."
+
+"I can't do it!" I cried, in accents of despair.
+
+"Are you, after all, a coward, sir?" said my uncle in a pitiless tone.
+"Go up, I say!"
+
+To this there was no reply possible. And yet the keen air acted
+violently on my nervous system; sky, earth, all seemed to swim round,
+while the steeple rocked like a ship. My legs gave way like those of a
+drunken man. I crawled upon my hands and knees; I hauled myself up
+slowly, crawling like a snake. Presently I closed my eyes, and allowed
+myself to be dragged upwards.
+
+"Look around you," said my uncle in a stern voice, "heaven knows what
+profound abysses you may have to look down. This is excellent practice."
+
+Slowly, and shivering all the while with cold, I opened my eyes. What
+then did I see? My first glance was upwards at the cold fleecy clouds,
+which as by some optical delusion appeared to stand still, while the
+steeple, the weathercock, and our two selves were carried swiftly along.
+Far away on one side could be seen the grassy plain, while on the other
+lay the sea bathed in translucent light. The Sund, or Sound as we call
+it, could be discovered beyond the point of Elsinore, crowded with white
+sails, which, at that distance looked like the wings of seagulls; while
+to the east could be made out the far-off coast of Sweden. The whole
+appeared a magic panorama.
+
+But faint and bewildered as I was, there was no remedy for it. Rise and
+stand up I must. Despite my protestations my first lesson lasted quite
+an hour. When, nearly two hours later, I reached the bosom of mother
+earth, I was like a rheumatic old man bent double with pain.
+
+"Enough for one day," said my uncle, rubbing his hands, "we will begin
+again tomorrow."
+
+There was no remedy. My lessons lasted five days, and at the end of that
+period, I ascended blithely enough, and found myself able to look down
+into the depths below without even winking, and with some degree of
+pleasure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 6
+
+Our Voyage to Iceland
+
+
+The hour of departure came at last. The night before, the worthy Mr.
+Thompson brought us the most cordial letters of introduction for Baron
+Trampe, Governor of Iceland, for M. Pictursson, coadjutor to the bishop,
+and for M. Finsen, mayor of the town of Reykjavik. In return, my uncle
+nearly crushed his hands, so warmly did he shake them.
+
+On the second of the month, at two in the morning, our precious cargo of
+luggage was taken on board the good ship <i>Valkyrie</i>. We followed, and
+were very politely introduced by the captain to a small cabin with two
+standing bed places, neither very well ventilated nor very comfortable.
+But in the cause of science men are expected to suffer.
+
+"Well, and have we a fair wind?" cried my uncle, in his most mellifluous
+accents.
+
+"An excellent wind!" replied Captain Bjarne; "we shall leave the Sound,
+going free with all sails set."
+
+A few minutes afterwards, the schooner started before the wind, under
+all the canvas she could carry, and entered the channel. An hour later,
+the capital of Denmark seemed to sink into the waves, and we were at no
+great distance from the coast of Elsinore. My uncle was delighted; for
+myself, moody and dissatisfied, I appeared almost to expect a glimpse of
+the ghost of Hamlet.
+
+"Sublime madman," thought I, "you doubtless would approve our
+proceedings. You might perhaps even follow us to the centre of the
+earth, there to resolve your eternal doubts."
+
+But no ghost or anything else appeared upon the ancient walls. The fact
+is, the castle is much later than the time of the heroic prince of
+Denmark. It is now the residence of the keeper of the Strait of the
+Sound, and through that Sound more than fifteen thousand vessels of all
+nations pass every year.
+
+The castle of Kronborg soon disappeared in the murky atmosphere, as well
+as the tower of Helsinborg, which raises its head on the Swedish Bank.
+And here the schooner began to feel in earnest the breezes of the
+Kattegat. The <i>Valkyrie</i> was swift enough, but with all sailing boats
+there is the same uncertainty. Her cargo was coal, furniture, pottery,
+woolen clothing, and a load of corn. As usual, the crew was small, five
+Danes doing the whole of the work.
+
+"How long will the voyage last?" asked my uncle.
+
+"Well, I should think about ten days," replied the skipper, "unless,
+indeed, we meet with some northeast gales among the Faroe Islands."
+
+"At all events, there will be no very considerable delay," cried the
+impatient Professor.
+
+"No, Mr. Hardwigg," said the captain, "no fear of that. At all events,
+we shall get there some day."
+
+Towards evening the schooner doubled Cape Skagen, the northernmost part
+of Denmark, crossed the Skagerrak during the night--skirted the extreme
+point of Norway through the gut of Cape Lindesnes, and then reached the
+Northern Seas. Two days later we were not far from the coast of
+Scotland, somewhere near what Danish sailors call Peterhead, and then
+the <i>Valkyrie</i> stretched out direct for the Faroe Islands, between
+Orkney and Shetland. Our vessel now felt the full force of the ocean
+waves, and the wind shifting, we with great difficulty made the Faroe
+Isles. On the eighth day, the captain made out Myganness, the
+westernmost of the isles, and from that moment headed direct for
+Portland, a cape on the southern shores of the singular island for which
+we were bound.
+
+The voyage offered no incident worthy of record. I bore it very well,
+but my uncle to his great annoyance, and even shame, was remarkably
+seasick! This mal de mer troubled him the more that it prevented him
+from questioning Captain Bjarne as to the subject of Sneffels, as to the
+means of communication, and the facilities of transport. All these
+explanations he had to adjourn to the period of his arrival. His time,
+meanwhile, was spent lying in bed groaning, and dwelling anxiously on
+the hoped--for termination of the voyage. I didn't pity him.
+
+On the eleventh day we sighted Cape Portland, over which towered Mount
+Myrdals Yokul, which, the weather being clear, we made out very readily.
+The cape itself is nothing but a huge mount of granite standing naked
+and alone to meet the Atlantic waves. The <i>Valkyrie</i> kept off the coast,
+steering to the westward. On all sides were to be seen whole "schools"
+of whales and sharks. After some hours we came in sight of a solitary
+rock in the ocean, forming a mighty vault, through which the foaming
+waves poured with intense fury. The islets of Westman appeared to leap
+from the ocean, being so low in the water as scarcely to be seen until
+you were right upon them. From that moment the schooner was steered to
+the westward in order to round Cape Reykjanes, the western point of
+Iceland.
+
+My uncle, to his great disgust, was unable even to crawl on deck, so
+heavy a sea was on, and thus lost the first view of the Land of Promise.
+Forty-eight hours later, after a storm which drove us far to sea under
+bare poles, we came once more in sight of land, and were boarded by a
+pilot, who, after three hours of dangerous navigation, brought the
+schooner safely to an anchor in the bay of Faxa before Reykjavik.
+
+My uncle came out of his cabin pale, haggard, thin, but full of
+enthusiasm, his eyes dilated with pleasure and satisfaction. Nearly the
+whole population of the town was on foot to see us land. The fact was,
+that scarcely any one of them but expected some goods by the periodical
+vessel.
+
+Professor Hardwigg was in haste to leave his prison, or rather as he
+called it, his hospital; but before he attempted to do so, he caught
+hold of my hand, led me to the quarterdeck of the schooner, took my arm
+with his left hand, and pointed inland with his right, over the northern
+part of the bay, to where rose a high two-peaked mountain--a double cone
+covered with eternal snow.
+
+"Behold he whispered in an awe-stricken voice, behold--Mount Sneffels!"
+
+Then without further remark, he put his finger to his lips, frowned
+darkly, and descended into the small boat which awaited us. I followed,
+and in a few minutes we stood upon the soil of mysterious Iceland!
+
+Scarcely were we fairly on shore when there appeared before us a man of
+excellent appearance, wearing the costume of a military officer. He was,
+however, but a civil servant, a magistrate, the governor of the
+island--Baron Trampe. The Professor knew whom he had to deal with. He
+therefore handed him the letters from Copenhagen, and a brief
+conversation in Danish followed, to which I of course was a stranger,
+and for a very good reason, for I did not know the language in which
+they conversed. I afterwards heard, however, that Baron Trampe placed
+himself entirely at the beck and call of Professor Hardwigg.
+
+My uncle was most graciously received by M. Finsen, the mayor, who as
+far as costume went, was quite as military as the governor, but also
+from character and occupation quite as pacific. As for his coadjutor, M.
+Pictursson, he was absent on an episcopal visit to the northern portion
+of the diocese. We were therefore compelled to defer the pleasure of
+being presented to him. His absence was, however, more than compensated
+by the presence of M. Fridriksson, professor of natural science in the
+college of Reykjavik, a man of invaluable ability. This modest scholar
+spoke no languages save Icelandic and Latin. When, therefore, he
+addressed himself to me in the language of Horace, we at once came to
+understand one another. He was, in fact, the only person that I did
+thoroughly understand during the whole period of my residence in this
+benighted island.
+
+Out of three rooms of which his house was composed, two were placed at
+our service, and in a few hours we were installed with all our baggage,
+the amount of which rather astonished the simple inhabitants of
+Reykjavik.
+
+"Now, Harry," said my uncle, rubbing his hands, "an goes well, the worse
+difficulty is now over."
+
+"How the worse difficulty over?" I cried in fresh amazement.
+
+"Doubtless. Here we are in Iceland. Nothing more remains but to descend
+into the bowels of the earth."
+
+"Well, sir, to a certain extent you are right. We have only to go
+down--but, as far as I am concerned, that is not the question. I want to
+know how we are to get up again."
+
+"That is the least part of the business, and does not in any way trouble
+me. In the meantime, there is not an hour to lose. I am about to visit
+the public library. Very likely I may find there some manuscripts from
+the hand of Saknussemm. I shall be glad to consult them."
+
+"In the meanwhile," I replied, "I will take a walk through the town.
+Will you not likewise do so?"
+
+"I feel no interest in the subject," said my uncle. "What for me is
+curious in this island, is not what is above the surface, but what is
+below."
+
+I bowed by way of reply, put on my hat and furred cloak, and went out.
+
+It was not an easy matter to lose oneself in the two streets of
+Reykjavik; I had therefore no need to ask my way. The town lies on a
+flat and marshy plain, between two hills. A vast field of lava skirts it
+on one side, falling away in terraces towards the sea. On the other hand
+is the large bay of Faxa, bordered on the north by the enormous glacier
+of Sneffels, and in which bay the <i>Valkyrie</i> was then the only vessel at
+anchor. Generally there were one or two English or French gunboats, to
+watch and protect the fisheries in the offing. They were now, however,
+absent on duty.
+
+The longest of the streets of Reykjavik runs parallel to the shore. In
+this street the merchants and traders live in wooden huts made with
+beams of wood, painted red--mere log huts, such as you find in the wilds
+of America. The other street, situated more to the west, runs toward a
+little lake between the residences of the bishop and the other
+personages not engaged in commerce.
+
+I had soon seen all I wanted of these weary and dismal thoroughfares.
+Here and there was a strip of discolored turf, like an old worn-out bit
+of woolen carpet; and now and then a bit of kitchen garden, in which
+grew potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce, almost diminutive enough to suggest
+the idea of Lilliput.
+
+In the centre of the new commercial street, I found the public cemetery,
+enclosed by an earthen wall. Though not very large, it appeared not
+likely to be filled for centuries. From hence I went to the house of the
+Governor--a mere hut in comparison with the Mansion House of
+Hamburg--but a palace alongside the other Icelandic houses. Between the
+little lake and the town was the church, built in simple Protestant
+style, and composed of calcined stones, thrown up by volcanic action. I
+have not the slightest doubt that in high winds its red tiles were blown
+out, to the great annoyance of the pastor and congregation. Upon an
+eminence close at hand was the national school, in which were taught
+Hebrew, English, French, and Danish.
+
+In three hours my tour was complete. The general impression upon my mind
+was sadness. No trees, no vegetation, so to speak--on all sides volcanic
+peaks--the huts of turf and earth--more like roofs than houses. Thanks
+to the heat of these residences, grass grows on the roof, which grass is
+carefully cut for hay. I saw but few inhabitants during my excursion,
+but I met a crowd on the beach, drying, salting and loading codfish, the
+principal article of exportation. The men appeared robust but heavy;
+fair-haired like Germans, but of pensive mien--exiles of a higher scale
+in the ladder of humanity than the Eskimos, but, I thought, much more
+unhappy, since with superior perceptions they are compelled to live
+within the limits of the Polar Circle.
+
+Sometimes they gave vent to a convulsive laugh, but by no chance did
+they smile. Their costume consists of a coarse capote of black wool,
+known in Scandinavian countries as the "vadmel," a broad-brimmed hat,
+trousers of red serge, and a piece of leather tied with strings for a
+shoe--a coarse kind of moccasin. The women, though sad-looking and
+mournful, had rather agreeable features, without much expression. They
+wear a bodice and petticoat of somber vadmel. When unmarried they wear a
+little brown knitted cap over a crown of plaited hair; but when married,
+they cover their heads with a colored handkerchief, over which they tie
+a white scarf.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 7
+
+Conversation and Discovery
+
+
+When I returned, dinner was ready. This meal was devoured by my worthy
+relative with avidity and voracity. His shipboard diet had turned his
+interior into a perfect gulf. The repast, which was more Danish than
+Icelandic, was in itself nothing, but the excessive hospitality of our
+host made us enjoy it doubly.
+
+The conversation turned upon scientific matters, and M. Fridriksson
+asked my uncle what he thought of the public library.
+
+"Library, sir?" cried my uncle; "it appears to me a collection of
+useless odd volumes, and a beggarly amount of empty shelves."
+
+"What!" cried M. Fridriksson; "why, we have eight thousand volumes of
+most rare and valuable works--some in the Scandinavian language, besides
+all the new publications from Copenhagen."
+
+"Eight thousand volumes, my dear sir--why, where are they?" cried my
+uncle.
+
+"Scattered over the country, Professor Hardwigg. We are very studious,
+my dear sir, though we do live in Iceland. Every farmer, every laborer,
+every fisherman can both read and write--and we think that books instead
+of being locked up in cupboards, far from the sight of students, should
+be distributed as widely as possible. The books of our library are
+therefore passed from hand to hand without returning to the library
+shelves perhaps for years."
+
+"Then when foreigners visit you, there is nothing for them to see?"
+
+"Well, sir, foreigners have their own libraries, and our first
+consideration is, that our humbler classes should be highly educated.
+Fortunately, the love of study is innate in the Icelandic people. In
+1816 we founded a Literary Society and Mechanics' Institute; many
+foreign scholars of eminence are honorary members; we publish books
+destined to educate our people, and these books have rendered valuable
+services to our country. Allow me to have the honor, Professor Hardwigg,
+to enroll you as an honorary member?"
+
+My uncle, who already belonged to nearly every literary and scientific
+institution in Europe, immediately yielded to the amiable wishes of good
+M. Fridriksson.
+
+"And now," he said, after many expressions of gratitude and good will,
+"if you will tell me what books you expected to find, perhaps I may be
+of some assistance to you."
+
+I watched my uncle keenly. For a minute or two he hesitated, as if
+unwilling to speak; to speak openly was, perhaps, to unveil his
+projects. Nevertheless, after some reflection, he made up his mind.
+
+"Well, M. Fridriksson," he said in an easy, unconcerned kind of way, "I
+was desirous of ascertaining, if among other valuable works, you had any
+of the learned Arne Saknussemm."
+
+"Arne Saknussemm!" cried the Professor of Reykjavik; "you speak of one
+of the most distinguished scholars of the sixteenth century, of the
+great naturalist, the great alchemist, the great traveler."
+
+"Exactly so."
+
+"One of the most distinguished men connected with Icelandic science and
+literature."
+
+"As you say, sir--"
+
+"A man illustrious above all."
+
+"Yes, sir, all this is true, but his works?"
+
+"We have none of them."
+
+"Not in Iceland?"
+
+"There are none in Iceland or elsewhere," answered the other, sadly.
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"Because Arne Saknussemm was persecuted for heresy, and in 1573 his
+works were publicly burnt at Copenhagen, by the hands of the common
+hangman."
+
+"Very good! capital!" murmured my uncle, to the great astonishment of
+the worthy Icelander.
+
+"You said, sir--"
+
+"Yes, yes, all is clear, I see the link in the chain; everything is
+explained, and I now understand why Arne Saknussemm, put out of court,
+forced to hide his magnificent discoveries, was compelled to conceal
+beneath the veil of an incomprehensible cryptograph, the secret--"
+
+"What secret?"
+
+"A secret--which," stammered my uncle.
+
+"Have you discovered some wonderful manuscript?" cried M. Fridriksson.
+
+"No! no, I was carried away by my enthusiasm. A mere supposition."
+
+"Very good, sir. But, really, to turn to another subject, I hope you
+will not leave our island without examining into its mineralogical
+riches."
+
+"Well, the fact is, I am rather late. So many learned men have been here
+before me."
+
+"Yes, yes, but there is still much to be done," cried M. Fridriksson.
+
+"You think so," said my uncle, his eyes twinkling with hidden
+satisfaction.
+
+"Yes, you have no idea how many unknown mountains, glaciers, volcanoes
+there are which remain to be studied. Without moving from where we sit,
+I can show you one. Yonder on the edge of the horizon, you see
+Sneffels."
+
+"Oh yes, Sneffels," said my uncle.
+
+"One of the most curious volcanoes in existence, the crater of which has
+been rarely visited."
+
+"Extinct?"
+
+"Extinct, any time these five hundred years," was the ready reply.
+
+"Well," said my uncle, who dug his nails into his flesh, and pressed his
+knees tightly together to prevent himself leaping up with joy. "I have a
+great mind to begin my studies with an examination of the geological
+mysteries of this Mount Seffel--Feisel--what do you call it?"
+
+"Sneffels, my dear sir."
+
+This portion of the conversation took place in Latin, and I therefore
+understood all that had been said. I could scarcely keep my countenance
+when I found my uncle so cunningly concealing his delight and
+satisfaction. I must confess that his artful grimaces, put on to conceal
+his happiness, made him look like a new Mephistopheles.
+
+"Yes, yes," he continued, "your proposition delights me. I will endeavor
+to climb to the summit of Sneffels, and, if possible, will descend into
+its crater."
+
+"I very much regret," continued M. Fridriksson, "that my occupation will
+entirely preclude the possibility of my accompanying you. It would have
+been both pleasurable and profitable if I could have spared the time."
+
+"No, no, a thousand times no," cried my uncle. "I do not wish to disturb
+the serenity of any man. I thank you, however, with all my heart. The
+presence of one so learned as yourself, would no doubt have been most
+useful, but the duties of your office and profession before everything."
+
+In the innocence of his simple heart, our host did not perceive the
+irony of these remarks.
+
+"I entirely approve your project," continued the Icelander after some
+further remarks. "It is a good idea to begin by examining this volcano.
+You will make a harvest of curious observations. In the first place, how
+do you propose to get to Sneffels?"
+
+"By sea. I shall cross the bay. Of course that is the most rapid route."
+
+"Of course. But still it cannot be done."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"We have not an available boat in all Reykjavik," replied the other.
+
+"What is to be done?"
+
+"You must go by land along the coast. It is longer, but much more
+interesting."
+
+"Then I must have a guide."
+
+"Of course; and I have your very man."
+
+"Somebody on whom I can depend."
+
+"Yes, an inhabitant of the peninsula on which Sneffels is situated. He
+is a very shrewd and worthy man, with whom you will be pleased. He
+speaks Danish like a Dane."
+
+"When can I see him--today?"
+
+"No, tomorrow; he will not be here before."
+
+"Tomorrow be it," replied my uncle, with a deep sigh.
+
+The conversation ended by compliments on both sides. During the dinner
+my uncle had learned much as to the history of Arne Saknussemm, the
+reasons for his mysterious and hieroglyphical document. He also became
+aware that his host would not accompany him on his adventurous
+expedition, and that next day we should have a guide.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 8
+
+
+THE EIDER-DOWN HUNTER--OFF AT LAST
+
+
+That evening I took a brief walk on the shore near Reykjavik, after
+which I returned to an early sleep on my bed of coarse planks, where I
+slept the sleep of the just. When I awoke I heard my uncle speaking
+loudly in the next room. I rose hastily and joined him. He was talking
+in Danish with a man of tall stature, and of perfectly Herculean build.
+This man appeared to be possessed of very great strength. His eyes,
+which started rather prominently from a very large head, the face
+belonging to which was simple and naive, appeared very quick and
+intelligent. Very long hair, which even in England would have been
+accounted exceedingly red, fell over his athletic shoulders. This native
+of Iceland was active and supple in appearance, though he scarcely moved
+his arms, being in fact one of those men who despise the habit of
+gesticulation common to southern people.
+
+Everything in this man's manner revealed a calm and phlegmatic
+temperament. There was nothing indolent about him, but his appearance
+spoke of tranquillity. He was one of those who never seemed to expect
+anything from anybody, who liked to work when he thought proper, and
+whose philosophy nothing could astonish or trouble.
+
+I began to comprehend his character, simply from the way in which he
+listened to the wild and impassioned verbiage of my worthy uncle. While
+the excellent Professor spoke sentence after sentence, he stood with
+folded arms, utterly still, motionless to all my uncle's gesticulations.
+When he wanted to say No he moved his head from left to right; when he
+acquiesced he nodded, so slightly that you could scarcely see the
+undulation of his head. This economy of motion was carried to the length
+of avarice.
+
+Judging from his appearance I should have been a long time before I had
+suspected him to be what he was, a mighty hunter. Certainly his manner
+was not likely to frighten the game. How, then, did he contrive to get
+at his prey?
+
+My surprise was slightly modified when I knew that this tranquil and
+solemn personage was only a hunter of the eider duck, the down of which
+is, after all, the greatest source of the Icelanders' wealth.
+
+In the early days of summer, the female of the eider, a pretty sort of
+duck, builds its nest amid the rocks of the fjords--the name given to
+all narrow gulfs in Scandinavian countries--with which every part of the
+island is indented. No sooner has the eider duck made her nest than she
+lines the inside of it with the softest down from her breast. Then comes
+the hunter or trader, taking away the nest, the poor bereaved female
+begins her task over again, and this continues as long as any eider down
+is to be found.
+
+When she can find no more the male bird sets to work to see what he can
+do. As, however, his down is not so soft, and has therefore no
+commercial value, the hunter does not take the trouble to rob him of his
+nest lining. The nest is accordingly finished, the eggs are laid, the
+little ones are born, and next year the harvest of eider down is again
+collected.
+
+Now, as the eider duck never selects steep rocks or aspects to build its
+nest, but rather sloping and low cliffs near to the sea, the Icelandic
+hunter can carry on his trade operations without much difficulty. He is
+like a farmer who has neither to plow, to sow, nor to harrow, only to
+collect his harvest.
+
+This grave, sententious, silent person, as phlegmatic as an Englishman
+on the French stage, was named Hans Bjelke. He had called upon us in
+consequence of the recommendation of M. Fridriksson. He was, in fact,
+our future guide. It struck me that had I sought the world over, I could
+not have found a greater contradiction to my impulsive uncle.
+
+They, however, readily understood one another. Neither of them had any
+thought about money; one was ready to take all that was offered him, the
+other ready to offer anything that was asked. It may readily be
+conceived, then, that an understanding was soon come to between them.
+
+Now, the understanding was, that he was to take us to the village of
+Stapi, situated on the southern slope of the peninsula of Sneffels, at
+the very foot of the volcano. Hans, the guide, told us the distance was
+about twenty-two miles, a journey which my uncle supposed would take
+about two days.
+
+But when my uncle came to understand that they were Danish miles, of
+eight thousand yards each, he was obliged to be more moderate in his
+ideas, and, considering the horrible roads we had to follow, to allow
+eight or ten days for the journey.
+
+Four horses were prepared for us, two to carry the baggage, and two to
+bear the important weight of myself and uncle. Hans declared that
+nothing ever would make him climb on the back of any animal. He knew
+every inch of that part of the coast, and promised to take us the very
+shortest way.
+
+His engagement with my uncle was by no means to cease with our arrival
+at Stapi; he was further to remain in his service during the whole time
+required for the completion of his scientific investigations, at the
+fixed salary of three rix-dollars a week, being exactly fourteen
+shillings and twopence, minus one farthing, English currency. One
+stipulation, however, was made by the guide--the money was to be paid to
+him every Saturday night, failing which, his engagement was at an end.
+
+The day of our departure was fixed. My uncle wished to hand the
+eider-down hunter an advance, but he refused in one emphatic word--
+
+"Efter."
+
+Which being translated from Icelandic into plain English means--"After."
+
+The treaty concluded, our worthy guide retired without another word.
+
+"A splendid fellow," said my uncle; "only he little suspects the
+marvelous part he is about to play in the history of the world."
+
+"You mean, then," I cried in amazement, "that he should accompany us?"
+
+"To the interior of the earth, yes," replied my uncle. "Why not?"
+
+There were yet forty-eight hours to elapse before we made our final
+start. To my great regret, our whole time was taken up in making
+preparations for our journey. All our industry and ability were devoted
+to packing every object in the most advantageous manner--the instruments
+on one side, the arms on the other, the tools here and the provisions
+there. There were, in fact, four distinct groups.
+
+The instruments were of course of the best manufacture:
+
+1. A centigrade thermometer of Eigel, counting up to 150 degrees, which
+to me did not appear half enough--or too much. Too hot by half, if the
+degree of heat was to ascend so high--in which case we should certainly
+be cooked--not enough, if we wanted to ascertain the exact temperature
+of springs or metal in a state of fusion.
+
+2. A manometer worked by compressed air, an instrument used to ascertain
+the upper atmospheric pressure on the level of the ocean. Perhaps a
+common barometer would not have done as well, the atmospheric pressure
+being likely to increase in proportion as we descended below the surface
+of the earth.
+
+3. A first-class chronometer made by Boissonnas, of Geneva, set at the
+meridian of Hamburg, from which Germans calculate, as the English do
+from Greenwich, and the French from Paris.
+
+4. Two compasses, one for horizontal guidance, the other to ascertain
+the dip.
+
+5. A night glass.
+
+6. Two Ruhmkorff coils, which, by means of a current of electricity,
+would ensure us a very excellent, easily carried, and certain means of
+obtaining light.
+
+7. A voltaic battery on the newest principle.[1]
+
+[1] Thermometer (<i>thermos</i>, and <i>metron</i>, measure); an instrument for
+measuring the temperature of the air.--Manometer (<i>manos</i>,and <i>metron</i>,
+measure); an instrument to show the density or rarity of
+gases.--Chronometer (<i>chronos</i>. time, and <i>metros</i>, measure) a time
+measurer, or superior watch--Ruhmkorff's coil, an instrument for
+producing currents of induced electricity of great intensity. It
+consists of a coil of copper wire, insulated by being covered with silk,
+surrounded by another coil of fine wire, also insulated, in which a
+momentary current is induced when a current is passed through the inner
+coil from a voltaic battery. When the apparatus is in action, the gas
+becomes luminous, and produces a white and continued light. The battery
+and wire are carried in a leather bag, which the traveler fastens by a
+strap to his shoulders. The lantern is in front, and enables the
+benighted wanderer to see in the most profound obscurity. He may venture
+without fear of explosion into the midst of the most inflammable gases,
+and the lantern will burn beneath the deepest waters. H. D. Ruhmkorff,
+an able and learned chemist, discovered the induction coil. In 1864 he
+won the quinquennial French prize of L2,000 for this ingenious
+application of electricity--A voltaic battery, so called from Volta, its
+designer, is an apparatus consisting of a series of metal plates
+arranged in pairs and subjected to the action of saline solutions for
+producing currents of electricity.
+
+Our arms consisted of two rifles, with two revolving six-shooters. Why
+these arms were provided it was impossible for me to say. I had every
+reason to believe that we had neither wild beasts nor savage natives to
+fear. My uncle, on the other hand, was quite as devoted to his arsenal
+as to his collection of instruments, and above all was very careful with
+his provision of fulminating or gun cotton, warranted to keep in any
+climate, and of which the expansive force was known to be greater than
+that of ordinary gunpowder.
+
+Our tools consisted of two pickaxes, two crowbars, a silken ladder,
+three iron-shod Alpine poles, a hatchet, a hammer, a dozen wedges, some
+pointed pieces of iron, and a quantity of strong rope. You may conceive
+that the whole made a tolerable parcel, especially when I mention that
+the ladder itself was three hundred feet long!
+
+Then there came the important question of provisions. The hamper was not
+very large but tolerably satisfactory, for I knew that in concentrated
+essence of meat and biscuit there was enough to last six months. The
+only liquid provided by my uncle was Schiedam. Of water, not a drop. We
+had, however, an ample supply of gourds, and my uncle counted on finding
+water, and enough to fill them, as soon as we commenced our downward
+journey. My remarks as to the temperature, the quality, and even as to
+the possibility of none being found, remained wholly without effect.
+
+To make up the exact list of our traveling gear--for the guidance of
+future travelers--add, that we carried a medicine and surgical chest
+with all apparatus necessary for wounds, fractures and blows; lint,
+scissors, lancets--in fact, a perfect collection of horrible looking
+instruments; a number of vials containing ammonia, alcohol, ether,
+Goulard water, aromatic vinegar, in fact, every possible and impossible
+drug--finally, all the materials for working the Ruhmkorff coil!
+
+My uncle had also been careful to lay in a goodly supply of tobacco,
+several flasks of very fine gunpowder, boxes of tinder, besides a large
+belt crammed full of notes and gold. Good boots rendered watertight were
+to be found to the number of six in the tool box.
+
+"My boy, with such clothing, with such boots, and such general
+equipment," said my uncle, in a state of rapturous delight, "we may hope
+to travel far."
+
+It took a whole day to put all these matters in order. In the evening we
+dined with Baron Trampe, in company with the Mayor of Reykjavik, and
+Doctor Hyaltalin, the great medical man of Iceland. M. Fridriksson was
+not present, and I was afterwards sorry to hear that he and the governor
+did not agree on some matters connected with the administration of the
+island. Unfortunately, the consequence was, that I did not understand a
+word that was said at dinner--a kind of semiofficial reception. One
+thing I can say, my uncle never left off speaking.
+
+The next day our labor came to an end. Our worthy host delighted my
+uncle, Professor Hardwigg, by giving him a good map of Iceland, a most
+important and precious document for a mineralogist.
+
+Our last evening was spent in a long conversation with M. Fridriksson,
+whom I liked very much--the more that I never expected to see him or
+anyone else again. After this agreeable way of spending an hour or so, I
+tried to sleep. In vain; with the exception of a few dozes, my night was
+miserable.
+
+At five o'clock in the morning I was awakened from the only real half
+hour's sleep of the night by the loud neighing of horses under my
+window. I hastily dressed myself and went down into the street. Hans was
+engaged in putting the finishing stroke to our baggage, which he did in
+a silent, quiet way that won my admiration, and yet he did it admirably
+well. My uncle wasted a great deal of breath in giving him directions,
+but worthy Hans took not the slightest notice of his words.
+
+At six o'clock all our preparations were completed, and M. Fridriksson
+shook hands heartily with us. My uncle thanked him warmly, in the
+Icelandic language, for his kind hospitality, speaking truly from the
+heart.
+
+As for myself I put together a few of my best Latin phrases and paid him
+the highest compliments I could. This fraternal and friendly duty
+performed, we sallied forth and mounted our horses.
+
+As soon as we were quite ready, M. Fridriksson advanced, and by way of
+farewell, called after me in the words of Virgil--words which appeared
+to have been made for us, travelers starting for an uncertain
+destination:
+
+"Et quacunque viam dederit fortuna sequamur."
+
+("And whichsoever way thou goest, may fortune follow!")
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 9
+
+OUR START--WE MEET WITH ADVENTURES BY THE WAY
+
+
+The weather was overcast but settled, when we commenced our adventurous
+and perilous journey. We had neither to fear fatiguing heat nor
+drenching rain. It was, in fact, real tourist weather.
+
+As there was nothing I liked better than horse exercise, the pleasure of
+riding through an unknown country caused the early part of our
+enterprise to be particularly agreeable to me.
+
+I began to enjoy the exhilarating delight of traveling, a life of
+desire, gratification and liberty. The truth is, that my spirits rose so
+rapidly, that I began to be indifferent to what had once appeared to be
+a terrible journey.
+
+"After all," I said to myself, "what do I risk? Simply to take a journey
+through a curious country, to climb a remarkable mountain, and if the
+worst comes to the worst, to descend into the crater of an extinct
+volcano."
+
+There could be no doubt that this was all this terrible Saknussemm had
+done. As to the existence of a gallery, or of subterraneous passages
+leading into the interior of the earth, the idea was simply absurd, the
+hallucination of a distempered imagination. All, then, that may be
+required of me I will do cheerfully, and will create no difficulty.
+
+It was just before we left Reykjavik that I came to this decision.
+
+Hans, our extraordinary guide, went first, walking with a steady, rapid,
+unvarying step. Our two horses with the luggage followed of their own
+accord, without requiring whip or spur. My uncle and I came behind,
+cutting a very tolerable figure upon our small but vigorous animals.
+
+Iceland is one of the largest islands in Europe. It contains thirty
+thousand square miles of surface, and has about seventy thousand
+inhabitants. Geographers have divided it into four parts, and we had to
+cross the southwest quarter which in the vernacular is called Sudvestr
+Fjordungr.
+
+Hans, on taking his departure from Reykjavik, had followed the line of
+the sea. We took our way through poor and sparse meadows, which made a
+desperate effort every year to show a little green. They very rarely
+succeed in a good show of yellow.
+
+The rugged summits of the rocky hills were dimly visible on the edge of
+the horizon, through the misty fogs; every now and then some heavy
+flakes of snow showed conspicuous in the morning light, while certain
+lofty and pointed rocks were first lost in the grey low clouds, their
+summits clearly visible above, like jagged reefs rising from a troublous
+sea.
+
+Every now and then a spur of rock came down through the arid ground,
+leaving us scarcely room to pass. Our horses, however, appeared not only
+well acquainted with the country, but by a kind of instinct, knew which
+was the best road. My uncle had not even the satisfaction of urging
+forward his steed by whip, spur, or voice. It was utterly useless to
+show any signs of impatience. I could not help smiling to see him look
+so big on his little horse; his long legs now and then touching the
+ground made him look like a six-footed centaur.
+
+"Good beast, good beast," he would cry. "I assure you, that I begin to
+think no animal is more intelligent than an Icelandic horse. Snow,
+tempest, impracticable roads, rocks, icebergs--nothing stops him. He is
+brave; he is sober; he is safe; he never makes a false step; never
+glides or slips from his path. I dare to say that if any river, any
+fjord has to be crossed--and I have no doubt there will be many--you
+will see him enter the water without hesitation like an amphibious
+animal, and reach the opposite side in safety. We must not, however,
+attempt to hurry him; we must allow him to have his own way, and I
+will undertake to say that between us we shall do our ten leagues a
+day."
+
+"We may do so," was my reply, "but what about our worthy guide?"
+
+"I have not the slightest anxiety about him: that sort of people go
+ahead without knowing even what they are about. Look at Hans. He moves
+so little that it is impossible for him to become fatigued. Besides, if
+he were to complain of weariness, he could have the loan of my horse. I
+should have a violent attack of the cramp if I were not to have some
+sort of exercise. My arms are right--but my legs are getting a little
+stiff."
+
+All this while we were advancing at a rapid pace. The country we had
+reached was already nearly a desert. Here and there could be seen an
+isolated farm, some solitary bur, or Icelandic house, built of wood,
+earth, fragments of lava--looking like beggars on the highway of life.
+These wretched and miserable huts excited in us such pity that we felt
+half disposed to leave alms at every door. In this country there are no
+roads, paths are nearly unknown, and vegetation, poor as it was, slowly
+as it reached perfection, soon obliterated all traces of the few
+travelers who passed from place to place.
+
+Nevertheless, this division of the province, situated only a few miles
+from the capital, is considered one of the best cultivated and most
+thickly peopled in all Iceland. What, then, must be the state of the
+less known and more distant parts of the island? After traveling fully
+half a Danish mile, we had met neither a farmer at the door of his hut,
+nor even a wandering shepherd with his wild and savage flock.
+
+A few stray cows and sheep were only seen occasionally. What, then, must
+we expect when we come to the upheaved regions--to the districts broken
+and roughened from volcanic eruptions and subterraneous commotions?
+
+We were to learn this all in good time. I saw, however, on consulting
+the map, that we avoided a good deal of this rough country, by following
+the winding and desolate shores of the sea. In reality, the great
+volcanic movement of the island, and all its attendant phenomena, are
+concentrated in the interior of the island; there, horizontal layers or
+strata of rocks, piled one upon the other, eruptions of basaltic origin,
+and streams of lava, have given this country a kind of supernatural
+reputation.
+
+Little did I expect, however, the spectacle which awaited us when we
+reached the peninsula of Sneffels, where agglomerations of nature's
+ruins form a kind of terrible chaos.
+
+Some two hours or more after we had left the city of Reykjavik, we
+reached the little town called Aoalkirkja, or the principal church. It
+consists simply of a few houses--not what in England or Germany we
+should call a hamlet.
+
+Hans stopped here one half hour. He shared our frugal breakfast,
+answered Yes, and No to my uncle's questions as to the nature of the
+road, and at last when asked where we were to pass the night was as
+laconic as usual.
+
+"Gardar!" was his one-worded reply.
+
+I took occasion to consult the map, to see where Gardar was to be found.
+After looking keenly I found a small town of that name on the borders of
+the Hvalfjord, about four miles from Reykjavik. I pointed this out to my
+uncle, who made a very energetic grimace.
+
+"Only four miles out of twenty-two? Why it is only a little walk."
+
+He was about to make some energetic observation to the guide, but Hans,
+without taking the slightest notice of him, went in front of the horses,
+and walked ahead with the same imperturbable phlegm he had always
+exhibited.
+
+Three hours later, still traveling over those apparently interminable
+and sandy prairies, we were compelled to go round the Kollafjord, an
+easier and shorter cut than crossing the gulfs. Shortly after we entered
+a place of communal jurisdiction called Ejulberg, and the clock of which
+would then have struck twelve, if any Icelandic church had been rich
+enough to possess so valuable and useful an article. These sacred
+edifices are, however, very much like these people, who do without
+watches--and never miss them.
+
+Here the horses were allowed to take some rest and refreshment, then
+following a narrow strip of shore between high rocks and the sea, they
+took us without further halt to the Aoalkirkja of Brantar, and after
+another mile to Saurboer Annexia, a chapel of ease, situated on the
+southern bank of the Hvalfjord.
+
+It was four o'clock in the evening and we had traveled four Danish
+miles, about equal to twenty English.
+
+The fjord was in this place about half a mile in width. The sweeping and
+broken waves came rolling in upon the pointed rocks; the gulf was
+surrounded by rocky walls--a mighty cliff, three thousand feet in
+height, remarkable for its brown strata, separated here and there by
+beds of tufa of a reddish hue. Now, whatever may have been the
+intelligence of our horses, I had not the slightest reliance upon them,
+as a means of crossing a stormy arm of the sea. To ride over salt water
+upon the back of a little horse seemed to me absurd.
+
+"If they are really intelligent," I said to myself, "they will certainly
+not make the attempt. In any case, I shall trust rather to my own
+intelligence than theirs."
+
+But my uncle was in no humor to wait. He dug his heels into the sides of
+his steed, and made for the shore. His horse went to the very edge of
+the water, sniffed at the approaching wave and retreated.
+
+My uncle, who was, sooth to say, quite as obstinate as the beast he
+bestrode, insisted on his making the desired advance. This attempt was
+followed by a new refusal on the part of the horse which quietly shook
+his head. This demonstration of rebellion was followed by a volley of
+words and a stout application of whipcord; also followed by kicks on the
+part of the horse, which threw its head and heels upwards and tried to
+throw his rider. At length the sturdy little pony, spreading out his
+legs, in a stiff and ludicrous attitude, got from under the Professor's
+legs, and left him standing, with both feet on a separate stone, like
+the Colossus of Rhodes.
+
+"Wretched animal!" cried my uncle, suddenly transformed into a foot
+passenger--and as angry and ashamed as a dismounted cavalry officer on
+the field of battle.
+
+"Farja," said the guide, tapping him familiarly on the shoulder.
+
+"What, a ferry boat!"
+
+"Der," answered Hans, pointing to where lay the boat in
+question--"there."
+
+"Well," I cried, quite delighted with the information; "so it is."
+
+"Why did you not say so before," cried my uncle; "why not start at
+once?"
+
+"Tidvatten," said the guide.
+
+"What does he say?" I asked, considerably puzzled by the delay and the
+dialogue.
+
+"He says tide," replied my uncle, translating the Danish word for my
+information.
+
+"Of course I understand--we must wait till the tide serves."
+
+"For bida?" asked my uncle.
+
+"Ja," replied Hans.
+
+My uncle frowned, stamped his feet and then followed the horses to where
+the boat lay.
+
+I thoroughly understood and appreciated the necessity for waiting,
+before crossing the fjord, for that moment when the sea at its highest
+point is in a state of slack water. As neither the ebb nor flow can then
+be felt, the ferry boat was in no danger of being carried out to sea, or
+dashed upon the rocky coast.
+
+The favorable moment did not come until six o'clock in the evening. Then
+my uncle, myself, and guide, two boatmen and the four horses got into a
+very awkward flat-bottom boat. Accustomed as I had been to the steam
+ferry boats of the Elbe, I found the long oars of the boatmen but sorry
+means of locomotion. We were more than an hour in crossing the fjord;
+but at length the passage was concluded without accident.
+
+Half an hour later we reached Gardar.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 10
+
+TRAVELING IN ICELAND
+
+
+It ought, one would have thought, to have been night, even in the
+sixty-fifth parallel of latitude; but still the nocturnal illumination
+did not surprise me. For in Iceland, during the months of June and July,
+the sun never sets.
+
+The temperature, however, was very much lower than I expected. I was
+cold, but even that did not affect me so much as ravenous hunger.
+Welcome indeed, therefore, was the hut which hospitably opened its doors
+to us.
+
+It was merely the house of a peasant, but in the matter of hospitality,
+it was worthy of being the palace of a king. As we alighted at the door
+the master of the house came forward, held out his hand, and without any
+further ceremony, signaled to us to follow him.
+
+We followed him, for to accompany him was impossible. A long, narrow,
+gloomy passage led into the interior of this habitation, made from beams
+roughly squared by the ax. This passage gave ingress to every room. The
+chambers were four in number--the kitchen, the workshop, where the
+weaving was carried on, the general sleeping chamber of the family, and
+the best room, to which strangers were especially invited. My uncle,
+whose lofty stature had not been taken into consideration when the house
+was built, contrived to knock his head against the beams of the roof.
+
+We were introduced into our chamber, a kind of large room with a hard
+earthen floor, and lighted by a window, the panes of which were made of
+a sort of parchment from the intestines of sheep--very far from
+transparent.
+
+The bedding was composed of dry hay thrown into two long red wooden
+boxes, ornamented with sentences painted in Icelandic. I really had no
+idea that we should be made so comfortable. There was one objection to
+the house, and that was, the very powerful odor of dried fish, of
+macerated meat, and of sour milk, which three fragrances combined did
+not at all suit my olfactory nerves.
+
+As soon as we had freed ourselves from our heavy traveling costume, the
+voice of our host was heard calling to us to come into the kitchen, the
+only room in which the Icelanders ever make any fire, no matter how cold
+it may be.
+
+My uncle, nothing loath, hastened to obey this hospitable and friendly
+invitation. I followed.
+
+The kitchen chimney was made on an antique model. A large stone standing
+in the middle of the room was the fireplace; above, in the roof, was a
+hole for the smoke to pass through. This apartment was kitchen, parlor
+and dining room all in one.
+
+On our entrance, our worthy host, as if he had not seen us before,
+advanced ceremoniously, uttered a word which means "be happy," and then
+kissed both of us on the cheek.
+
+His wife followed, pronounced the same word, with the same ceremonial,
+then the husband and wife, placing their right hands upon their hearts,
+bowed profoundly.
+
+This excellent Icelandic woman was the mother of nineteen children, who,
+little and big, rolled, crawled, and walked about in the midst of
+volumes of smoke arising from the angular fireplace in the middle of the
+room. Every now and then I could see a fresh white head, and a slightly
+melancholy expression of countenance, peering at me through the vapor.
+
+Both my uncle and myself, however, were very friendly with the whole
+party, and before we were aware of it, there were three or four of these
+little ones on our shoulders, as many on our boxes, and the rest hanging
+about our legs. Those who could speak kept crying out saellvertu in
+every possible and impossible key. Those who did not speak only made all
+the more noise.
+
+This concert was interrupted by the announcement of supper. At this
+moment our worthy guide, the eider-duck hunter, came in after seeing to
+the feeding and stabling of the horses--which consisted in letting them
+loose to browse on the stunted green of the Icelandic prairies. There
+was little for them to eat, but moss and some very dry and innutritious
+grass; next day they were ready before the door, some time before we
+were.
+
+"Welcome," said Hans.
+
+Then tranquilly, with the air of an automaton, without any more
+expression in one kiss than another, he embraced the host and hostess
+and their nineteen children.
+
+This ceremony concluded to the satisfaction of all parties, we all sat
+down to table, that is twenty-four of us, somewhat crowded. Those who
+were best off had only two juveniles on their knees.
+
+As soon, however, as the inevitable soup was placed on the table, the
+natural taciturnity, common even to Icelandic babies, prevailed over all
+else. Our host filled our plates with a portion of lichen soup of
+Iceland moss, of by no means disagreeable flavor, an enormous lump of
+fish floating in sour butter. After that there came some skyr, a kind of
+curds and whey, served with biscuits and juniper-berry juice. To drink,
+we had blanda, skimmed milk with water. I was hungry, so hungry, that by
+way of dessert I finished up with a basin of thick oaten porridge.
+
+As soon as the meal was over, the children disappeared, whilst the grown
+people sat around the fireplace, on which was placed turf, heather, cow
+dung and dried fish-bones. As soon as everybody was sufficiently warm, a
+general dispersion took place, all retiring to their respective couches.
+Our hostess offered to pull off our stockings and trousers, according to
+the custom of the country, but as we graciously declined to be so
+honored, she left us to our bed of dry fodder.
+
+Next day, at five in the morning, we took our leave of these hospitable
+peasants. My uncle had great difficulty in making them accept a
+sufficient and proper remuneration.
+
+Hans then gave the signal to start.
+
+We had scarcely got a hundred yards from Gardar, when the character of
+the country changed. The soil began to be marshy and boggy, and less
+favorable to progress. To the right, the range of mountains was
+prolonged indefinitely like a great system of natural fortifications, of
+which we skirted the glacis. We met with numerous streams and rivulets
+which it was necessary to ford, and that without wetting our baggage. As
+we advanced, the deserted appearance increased, and yet now and then we
+could see human shadows flitting in the distance. When a sudden turn of
+the track brought us within easy reach of one of these specters, I felt
+a sudden impulse of disgust at the sight of a swollen head, with shining
+skin, utterly without hair, and whose repulsive and revolting wounds
+could be seen through his rags. The unhappy wretches never came forward
+to beg; on the contrary, they ran away; not so quick, however, but that
+Hans was able to salute them with the universal saellvertu.
+
+"Spetelsk," said he.
+
+"A leper," explained my uncle.
+
+The very sound of such a word caused a feeling of repulsion. The
+horrible affliction known as leprosy, which has almost vanished before
+the effects of modern science, is common in Iceland. It is not
+contagious but hereditary, so that marriage is strictly prohibited to
+these unfortunate creatures.
+
+These poor lepers did not tend to enliven our journey, the scene of
+which was inexpressibly sad and lonely. The very last tufts of grassy
+vegetation appeared to die at our feet. Not a tree was to be seen,
+except a few stunted willows about as big as blackberry bushes. Now and
+then we watched a falcon soaring in the grey and misty air, taking his
+flight towards warmer and sunnier regions. I could not help feeling a
+sense of melancholy come over me. I sighed for my own Native Land, and
+wished to be back with Gretchen.
+
+We were compelled to cross several little fjords, and at last came to a
+real gulf. The tide was at its height, and we were able to go over at
+once, and reach the hamlet of Alftanes, about a mile farther.
+
+That evening, after fording the Alfa and the Heta, two rivers rich in
+trout and pike, we were compelled to pass the night in a deserted house,
+worthy of being haunted by all the fays of Scandinavian mythology. The
+King of Cold had taken up his residence there, and made us feel his
+presence all night.
+
+The following day was remarkable by its lack of any particular
+incidents. Always the same damp and swampy soil; the same dreary
+uniformity; the same sad and monotonous aspect of scenery. In the
+evening, having accomplished the half of our projected journey, we slept
+at the Annexia of Krosolbt.
+
+For a whole mile we had under our feet nothing but lava. This
+disposition of the soil is called <i>hraun</i>: the crumbled lava on the
+surface was in some instances like ship cables stretched out
+horizontally, in others coiled up in heaps; an immense field of lava
+came from the neighboring mountains, all extinct volcanoes, but whose
+remains showed what once they had been. Here and there could be made out
+the steam from hot water springs.
+
+There was no time, however, for us to take more than a cursory view of
+these phenomena. We had to go forward with what speed we might. Soon the
+soft and swampy soil again appeared under the feet of our horses, while
+at every hundred yards we came upon one or more small lakes. Our journey
+was now in a westerly direction; we had, in fact, swept round the great
+bay of Faxa, and the twin white summits of Sneffels rose to the clouds
+at a distance of less than five miles.
+
+The horses now advanced rapidly. The accidents and difficulties of the
+soil no longer checked them. I confess that fatigue began to tell
+severely upon me; but my uncle was as firm and as hard as he had been on
+the first day. I could not help admiring both the excellent Professor
+and the worthy guide; for they appeared to regard this rugged expedition
+as a mere walk!
+
+On Saturday, the 20th June, at six o'clock in the evening, we reached
+Budir, a small town picturesquely situated on the shore of the ocean;
+and here the guide asked for his money. My uncle settled with him
+immediately. It was now the family of Hans himself, that is to say, his
+uncles, his cousins--german, who offered us hospitality. We were
+exceedingly well received, and without taking too much advantage of the
+goodness of these worthy people, I should have liked very much to have
+rested with them after the fatigues of the journey. But my uncle, who
+did not require rest, had no idea of anything of the kind; and despite
+the fact that next day was Sunday, I was compelled once more to mount my
+steed.
+
+The soil was again affected by the neighborhood of the mountains, whose
+granite peered out of the ground like tops of an old oak. We were
+skirting the enormous base of the mighty volcano. My uncle never took
+his eyes from off it; he could not keep from gesticulating, and looking
+at it with a kind of sullen defiance as much as to say "That is the
+giant I have made up my mind to conquer."
+
+After four hours of steady traveling, the horses stopped of themselves
+before the door of the presbytery of Stapi.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 11
+
+WE REACH MOUNT SNEFFELS--THE "REYKIR"
+
+
+Stapi is a town consisting of thirty huts, built on a large plain of
+lava, exposed to the rays of the sun, reflected from the volcano. It
+stretches its humble tenements along the end of a little fjord,
+surrounded by a basaltic wall of the most singular character.
+
+Basalt is a brown rock of igneous origin. It assumes regular forms,
+which astonish by their singular appearance. Here we found Nature
+proceeding geometrically, and working quite after a human fashion, as if
+she had employed the plummet line, the compass and the rule. If
+elsewhere she produces grand artistic effects by piling up huge masses
+without order or connection--if elsewhere we see truncated cones,
+imperfect pyramids, with an odd succession of lines; here, as if wishing
+to give a lesson in regularity, and preceding the architects of the
+early ages, she has erected a severe order of architecture, which
+neither the splendors of Babylon nor the marvels of Greece ever
+surpassed.
+
+I had often heard of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, and of Fingal's
+Cave in one of the Hebrides, but the grand spectacle of a real basaltic
+formation had never yet come before my eyes.
+
+This at Stapi gave us an idea of one in all its wonderful beauty and
+grace.
+
+The wall of the fjord, like nearly the whole of the peninsula, consisted
+of a series of vertical columns, in height about thirty feet. These
+upright pillars of stone, of the finest proportions, supported an
+archivault of horizontal columns which formed a kind of half-vaulted
+roof above the sea. At certain intervals, and below this natural basin,
+the eye was pleased and surprised by the sight of oval openings through
+which the outward waves came thundering in volleys of foam. Some banks
+of basalt, torn from their fastenings by the fury of the waves, lay
+scattered on the ground like the ruins of an ancient temple--ruins
+eternally young, over which the storms of ages swept without producing
+any perceptible effect!
+
+This was the last stage of our journey. Hans had brought us along with
+fidelity and intelligence, and I began to feel somewhat more comfortable
+when I reflected that he was to accompany us still farther on our way.
+
+When we halted before the house of the Rector, a small and incommodious
+cabin, neither handsome nor more comfortable than those of his
+neighbors, I saw a man in the act of shoeing a horse, a hammer in his
+hand, and a leathern apron tied round his waist.
+
+"Be happy," said the eider-down hunter, using his national salutation in
+his own language.
+
+"God dag--good day!" replied the former, in excellent Danish.
+
+"Kyrkoherde," cried Hans, turning round and introducing him to my uncle.
+
+"The Rector," repeated the worthy Professor; "it appears, my dear Harry,
+that this worthy man is the Rector, and is not above doing his own
+work."
+
+During the speaking of these words the guide intimated to the Kyrkoherde
+what was the true state of the case. The good man, ceasing from his
+occupation, gave a kind of halloo, upon which a tall woman, almost a
+giantess, came out of the hut. She was at least six feet high, which in
+that region is something considerable.
+
+My first impression was one of horror. I thought she had come to give us
+the Icelandic kiss. I had, however, nothing to fear, for she did not
+even show much inclination to receive us into her house.
+
+The room devoted to strangers appeared to me to be by far the worst in
+the presbytery; it was narrow, dirty and offensive. There was, however,
+no choice about the matter. The Rector had no notion of practicing the
+usual cordial and antique hospitality. Far from it. Before the day was
+over, I found we had to deal with a blacksmith, a fisherman, a hunter, a
+carpenter, anything but a clergyman. It must be said in his favor that
+we had caught him on a weekday; probably he appeared to greater
+advantage on the Sunday.
+
+These poor priests receive from the Danish Government a most
+ridiculously inadequate salary, and collect one quarter of the tithe of
+their parish--not more than sixty marks current, or about L3 10s.
+sterling. Hence the necessity of working to live. In truth, we soon
+found that our host did not count civility among the cardinal virtues.
+
+My uncle soon became aware of the kind of man he had to deal with.
+Instead of a worthy and learned scholar, he found a dull ill-mannered
+peasant. He therefore resolved to start on his great expedition as soon
+as possible. He did not care about fatigue, and resolved to spend a few
+days in the mountains.
+
+The preparations for our departure were made the very next day after our
+arrival at Stapi; Hans now hired three Icelanders to take the place of
+the horses--which could no longer carry our luggage. When, however,
+these worthy islanders had reached the bottom of the crater, they were
+to go back and leave us to ourselves. This point was settled before they
+would agree to start.
+
+On this occasion, my uncle partly confided in Hans, the eider-duck
+hunter, and gave him to understand that it was his intention to continue
+his exploration of the volcano to the last possible limits.
+
+Hans listened calmly, and then nodded his head. To go there, or
+elsewhere, to bury himself in the bowels of the earth, or to travel over
+its summits, was all the same to him! As for me, amused and occupied by
+the incidents of travel, I had begun to forget the inevitable future;
+but now I was once more destined to realize the actual state of affairs.
+What was to be done? Run away? But if I really had intended to leave
+Professor Hardwigg to his fate, it should have been at Hamburg and not
+at the foot of Sneffels.
+
+One idea, above all others, began to trouble me: a very terrible idea,
+and one calculated to shake the nerves of a man even less sensitive than
+myself.
+
+"Let us consider the matter," I said to myself; "we are going to ascend
+the Sneffels mountain. Well and good. We are about to pay a visit to the
+very bottom of the crater. Good, still. Others have done it and did not
+perish from that course.
+
+"That, however, is not the whole matter to be considered. If a road does
+really present itself by which to descend into the dark and
+subterraneous bowels of Mother Earth, if this thrice unhappy Saknussemm
+has really told the truth, we shall be most certainly lost in the midst
+of the labyrinth of subterraneous galleries of the volcano. Now, we have
+no evidence to prove that Sneffels is really extinct. What proof have we
+that an eruption is not shortly about to take place? Because the monster
+has slept soundly since 1219, does it follow that he is never to wake?
+
+"If he does wake what is to become of us?"
+
+These were questions worth thinking about, and upon them I reflected
+long and deeply. I could not lie down in search of sleep without
+dreaming of eruptions. The more I thought, the more I objected to be
+reduced to the state of dross and ashes.
+
+I could stand it no longer; so I determined at last to submit the whole
+case to my uncle, in the most adroit manner possible, and under the form
+of some totally irreconcilable hypothesis.
+
+I sought him. I laid before him my fears, and then drew back in order to
+let him get his passion over at his ease.
+
+"I have been thinking about the matter," he said, in the quietest tone
+in the world.
+
+What did he mean? Was he at last about to listen to the voice of reason?
+Did he think of suspending his projects? It was almost too much
+happiness to be true.
+
+I however made no remark. In fact, I was only too anxious not to
+interrupt him, and allowed him to reflect at his leisure. After some
+moments he spoke out.
+
+"I have been thinking about the matter," he resumed. "Ever since we have
+been at Stapi, my mind has been almost solely occupied with the grave
+question which has been submitted to me by yourself--for nothing would
+be unwiser and more inconsistent than to act with imprudence."
+
+"I heartily agree with you, my dear uncle," was my somewhat hopeful
+rejoinder.
+
+"It is now six hundred years since Sneffels has spoken, but though now
+reduced to a state of utter silence, he may speak again. New volcanic
+eruptions are always preceded by perfectly well-known phenomena. I have
+closely examined the inhabitants of this region; I have carefully
+studied the soil, and I beg to tell you emphatically, my dear Harry,
+there will be no eruption at present."
+
+As I listened to his positive affirmations, I was stupefied and could
+say nothing.
+
+"I see you doubt my word," said my uncle; "follow me."
+
+I obeyed mechanically.
+
+Leaving the presbytery, the Professor took a road through an opening in
+the basaltic rock, which led far away from the sea. We were soon in open
+country, if we could give such a name to a place all covered with
+volcanic deposits. The whole land seemed crushed under the weight of
+enormous stones--of trap, of basalt, of granite, of lava, and of all
+other volcanic substances.
+
+I could see many spouts of steam rising in the air. These white vapors,
+called in the Icelandic language "reykir," come from hot water
+fountains, and indicate by their violence the volcanic activity of the
+soil. Now the sight of these appeared to justify my apprehension. I was,
+therefore, all the more surprised and mortified when my uncle thus
+addressed me.
+
+"You see all this smoke, Harry, my boy?"
+
+"Yes, sir."
+
+"Well, as long as you see them thus, you have nothing to fear from the
+volcano."
+
+"How can that be?"
+
+"Be careful to remember this," continued the Professor. "At the approach
+of an eruption these spouts of vapor redouble their activity--to
+disappear altogether during the period of volcanic eruption; for the
+elastic fluids, no longer having the necessary tension, seek refuge in
+the interior of the crater, instead of escaping through the fissures of
+the earth. If, then, the steam remains in its normal or habitual state,
+if their energy does not increase, and if you add to this, the remark
+that the wind is not replaced by heavy atmospheric pressure and dead
+calm, you may be quite sure that there is no fear of any immediate
+eruption."
+
+"But--"
+
+"Enough, my boy. When science has sent forth her fiat--it is only to
+hear and obey."
+
+I came back to the house quite downcast and disappointed. My uncle had
+completely defeated me with his scientific arguments. Nevertheless, I
+had still one hope, and that was, when once we were at the bottom of the
+crater, that it would be impossible in default of a gallery or tunnel,
+to descend any deeper; and this, despite all the learned Saknussemms in
+the world.
+
+I passed the whole of the following night with a nightmare on my chest!
+and, after unheard-of miseries and tortures, found myself in the very
+depths of the earth, from which I was suddenly launched into planetary
+space, under the form of an eruptive rock!
+
+Next day, June 23d, Hans calmly awaited us outside the presbytery with
+his three companions loaded with provisions, tools, and instruments. Two
+iron-shod poles, two guns, and two large game bags, were reserved for my
+uncle and myself. Hans, who was a man who never forgot even the minutest
+precautions, had added to our baggage a large skin full of water, as an
+addition to our gourds. This assured us water for eight days.
+
+It was nine o'clock in the morning when we were quite ready. The rector
+and his huge wife or servant, I never knew which, stood at the door to
+see us off. They appeared to be about to inflict on us the usual final
+kiss of the Icelanders. To our supreme astonishment their adieu took the
+shape of a formidable bill, in which they even counted the use of the
+pastoral house, really and truly the most abominable and dirty place I
+ever was in. The worthy couple cheated and robbed us like a Swiss
+innkeeper, and made us feel, by the sum we had to pay, the splendors of
+their hospitality.
+
+My uncle, however, paid without bargaining. A man who had made up his
+mind to undertake a voyage into the Interior of the Earth, is not the
+man to haggle over a few miserable rix-dollars.
+
+This important matter settled, Hans gave the signal for departure, and
+some few moments later we had left Stapi.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 12
+
+THE ASCENT OF MOUNT SNEFFELS
+
+
+The huge volcano which was the first stage of our daring experiment is
+above five thousand feet high. Sneffels is the termination of a long
+range of volcanic mountains, of a different character to the system of
+the island itself. One of its peculiarities is its two huge pointed
+summits. From whence we started it was impossible to make out the real
+outlines of the peak against the grey field of sky. All we could
+distinguish was a vast dome of white, which fell downwards from the head
+of the giant.
+
+The commencement of the great undertaking filled me with awe. Now that
+we had actually started, I began to believe in the reality of the
+undertaking!
+
+Our party formed quite a procession. We walked in single file, preceded
+by Hans, the imperturbable eider-duck hunter. He calmly led us by narrow
+paths where two persons could by no possibility walk abreast.
+Conversation was wholly impossible. We had all the more opportunity to
+reflect and admire the awful grandeur of the scene around.
+
+Beyond the extraordinary basaltic wall of the fjord of Stapi we found
+ourselves making our way through fibrous turf, over which grew a scanty
+vegetation of grass, the residuum of the ancient vegetation of the
+swampy peninsula. The vast mass of this combustible, the field of which
+as yet is utterly unexplored, would suffice to warm Iceland for a whole
+century. This mighty turf pit, measured from the bottom of certain
+ravines, is often not less than seventy feet deep, and presents to the
+eye the view of successive layers of black burned-up rocky detritus,
+separated by thin streaks of porous sandstone.
+
+The grandeur of the spectacle was undoubted, as well as its arid and
+deserted air.
+
+As a true nephew of the great Professor Hardwigg, and despite my
+preoccupation and doleful fears of what was to come, I observed with
+great interest the vast collection of mineralogical curiosities spread
+out before me in this vast museum of natural history. Looking back to my
+recent studies, I went over in thought the whole geological history of
+Iceland.
+
+This extraordinary and curious island must have made its appearance from
+out of the great world of waters at a comparatively recent date. Like
+the coral islands of the Pacific, it may, for aught we know, be still
+rising by slow and imperceptible degrees.
+
+If this really be the case, its origin can be attributed to only one
+cause--that of the continued action of subterranean fires.
+
+This was a happy thought.
+
+If so, if this were true, away with the theories of Sir Humphry Davy;
+away with the authority of the parchment of Arne Saknussemm; the
+wonderful pretensions to discovery on the part of my uncle--and to our
+journey!
+
+All must end in smoke.
+
+Charmed with the idea, I began more carefully to look about me. A
+serious study of the soil was necessary to negative or confirm my
+hypothesis. I took in every item of what I saw, and I began to
+comprehend the succession of phenomena which had preceded its formation.
+
+Iceland, being absolutely without sedimentary soil, is composed
+exclusively of volcanic tufa; that is to say, of an agglomeration of
+stones and of rocks of a porous texture. Long before the existence of
+volcanoes, it was composed of a solid body of massive trap rock lifted
+bodily and slowly out of the sea, by the action of the centrifugal force
+at work in the earth.
+
+The internal fires, however, had not as yet burst their bounds and
+flooded the exterior cake of Mother Earth with hot and raging lava.
+
+My readers must excuse this brief and somewhat pedantic geological
+lecture. But it is necessary to the complete understanding of what
+follows.
+
+At a later period in the world's history, a huge and mighty fissure
+must, reasoning by analogy, have been dug diagonally from the southwest
+to the northeast of the island, through which by degrees flowed the
+volcanic crust. The great and wondrous phenomenon then went on without
+violence--the outpouring was enormous, and the seething fused matter,
+ejected from the bowels of the earth, spread slowly and peacefully in
+the form of vast level plains, or what are called mamelons or mounds.
+
+It was at this epoch that the rocks called feldspars, syenites, and
+porphyries appeared.
+
+But as a natural consequence of this overflow, the depth of the island
+increased. It can readily be believed what an enormous quantity of
+elastic fluids were piled up within its centre, when at last it afforded
+no other openings, after the process of cooling the crust had taken
+place.
+
+At length a time came when despite the enormous thickness and weight of
+the upper crust, the mechanical forces of the combustible gases below
+became so great, that they actually upheaved the weighty back and made
+for themselves huge and gigantic shafts. Hence the volcanoes which
+suddenly arose through the upper crust, and next the craters, which
+burst forth at the summit of these new creations.
+
+It will be seen that the first phenomena in connection with the
+formation of the island were simply eruptive; to these, however, shortly
+succeeded the volcanic phenomena.
+
+Through the newly formed openings, escaped the marvelous mass of
+basaltic stones with which the plain we were now crossing was covered.
+We were trampling our way over heavy rocks of dark grey color, which,
+while cooling, had been moulded into six-sided prisms. In the "back
+distance" we could see a number of flattened cones, which formerly were
+so many fire-vomiting mouths.
+
+After the basaltic eruption was appeased and set at rest, the volcano,
+the force of which increased with that of the extinct craters, gave free
+passage to the fiery overflow of lava, and to the mass of cinders and
+pumice stone, now scattered over the sides of the mountain, like
+disheveled hair on the shoulders of a Bacchante.
+
+Here, in a nutshell, I had the whole history of the phenomena from which
+Iceland arose. All take their rise in the fierce action of interior
+fires, and to believe that the central mass did not remain in a state of
+liquid fire, white hot, was simply and purely madness.
+
+This being satisfactorily proved (Q.E.D.), what insensate folly to
+pretend to penetrate into the interior of the mighty earth!
+
+This mental lecture delivered to myself while proceeding on a journey,
+did me good. I was quite reassured as to the fate of our enterprise; and
+therefore went, like a brave soldier mounting a bristling battery, to
+the assault of old Sneffels.
+
+As we advanced, the road became every moment more difficult. The soil
+was broken and dangerous. The rocks broke and gave way under our feet,
+and we had to be scrupulously careful in order to avoid dangerous and
+constant falls.
+
+Hans advanced as calmly as if he had been walking over Salisbury Plain;
+sometimes he would disappear behind huge blocks of stone, and we
+momentarily lost sight of him. There was a little period of anxiety and
+then there was a shrill whistle, just to tell us where to look for him.
+
+Occasionally he would take it into his head to stop to pick up lumps of
+rock, and silently pile them up into small heaps, in order that we might
+not lose our way on our return.
+
+He had no idea of the journey we were about to undertake.
+
+At all events, the precaution was a good one; though how utterly useless
+and unnecessary--but I must not anticipate.
+
+Three hours of terrible fatigue, walking incessantly, had only brought
+us to the foot of the great mountain. This will give some notion of what
+we had still to undergo.
+
+Suddenly, however, Hans cried a halt--that is, he made signs to that
+effect--and a summary kind of breakfast was laid out on the lava before
+us. My uncle, who now was simply Professor Hardwigg, was so eager to
+advance, that he bolted his food like a greedy clown. This halt for
+refreshment was also a halt for repose. The Professor was therefore
+compelled to wait the good pleasure of his imperturbable guide, who did
+not give the signal for departure for a good hour.
+
+The three Icelanders, who were as taciturn as their comrade, did not say
+a word; but went on eating and drinking very quietly and soberly.
+
+From this, our first real stage, we began to ascend the slopes of the
+Sneffels volcano. Its magnificent snowy nightcap, as we began to call
+it, by an optical delusion very common in mountains, appeared to me to
+be close at hand; and yet how many long weary hours must elapse before
+we reached its summit. What unheard-of fatigue must we endure!
+
+The stones on the mountain side, held together by no cement of soil,
+bound together by no roots or creeping herbs, gave way continually under
+our feet, and went rushing below into the plains, like a series of small
+avalanches.
+
+In certain places the sides of this stupendous mountain were at an angle
+so steep that it was impossible to climb upwards, and we were compelled
+to get round these obstacles as best we might.
+
+Those who understand Alpine climbing will comprehend our difficulties.
+Often we were obliged to help each other along by means of our climbing
+poles.
+
+I must say this for my uncle, that he stuck as close to me as possible.
+He never lost sight of me, and on many occasions his arm supplied me
+with firm and solid support. He was strong, wiry, and apparently
+insensible to fatigue. Another great advantage with him was that he had
+the innate sentiment of equilibrium--for he never slipped or failed in
+his steps. The Icelanders, though heavily loaded, climbed with the
+agility of mountaineers.
+
+Looking up, every now and then, at the height of the great volcano of
+Sneffels, it appeared to me wholly impossible to reach to the summit on
+that side; at all events, if the angle of inclination did not speedily
+change.
+
+Fortunately, after an hour of unheard-of fatigues, and of gymnastic
+exercises that would have been trying to an acrobat, we came to a vast
+field of ice, which wholly surrounded the bottom of the cone of the
+volcano. The natives called it the tablecloth, probably from some such
+reason as the dwellers in the Cape of Good Hope call their mountain
+Table Mountain, and their roads Table Bay.
+
+Here, to our mutual surprise, we found an actual flight of stone steps,
+which wonderfully assisted our ascent. This singular flight of stairs
+was, like everything else, volcanic. It had been formed by one of those
+torrents of stones cast up by the eruptions, and of which the Icelandic
+name is stina. If this singular torrent had not been checked in its
+descent by the peculiar shape of the flanks of the mountain, it would
+have swept into the sea, and would have formed new islands.
+
+Such as it was, it served us admirably. The abrupt character of the
+slopes momentarily increased, but these remarkable stone steps, a little
+less difficult than those of the Egyptian pyramids, were the one simple
+natural means by which we were enabled to proceed.
+
+About seven in the evening of that day, after having clambered up two
+thousand of these rough steps, we found ourselves overlooking a kind of
+spur or projection of the mountain--a sort of buttress upon which the
+conelike crater, properly so called, leaned for support.
+
+The ocean lay beneath us at a depth of more than three thousand two
+hundred feet--a grand and mighty spectacle. We had reached the region of
+eternal snows.
+
+The cold was keen, searching and intense. The wind blew with
+extraordinary violence. I was utterly exhausted.
+
+My worthy uncle, the Professor, saw clearly that my legs refused further
+service, and that, in fact, I was utterly exhausted. Despite his hot and
+feverish impatience, he decided, with a sigh, upon a halt. He called the
+eider-duck hunter to his side. That worthy, however, shook his head.
+
+"Ofvanfor," was his sole spoken reply.
+
+"It appears," says my uncle with a woebegone look, "that we must go
+higher."
+
+He then turned to Hans, and asked him to give some reason for this
+decisive response.
+
+"Mistour," replied the guide.
+
+"Ja, mistour--yes, the mistour," cried one of the Icelandic guides in a
+terrified tone.
+
+It was the first time he had spoken.
+
+"What does this mysterious word signify?" I anxiously inquired.
+
+"Look," said my uncle.
+
+I looked down upon the plain below, and I saw a vast, a prodigious
+volume of pulverized pumice stone, of sand, of dust, rising to the
+heavens in the form of a mighty waterspout. It resembled the fearful
+phenomenon of a similar character known to the travelers in the desert
+of the great Sahara.
+
+The wind was driving it directly towards that side of Sneffels on which
+we were perched. This opaque veil standing up between us and the sun
+projected a deep shadow on the flanks of the mountain. If this sand
+spout broke over us, we must all be infallibly destroyed, crushed in its
+fearful embraces. This extraordinary phenomenon, very common when the
+wind shakes the glaciers, and sweeps over the arid plains, is in the
+Icelandic tongue called "mistour."
+
+"Hastigt, hastigt!" cried our guide.
+
+Now I certainly knew nothing of Danish, but I thoroughly understood that
+his gestures were meant to quicken us.
+
+The guide turned rapidly in a direction which would take us to the back
+of the crater, all the while ascending slightly.
+
+We followed rapidly, despite our excessive fatigue.
+
+A quarter of an hour later Hans paused to enable us to look back. The
+mighty whirlwind of sand was spreading up the slope of the mountain to
+the very spot where we had proposed to halt. Huge stones were caught up,
+cast into the air, and thrown about as during an eruption. We were
+happily a little out of the direction of the wind, and therefore out of
+reach of danger. But for the precaution and knowledge of our guide, our
+dislocated bodies, our crushed and broken limbs, would have been cast to
+the wind, like dust from some unknown meteor.
+
+Hans, however, did not think it prudent to pass the night on the bare
+side of the cone. We therefore continued our journey in a zigzag
+direction. The fifteen hundred feet which remained to be accomplished
+took us at least five hours. The turnings and windings, the
+no-thoroughfares, the marches and marches, turned that insignificant
+distance into at least three leagues. I never felt such misery, fatigue
+and exhaustion in my life. I was ready to faint from hunger and cold.
+The rarefied air at the same time painfully acted upon my lungs.
+
+At last, when I thought myself at my last gasp, about eleven at night,
+it being in that region quite dark, we reached the summit of Mount
+Sneffels! It was in an awful mood of mind, that despite my fatigue,
+before I descended into the crater which was to shelter us for the
+night, I paused to behold the sun rise at midnight on the very day of
+its lowest declension, and enjoyed the spectacle of its ghastly pale
+rays cast upon the isle which lay sleeping at our feet!
+
+I no longer wondered at people traveling all the way from England to
+Norway to behold this magical and wondrous spectacle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 13
+
+THE SHADOW OF SCARTARIS
+
+
+Our supper was eaten with ease and rapidity, after which everybody did
+the best he could for himself within the hollow of the crater. The bed
+was hard, the shelter unsatisfactory, the situation painful--lying in
+the open air, five thousand feet above the level of the sea!
+
+Nevertheless, it has seldom happened to me to sleep so well as I did on
+that particular night. I did not even dream. So much for the effects of
+what my uncle called "wholesome fatigue."
+
+Next day, when we awoke under the rays of a bright and glorious sun, we
+were nearly frozen by the keen air. I left my granite couch and made one
+of the party to enjoy a view of the magnificent spectacle which
+developed itself, panorama-like, at our feet.
+
+I stood upon the lofty summit of Mount Sneffels' southern peak. Thence I
+was able to obtain a view of the greater part of the island. The optical
+delusion, common to all lofty heights, raised the shores of the island,
+while the central portions appeared depressed. It was by no means too
+great a flight of fancy to believe that a giant picture was stretched
+out before me. I could see the deep valleys that crossed each other in
+every direction. I could see precipices looking like sides of wells,
+lakes that seemed to be changed into ponds, ponds that looked like
+puddles, and rivers that were transformed into petty brooks. To my right
+were glaciers upon glaciers, and multiplied peaks, topped with light
+clouds of smoke.
+
+The undulation of these infinite numbers of mountains, whose snowy
+summits make them look as if covered by foam, recalled to my remembrance
+the surface of a storm-beaten ocean. If I looked towards the west, the
+ocean lay before me in all its majestic grandeur, a continuation as it
+were, of these fleecy hilltops.
+
+Where the earth ended and the sea began it was impossible for the eye to
+distinguish.
+
+I soon felt that strange and mysterious sensation which is awakened in
+the mind when looking down from lofty hilltops, and now I was able to do
+so without any feeling of nervousness, having fortunately hardened
+myself to that kind of sublime contemplation.
+
+I wholly forgot who I was, and where I was. I became intoxicated with a
+sense of lofty sublimity, without thought of the abysses into which my
+daring was soon about to plunge me. I was presently, however, brought
+back to the realities of life by the arrival of the Professor and Hans,
+who joined me upon the lofty summit of the peak.
+
+My uncle, turning in a westerly direction, pointed out to me a light
+cloud of vapor, a kind of haze, with a faint outline of land rising out
+of the waters.
+
+"Greenland!" said he.
+
+"Greenland?" cried I in reply.
+
+"Yes," continued my uncle, who always when explaining anything spoke as
+if he were in a professor's chair; "we are not more than thirty-five
+leagues distant from that wonderful land. When the great annual breakup
+of the ice takes place, white bears come over to Iceland, carried by the
+floating masses of ice from the north. This, however, is a matter of
+little consequence. We are now on the summit of the great, the
+transcendent Sneffels, and here are its two peaks, north and south. Hans
+will tell you the name by which the people of Iceland call that on which
+we stand."
+
+My uncle turned to the imperturbable guide, who nodded, and spoke as
+usual--one word.
+
+"Scartaris."
+
+My uncle looked at me with a proud and triumphant glance.
+
+"A crater," he said, "you hear?"
+
+I did hear, but I was totally unable to make reply.
+
+The crater of Mount Sneffels represented an inverted cone, the gaping
+orifice apparently half a mile across; the depth indefinite feet.
+Conceive what this hole must have been like when full of flame and
+thunder and lightning. The bottom of the funnel-shaped hollow was about
+five hundred feet in circumference, by which it will be seen that the
+slope from the summit to the bottom was very gradual, and we were
+therefore clearly able to get there without much fatigue or difficulty.
+Involuntarily, I compared this crater to an enormous loaded cannon; and
+the comparison completely terrified me.
+
+"To descend into the interior of a cannon," I thought to myself, "when
+perhaps it is loaded, and will go off at the least shock, is the act of
+a madman."
+
+But there was no longer any opportunity for me to hesitate. Hans, with a
+perfectly calm and indifferent air, took his usual post at the head of
+the adventurous little band. I followed without uttering a syllable.
+
+I felt like the lamb led to the slaughter.
+
+In order to render the descent less difficult, Hans took his way down
+the interior of the cone in rather a zigzag fashion, making, as the
+sailors say, long tracks to the eastward, followed by equally long ones
+to the west. It was necessary to walk through the midst of eruptive
+rocks, some of which, shaken in their balance, went rolling down with
+thundering clamor to the bottom of the abyss. These continual falls
+awoke echoes of singular power and effect.
+
+Many portions of the cone consisted of inferior glaciers. Hans, whenever
+he met with one of these obstacles, advanced with a great show of
+precaution, sounding the soil with his long iron pole in order to
+discover fissures and layers of deep soft snow. In many doubtful or
+dangerous places, it became necessary for us to be tied together by a
+long rope in order that should any one of us be unfortunate enough to
+slip, he would be supported by his companions. This connecting link was
+doubtless a prudent precaution, but not by any means unattended with
+danger.
+
+Nevertheless, and despite all the manifold difficulties of the descent,
+along slopes with which our guide was wholly unacquainted, we made
+considerable progress without accident. One of our great parcels of rope
+slipped from one of the Iceland porters, and rushed by a short cut to
+the bottom of the abyss.
+
+By midday we were at the end of our journey. I looked upwards, and saw
+only the upper orifice of the cone, which served as a circular frame to
+a very small portion of the sky--a portion which seemed to me singularly
+beautiful. Should I ever again gaze on that lovely sunlit sky!
+
+The only exception to this extraordinary landscape, was the Peak of
+Scartaris, which seemed lost in the great void of the heavens.
+
+The bottom of the crater was composed of three separate shafts, through
+which, during periods of eruption, when Sneffels was in action, the
+great central furnace sent forth its burning lava and poisonous vapors.
+Each of these chimneys or shafts gaped open-mouthed in our path. I kept
+as far away from them as possible, not even venturing to take the
+faintest peep downwards.
+
+As for the Professor, after a rapid examination of their disposition and
+characteristics, he became breathless and panting. He ran from one to
+the other like a delighted schoolboy, gesticulating wildly, and uttering
+incomprehensible and disjointed phrases in all sorts of languages.
+
+Hans, the guide, and his humbler companions seated themselves on some
+piles of lava and looked silently on. They clearly took my uncle for a
+lunatic; and--waited the result.
+
+Suddenly the Professor uttered a wild, unearthly cry. At first I
+imagined he had lost his footing, and was falling headlong into one of
+the yawning gulfs. Nothing of the kind. I saw him, his arms spread out
+to their widest extent, his legs stretched apart, standing upright
+before an enormous pedestal, high enough and black enough to bear a
+gigantic statue of Pluto. His attitude and mien were that of a man
+utterly stupefied. But his stupefaction was speedily changed to the
+wildest joy.
+
+"Harry! Harry! come here!" he cried; "make haste--wonderful--wonderful!"
+
+Unable to understand what he meant, I turned to obey his commands.
+Neither Hans nor the other Icelanders moved a step.
+
+"Look!" said the Professor, in something of the manner of the French
+general, pointing out the pyramids to his army.
+
+And fully partaking his stupefaction, if not his joy, I read on the
+eastern side of the huge block of stone, the same characters, half eaten
+away by the corrosive action of time, the name, to me a thousand times
+accursed--
+
+[Illustration: Runic Glyphs]
+
+"Arne Saknussemm!" cried my uncle, "now, unbeliever, do you begin to
+have faith?"
+
+It was totally impossible for me to answer a single word. I went back to
+my pile of lava, in a state of silent awe. The evidence was
+unanswerable, overwhelming!
+
+In a few moments, however, my thoughts were far away, back in my German
+home, with Gretchen and the old cook. What would I have given for one of
+my cousin's smiles, for one of the ancient domestic's omelettes, and for
+my own feather bed!
+
+How long I remained in this state I know not. All I can say is, that
+when at last I raised my head from between my hands, there remained at
+the bottom of the crater only myself, my uncle and Hans. The Icelandic
+porters had been dismissed and were now descending the exterior slopes
+of Mount Sneffels, on their way to Stapi. How heartily did I wish myself
+with them!
+
+Hans slept tranquilly at the foot of a rock in a kind of rill of lava,
+where he had made himself a rough and ready bed. MY uncle was walking
+about the bottom of the crater like a wild beast in a cage. I had no
+desire, neither had I the strength, to move from my recumbent position.
+Taking example by the guide, I gave way to a kind of painful somnolency,
+during which I seemed both to hear and feel continued heavings and
+shudderings in the mountain.
+
+In this way we passed our first night in the interior of a crater.
+
+Next morning, a grey, cloudy, heavy sky hung like a funereal pall over
+the summit of the volcanic cone. I did not notice it so much from the
+obscurity that reigned around us, as from the rage with which my uncle
+was devoured.
+
+I fully understood the reason, and again a glimpse of hope made my heart
+leap with joy. I will briefly explain the cause.
+
+Of the three openings which yawned beneath our steps, only one could
+have been followed by the adventurous Saknussemm. According to the words
+of the learned Icelander, it was only to be known by that one particular
+mentioned in the cryptograph, that the shadow of Scartaris fell upon it,
+just touching its mouth in the last days of the month of June.
+
+We were, in fact, to consider the pointed peak as the stylus of an
+immense sun-dial, the shadow of which pointed on one given day, like the
+inexorable finger of fate, to the yawning chasm which led into the
+interior of the earth.
+
+Now, as often happens in these regions, should the sun fail to burst
+through the clouds, no shadow. Consequently, no chance of discovering
+the right aperture. We had already reached the 25th June. If the kindly
+heavens would only remain densely clouded for six more days, we should
+have to put off our voyage of discovery for another year, when certainly
+there would be one person fewer in the party. I already had sufficient
+of the mad and monstrous enterprise.
+
+It would be utterly impossible to depict the impotent rage of Professor
+Hardwigg. The day passed away, and not the faintest outline of a shadow
+could be seen at the bottom of the crater. Hans the guide never moved
+from his place. He must have been curious to know what we were about, if
+indeed he could believe we were about anything. As for my uncle, he
+never addressed a word to me. He was nursing his wrath to keep it warm!
+His eyes fixed on the black and foggy atmosphere, his complexion hideous
+with suppressed passion. Never had his eyes appeared so fierce, his nose
+so aquiline, his mouth so hard and firm.
+
+On the 26th no change for the better. A mixture of rain and snow fell
+during the whole day. Hans very quietly built himself a hut of lava into
+which he retired like Diogenes into his tub. I took a malicious delight
+in watching the thousand little cascades that flowed down the side of
+the cone, carrying with them at times a stream of stones into the "vasty
+deep" below.
+
+My uncle was almost frantic: to be sure, it was enough to make even a
+patient man angry. He had reached to a certain extent the goal of his
+desires, and yet he was likely to be wrecked in port.
+
+But if the heavens and the elements are capable of causing us much pain
+and sorrow, there are two sides to a medal. And there was reserved for
+Professor Hardwigg a brilliant and sudden surprise which was to
+compensate him for all his sufferings.
+
+Next day the sky was still overcast, but on Sunday, the 28th, the last
+day but two of the month, with a sudden change of wind and a new moon
+there came a change of weather. The sun poured its beaming rays to the
+very bottom of the crater.
+
+Each hillock, every rock, every stone, every asperity of the soil had
+its share of the luminous effulgence, and its shadow fell heavily on the
+soil. Among others, to his insane delight, the shadow of Scartaris was
+marked and clear, and moved slowly with the radiant start of day.
+
+My uncle moved with it in a state of mental ecstasy.
+
+At twelve o'clock exactly, when the sun had attained its highest
+altitude for the day, the shadow fell upon the edge of the central pit!
+
+"Here it is," gasped the Professor in an agony of joy, "here it is--we
+have found it. Forward, my friends, into the Interior of the Earth."
+
+I looked curiously at Hans to see what reply he would make to this
+terrific announcement.
+
+"Forut," said the guide tranquilly.
+
+"Forward it is," answered my uncle, who was now in the seventh heaven of
+delight.
+
+When we were quite ready, our watches indicated thirteen minutes past
+one!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 14
+
+THE REAL JOURNEY COMMENCES
+
+
+Our real journey had now commenced. Hitherto our courage and
+determination had overcome all difficulties. We were fatigued at times;
+and that was all. Now we were about to encounter unknown and fearful
+dangers.
+
+I had not as yet ventured to take a glimpse down the horrible abyss into
+which in a few minutes more I was about to plunge. The fatal moment had,
+however, at last arrived. I had still the option of refusing or
+accepting a share in this foolish and audacious enterprise. But I was
+ashamed to show more fear than the eider-duck hunter. Hans seemed to
+accept the difficulties of the journey so tranquilly, with such calm
+indifference, with such perfect recklessness of all danger, that I
+actually blushed to appear less of a man than he!
+
+Had I been alone with my uncle, I should certainly have sat down and
+argued the point fully; but in the presence of the guide I held my
+tongue. I gave one moment to the thought of my charming cousin, and then
+I advanced to the mouth of the central shaft.
+
+It measured about a hundred feet in diameter, which made about three
+hundred in circumference. I leaned over a rock which stood on its edge,
+and looked down. My hair stood on end, my teeth chattered, my limbs
+trembled. I seemed utterly to lose my centre of gravity, while my head
+was in a sort of whirl, like that of a drunken man. There is nothing
+more powerful than this attraction towards an abyss. I was about to fall
+headlong into the gaping well, when I was drawn back by a firm and
+powerful hand. It was that of Hans. I had not taken lessons enough at
+the Frelser's-Kirk of Copenhagen in the art of looking down from lofty
+eminences without blinking!
+
+However, few as the minutes were during which I gazed down this
+tremendous and even wondrous shaft, I had a sufficient glimpse of it to
+give me some idea of its physical conformation. Its sides, which were
+almost as perpendicular as those of a well, presented numerous
+projections which doubtless would assist our descent.
+
+It was a sort of wild and savage staircase, without bannister or fence.
+A rope fastened above, near the surface, would certainly support our
+weight and enable us to reach the bottom, but how, when we had arrived
+at its utmost depth, were we to loosen it above? This was, I thought, a
+question of some importance.
+
+My uncle, however, was one of those men who are nearly always prepared
+with expedients. He hit upon a very simple method of obviating this
+difficulty. He unrolled a cord about as thick as my thumb, and at least
+four hundred feet in length. He allowed about half of it to go down the
+pit and catch in a hitch over a great block of lava which stood on the
+edge of the precipice. This done, he threw the second half after the
+first.
+
+Each of us could now descend by catching the two cords in one hand. When
+about two hundred feet below, all the explorer had to do was to let go
+one end and pull away at the other, when the cord would come falling at
+his feet. In order to go down farther, all that was necessary was to
+continue the same operation.
+
+This was a very excellent proposition, and no doubt, a correct one.
+Going down appeared to me easy enough; it was the coming up again that
+now occupied my thoughts.
+
+"Now," said my uncle, as soon as he had completed this important
+preparation, "let us see about the baggage. It must be divided into
+three separate parcels, and each of us must carry one on his back. I
+allude to the more important and fragile articles."
+
+My worthy and ingenious uncle did not appear to consider that we came
+under the denomination.
+
+"Hans," he continued, "you will take charge of the tools and some of the
+provisions; you, Harry, must take possession of another third of the
+provisions and of the arms. I will load myself with the rest of the
+eatables, and with the more delicate instruments."
+
+"But," I exclaimed, "our clothes, this mass of cord and ladders--who
+will undertake to carry them down?"
+
+"They will go down of themselves."
+
+"And how so?" I asked.
+
+"You shall see."
+
+My uncle was not fond of half measures, nor did he like anything in the
+way of hesitation. Giving his orders to Hans he had the whole of the
+nonfragile articles made up into one bundle; and the packet, firmly and
+solidly fastened, was simply pitched over the edge of the gulf.
+
+I heard the moaning of the suddenly displaced air, and the noise of
+falling stones. My uncle leaning over the abyss followed the descent of
+his luggage with a perfectly self-satisfied air, and did not rise until
+it had completely disappeared from sight.
+
+"Now then," he cried, "it is our turn."
+
+I put it in good faith to any man of common sense--was it possible to
+hear this energetic cry without a shudder?
+
+The Professor fastened his case of instruments on his back. Hans took
+charge of the tools, I of the arms. The descent then commenced in the
+following order: Hans went first, my uncle followed, and I went last.
+Our progress was made in profound silence--a silence only troubled by
+the fall of pieces of rock, which breaking from the jagged sides, fell
+with a roar into the depths below.
+
+I allowed myself to slide, so to speak, holding frantically on the
+double cord with one hand and with the other keeping myself off the
+rocks by the assistance of my iron-shod pole. One idea was all the time
+impressed upon my brain. I feared that the upper support would fail me.
+The cord appeared to me far too fragile to bear the weight of three such
+persons as we were, with our luggage. I made as little use of it as
+possible, trusting to my own agility and doing miracles in the way of
+feats of dexterity and strength upon the projecting shelves and spurs of
+lava which my feet seemed to clutch as strongly as my hands.
+
+The guide went first, I have said, and when one of the slippery and
+frail supports broke from under his feet he had recourse to his usual
+monosyllabic way of speaking.
+
+"Gif akt--"
+
+"Attention--look out," repeated my uncle.
+
+In about half an hour we reached a kind of small terrace formed by a
+fragment of rock projecting some distance from the sides of the shaft.
+
+Hans now began to haul upon the cord on one side only, the other going
+as quietly upward as the other came down. It fell at last, bringing with
+it a shower of small stones, lava and dust, a disagreeable kind of rain
+or hail.
+
+While we were seated on this extraordinary bench I ventured once more to
+look downwards. With a sigh I discovered that the bottom was still
+wholly invisible. Were we, then, going direct to the interior of the
+earth?
+
+The performance with the cord recommenced, and a quarter of an hour
+later we had reached to the depth of another two hundred feet.
+
+I have very strong doubts if the most determined geologist would, during
+that descent, have studied the nature of the different layers of earth
+around him. I did not trouble my head much about the matter; whether we
+were among the combustible carbon, Silurians, or primitive soil, I
+neither knew nor cared to know.
+
+Not so the inveterate Professor. He must have taken notes all the way
+down, for, at one of our halts, he began a brief lecture.
+
+"The farther we advance," said he, "the greater is my confidence in the
+result. The disposition of these volcanic strata absolutely confirms the
+theories of Sir Humphry Davy. We are still within the region of the
+primordial soil, the soil in which took place the chemical operation of
+metals becoming inflamed by coming in contact with the air and water. I
+at once regret the old and now forever exploded theory of a central
+fire. At all events, we shall soon know the truth."
+
+Such was the everlasting conclusion to which he came. I, however, was
+very far from being in humor to discuss the matter. I had something else
+to think of. My silence was taken for consent; and still we continued to
+go down.
+
+At the expiration of three hours, we were, to all appearance, as far off
+as ever from the bottom of the well. When I looked upwards, however, I
+could see that the upper orifice was every minute decreasing in size.
+The sides of the shaft were getting closer and closer together, we were
+approaching the regions of eternal night!
+
+And still we continued to descend!
+
+At length, I noticed that when pieces of stone were detached from the
+sides of this stupendous precipice, they were swallowed up with less
+noise than before. The final sound was sooner heard. We were approaching
+the bottom of the abyss!
+
+As I had been very careful to keep account of all the changes of cord
+which took place, I was able to tell exactly what was the depth we had
+reached, as well as the time it had taken.
+
+We had shifted the rope twenty-eight times, each operation taking a
+quarter of an hour, which in all made seven hours. To this had to be
+added twenty-eight pauses; in all ten hours and a half. We started at
+one, it was now, therefore, about eleven o'clock at night.
+
+It does not require great knowledge of arithmetic to know that
+twenty-eight times two hundred feet makes five thousand six hundred feet
+in all (more than an English mile).
+
+While I was making this mental calculation a voice broke the silence. It
+was the voice of Hans.
+
+"Halt!" he cried.
+
+I checked myself very suddenly, just at the moment when I was about to
+kick my uncle on the head.
+
+"We have reached the end of our journey," said the worthy Professor in a
+satisfied tone.
+
+"What, the interior of the earth?" said I, slipping down to his side.
+
+"No, you stupid fellow! but we have reached the bottom of the well."
+
+"And I suppose there is no farther progress to be made?" I hopefully
+exclaimed.
+
+"Oh, yes, I can dimly see a sort of tunnel, which turns off obliquely to
+the right. At all events, we must see about that tomorrow. Let us sup
+now, and seek slumber as best we may."
+
+I thought it time, but made no observations on that point. I was fairly
+launched on a desperate course, and all I had to do was to go forward
+hopefully and trustingly.
+
+It was not even now quite dark, the light filtering down in a most
+extraordinary manner.
+
+We opened the provision bag, ate a frugal supper, and each did his best
+to find a bed amid the pile of stones, dirt, and lava which had
+accumulated for ages at the bottom of the shaft.
+
+I happened to grope out the pile of ropes, ladders, and clothes which we
+had thrown down; and upon them I stretched myself. After such a day's
+labor, my rough bed seemed as soft as down!
+
+For a while I lay in a sort of pleasant trance.
+
+Presently, after lying quietly for some minutes, I opened my eyes and
+looked upwards. As I did so I made out a brilliant little dot, at the
+extremity of this long, gigantic telescope.
+
+It was a star without scintillating rays. According to my calculation,
+it must be Beta in the constellation of the Little Bear.
+
+After this little bit of astronomical recreation, I dropped into a sound
+sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 15
+
+WE CONTINUE OUR DESCENT
+
+
+At eight o'clock the next morning, a faint kind of dawn of day awoke us.
+The thousand and one prisms of the lava collected the light as it passed
+and brought it to us like a shower of sparks.
+
+We were able with ease to see objects around us.
+
+"Well, Harry, my boy," cried the delighted Professor, rubbing his hands
+together, "what say you now? Did you ever pass a more tranquil night in
+our house in the Konigstrasse? No deafening sounds of cart wheels, no
+cries of hawkers, no bad language from boatmen or watermen!"
+
+"Well, Uncle, we are quite at the bottom of this well--but to me there
+is something terrible in this calm."
+
+"Why," said the Professor hotly, "one would say you were already
+beginning to be afraid. How will you get on presently? Do you know, that
+as yet, we have not penetrated one inch into the bowels of the earth."
+
+"What can you mean, sir?" was my bewildered and astonished reply.
+
+"I mean to say that we have only just reached the soil of the island
+itself. This long vertical tube, which ends at the bottom of the crater
+of Sneffels, ceases here just about on a level with the sea."
+
+"Are you sure, sir?"
+
+"Quite sure. Consult the barometer."
+
+It was quite true that the mercury, after rising gradually in the
+instrument, as long as our descent was taking place, had stopped
+precisely at twenty-nine degrees.
+
+"You perceive," said the Professor, "we have as yet only to endure the
+pressure of air. I am curious to replace the barometer by the
+manometer."
+
+The barometer, in fact, was about to become useless--as soon as the
+weight of the air was greater than what was calculated as above the
+level of the ocean.
+
+"But," said I, "is it not very much to be feared that this
+ever-increasing pressure may not in the end turn out very painful and
+inconvenient?"
+
+"No," said he. "We shall descend very slowly, and our lungs will be
+gradually accustomed to breathe compressed air. It is well known that
+aeronauts have gone so high as to be nearly without air at all--why,
+then, should we not accustom ourselves to breathe when we have, say, a
+little too much of it? For myself, I am certain I shall prefer it. Let
+us not lose a moment. Where is the packet which preceded us in our
+descent?"
+
+I smilingly pointed it out to my uncle. Hans had not seen it, and
+believed it caught somewhere above us: "Huppe" as he phrased it.
+
+"Now," said my uncle, "let us breakfast, and break fast like people who
+have a long day's work before them."
+
+Biscuit and dried meat, washed down by some mouthfuls of water flavored
+with Schiedam, was the material of our luxurious meal.
+
+As soon as it was finished, my uncle took from his pocket a notebook
+destined to be filled by memoranda of our travels. He had already placed
+his instruments in order, and this is what he wrote:
+
+
+     Monday, June 29th
+
+     Chronometer, 8h. 17m. morning.
+
+     Barometer, 29.6 inches.
+
+     Thermometer, 6 degrees [43 degrees Fahr.]
+
+     Direction, E.S.E.
+
+
+
+This last observation referred to the obscure gallery, and was indicated
+to us by the compass.
+
+"Now, Harry," cried the Professor, in an enthusiastic tone of voice, "we
+are truly about to take our first step into the Interior of the Earth;
+never before visited by man since the first creation of the world. You
+may consider, therefore, that at this precise moment our travels really
+commence."
+
+As my uncle made this remark, he took in one hand the Ruhmkorff coil
+apparatus, which hung round his neck, and with the other he put the
+electric current into communication with the worm of the lantern. And a
+bright light at once illumined that dark and gloomy tunnel!
+
+The effect was magical!
+
+Hans, who carried the second apparatus, had it also put into operation.
+This ingenious application of electricity to practical purposes enabled
+us to move along by the light of an artificial day, amid even the flow
+of the most inflammable and combustible gases.
+
+"Forward!" cried my uncle. Each took up his burden. Hans went first, my
+uncle followed, and I going third, we entered the somber gallery!
+
+Just as we were about to engulf ourselves in this dismal passage, I
+lifted up my head, and through the tubelike shaft saw that Iceland sky I
+was never to see again!
+
+Was it the last I should ever see of any sky?
+
+The stream of lava flowing from the bowels of the earth in 1219 had
+forced itself a passage through the tunnel. It lined the whole of the
+inside with its thick and brilliant coating. The electric light added
+very greatly to the brilliancy of the effect.
+
+The great difficulty of our journey now began. How were we to prevent
+ourselves from slipping down the steeply inclined plane? Happily some
+cracks, abrasures of the soil, and other irregularities, served the
+place of steps; and we descended slowly; allowing our heavy luggage to
+slip on before, at the end of a long cord.
+
+But that which served as steps under our feet became in other places
+stalactites. The lava, very porous in certain places, took the form of
+little round blisters. Crystals of opaque quartz, adorned with limpid
+drops of natural glass suspended to the roof like lusters, seemed to
+take fire as we passed beneath them. One would have fancied that the
+genii of romance were illuminating their underground palaces to receive
+the sons of men.
+
+"Magnificent, glorious!" I cried in a moment of involuntary enthusiasm,
+"What a spectacle, Uncle! Do you not admire these variegated shades of
+lava, which run through a whole series of colors, from reddish brown to
+pale yellow--by the most insensible degrees? And these crystals, they
+appear like luminous globes."
+
+"You are beginning to see the charms of travel, Master Harry," cried my
+uncle. "Wait a bit, until we advance farther. What we have as yet
+discovered is nothing--onwards, my boy, onwards!"
+
+It would have been a far more correct and appropriate expression, had he
+said, "let us slide," for we were going down an inclined plane with
+perfect ease. The compass indicated that we were moving in a
+southeasterly direction. The flow of lava had never turned to the right
+or the left. It had the inflexibility of a straight line.
+
+Nevertheless, to my surprise, we found no perceptible increase in heat.
+This proved the theories of Humphry Davy to be founded on truth, and
+more than once I found myself examining the thermometer in silent
+astonishment.
+
+Two hours after our departure it only marked fifty-four degrees
+Fahrenheit. I had every reason to believe from this that our descent was
+far more horizontal than vertical. As for discovering the exact depth to
+which we had attained, nothing could be easier. The Professor as he
+advanced measured the angles of deviation and inclination; but he kept
+the result of his observations to himself.
+
+About eight o'clock in the evening, my uncle gave the signal for
+halting. Hans seated himself on the ground. The lamps were hung to
+fissures in the lava rock. We were now in a large cavern where air was
+not wanting. On the contrary, it abounded. What could be the cause of
+this--to what atmospheric agitation could be ascribed this draught? But
+this was a question which I did not care to discuss just then. Fatigue
+and hunger made me incapable of reasoning. An unceasing march of seven
+hours had not been kept up without great exhaustion. I was really and
+truly worn out; and delighted enough I was to hear the word Halt.
+
+Hans laid out some provisions on a lump of lava, and we each supped with
+keen relish. One thing, however, caused us great uneasiness--our water
+reserve was already half exhausted. My uncle had full confidence in
+finding subterranean resources, but hitherto we had completely failed in
+so doing. I could not help calling my uncle's attention to the
+circumstance.
+
+"And you are surprised at this total absence of springs?" he said.
+
+"Doubtless--I am very uneasy on the point. We have certainly not enough
+water to last us five days."
+
+"Be quite easy on that matter," continued my uncle. "I answer for it we
+shall find plenty of water--in fact, far more than we shall want."
+
+"But when?"
+
+"When we once get through this crust of lava. How can you expect springs
+to force their way through these solid stone walls?"
+
+"But what is there to prove that this concrete mass of lava does not
+extend to the centre of the earth? I don't think we have as yet done
+much in a vertical way."
+
+"What puts that into your head, my boy?" asked my uncle mildly.
+
+"Well, it appears to me that if we had descended very far below the
+level of the sea--we should find it rather hotter than we have."
+
+"According to your system," said my uncle; "but what does the
+thermometer say?"
+
+"Scarcely fifteen degrees by Reaumur, which is only an increase of nine
+since our departure."
+
+"Well, and what conclusion does that bring you to?" inquired the
+Professor.
+
+"The deduction I draw from this is very simple. According to the most
+exact observations, the augmentation of the temperature of the interior
+of the earth is one degree for every hundred feet. But certain local
+causes may considerably modify this figure. Thus at Yakoust in Siberia,
+it has been remarked that the heat increases a degree every thirty-six
+feet. The difference evidently depends on the conductibility of certain
+rocks. In the neighborhood of an extinct volcano, it has been remarked
+that the elevation of temperature was only one degree in every
+five-and-twenty feet. Let us, then, go upon this calculation--which is
+the most favorable--and calculate."
+
+"Calculate away, my boy."
+
+"Nothing easier," said I, pulling out my notebook and pencil. "Nine
+times one hundred and twenty-five feet make a depth of eleven hundred
+and twenty-five feet."
+
+"Archimedes could not have spoken more geometrically."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Well, according to my observations, we are at least ten thousand feet
+below the level of the sea."
+
+"Can it be possible?"
+
+"Either my calculation is correct, or there is no truth in figures."
+
+The calculations of the Professor were perfectly correct. We were
+already six thousand feet deeper down in the bowels of the earth than
+anyone had ever been before. The lowest known depth to which man had
+hitherto penetrated was in the mines of Kitzbuhel, in the Tirol, and
+those of Wurttemberg.
+
+The temperature, which should have been eighty-one, was in this place
+only fifteen. This was a matter for serious consideration.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 16
+
+THE EASTERN TUNNEL
+
+
+The next day was Tuesday, the 30th of June--and at six o'clock in the
+morning we resumed our journey.
+
+We still continued to follow the gallery of lava, a perfect natural
+pathway, as easy of descent as some of those inclined planes which, in
+very old German houses, serve the purpose of staircases. This went on
+until seventeen minutes past twelve, the precise instant at which we
+rejoined Hans, who, having been somewhat in advance, had suddenly
+stopped.
+
+"At last," cried my uncle, "we have reached the end of the shaft."
+
+I looked wonderingly about me. We were in the centre of four cross
+paths--somber and narrow tunnels. The question now arose as to which it
+was wise to take; and this of itself was no small difficulty.
+
+My uncle, who did not wish to appear to have any hesitation about the
+matter before myself or the guide, at once made up his mind. He pointed
+quietly to the eastern tunnel; and, without delay, we entered within its
+gloomy recesses.
+
+Besides, had he entertained any feeling of hesitation it might have been
+prolonged indefinitely, for there was no indication by which to
+determine on a choice. It was absolutely necessary to trust to chance
+and good fortune!
+
+The descent of this obscure and narrow gallery was very gradual and
+winding. Sometimes we gazed through a succession of arches, its course
+very like the aisles of a Gothic cathedral. The great artistic sculptors
+and builders of the Middle Ages might have here completed their studies
+with advantage. Many most beautiful and suggestive ideas of
+architectural beauty would have been discovered by them. After passing
+through this phase of the cavernous way, we suddenly came, about a mile
+farther on, upon a square system of arch, adopted by the early Romans,
+projecting from the solid rock, and keeping up the weight of the roof.
+
+Suddenly we would come upon a series of low subterranean tunnels which
+looked like beaver holes, or the work of foxes--through whose narrow and
+winding ways we had literally to crawl!
+
+The heat still remained at quite a supportable degree. With an
+involuntary shudder, I reflected on what the heat must have been when
+the volcano of Sneffels was pouring its smoke, flames, and streams of
+boiling lava--all of which must have come up by the road we were now
+following. I could imagine the torrents of hot seething stone darting
+on, bubbling up with accompaniments of smoke, steam, and sulphurous
+stench!
+
+"Only to think of the consequences," I mused, "if the old volcano were
+once more to set to work."
+
+I did not communicate these rather unpleasant reflections to my uncle.
+He not only would not have understood them, but would have been
+intensely disgusted. His only idea was to go ahead. He walked, he slid,
+he clambered over piles of fragments, he rolled down heaps of broken
+lava, with an earnestness and conviction it was impossible not to
+admire.
+
+At six o'clock in the evening, after a very wearisome journey, but one
+not so fatiguing as before, we had made six miles towards the southward,
+but had not gone more than a mile downwards.
+
+My uncle, as usual, gave the signal to halt. We ate our meal in
+thoughtful silence, and then retired to sleep.
+
+Our arrangements for the night were very primitive and simple. A
+traveling rug, in which each rolled himself, was all our bedding. We had
+no necessity to fear cold or any unpleasant visit. Travelers who bury
+themselves in the wilds and depths of the African desert, who seek
+profit and pleasure in the forests of the New World, are compelled to
+take it in turn to watch during the hours of sleep; but in this region
+of the earth absolute solitude and complete security reigned supreme.
+
+We had nothing to fear either from savages or from wild beasts.
+
+After a night's sweet repose, we awoke fresh and ready for action. There
+being nothing to detain us, we started on our journey. We continued to
+burrow through the lava tunnel as before. It was impossible to make out
+through what soil we were making way. The tunnel, moreover, instead of
+going down into the bowels of the earth, became absolutely horizontal.
+
+I even thought, after some examination, that we were actually tending
+upwards. About ten o'clock in the day this state of things became so
+clear that, finding the change very fatiguing, I was obliged to slacken
+my pace and finally come to a halt.
+
+"Well," said the Professor quickly, "what is the matter?"
+
+"The fact is, I am dreadfully tired," was my earnest reply.
+
+"What," cried my uncle, "tired after a three hours' walk, and by so easy
+a road?"
+
+"Easy enough, I dare say, but very fatiguing."
+
+"But how can that be, when all we have to do is to go downwards."
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir. For some time I have noticed that we are going
+upwards."
+
+"Upwards," cried my uncle, shrugging his shoulders, "how can that be?"
+
+"There can be no doubt about it. For the last half hour the slopes have
+been upward--and if we go on in this way much longer we shall find
+ourselves back in Iceland."
+
+My uncle shook his head with the air of a man who does not want to be
+convinced. I tried to continue the conversation. He would not answer me,
+but once more gave the signal for departure. His silence I thought was
+only caused by concentrated ill-temper.
+
+However this might be, I once more took up my load, and boldly and
+resolutely followed Hans, who was now in advance of my uncle. I did not
+like to be beaten or even distanced. I was naturally anxious not to lose
+sight of my companions. The very idea of being left behind, lost in that
+terrible labyrinth, made me shiver as with the ague.
+
+Besides, if the ascending path was more arduous and painful to clamber,
+I had one source of secret consolation and delight. It was to all
+appearance taking us back to the surface of the earth. That of itself
+was hopeful. Every step I took confirmed me in my belief, and I began
+already to build castles in the air in relation to my marriage with my
+pretty little cousin.
+
+About twelve o'clock there was a great and sudden change in the aspect
+of the rocky sides of the gallery. I first noticed it from the
+diminution of the rays of light which cast back the reflection of the
+lamp. From being coated with shining and resplendent lava, it became
+living rock. The sides were sloping walls, which sometimes became quite
+vertical.
+
+We were now in what the geological professors call a state of
+transition, in the period of Silurian stones, so called because this
+specimen of early formation is very common in England in the counties
+formerly inhabited by the Celtic nation known as Silures.
+
+"I can see clearly now," I cried; "the sediment from the waters which
+once covered the whole earth formed during the second period of its
+existence these schists and these calcareous rocks. We are turning our
+backs on the granite rocks, and are like people from Hamburg who would
+go to Lubeck by way of Hanover."
+
+I might just as well have kept my observations to myself. My geological
+enthusiasm got the better, however, of my cooler judgment, and Professor
+Hardwigg heard my observations.
+
+"What is the matter now?" he said, in a tone of great gravity.
+
+"Well," cried I, "do you not see these different layers of calcareous
+rocks and the first indication of slate strata?"
+
+"Well; what then?"
+
+"We have arrived at that period of the world's existence when the first
+plants and the first animals made their appearance."
+
+"You think so?"
+
+"Yes, look; examine and judge for yourself."
+
+I induced the Professor with some difficulty to cast the light of his
+lamp on the sides of the long winding gallery. I expected some
+exclamation to burst from his lips. I was very much mistaken. The worthy
+Professor never spoke a word.
+
+It was impossible to say whether he understood me or not. Perhaps it was
+possible that in his pride--my uncle and a learned professor--he did not
+like to own that he was wrong in having chosen the eastern tunnel, or
+was he determined at any price to go to the end of it? It was quite
+evident we had left the region of lava, and that the road by which we
+were going could not take us back to the great crater of Mount Sneffels.
+
+As we went along I could not help ruminating on the whole question, and
+asked myself if I did not lay too great a stress on these sudden and
+peculiar modifications of the earth's crust.
+
+After all, I was very likely to be mistaken--and it was within the range
+of probability and possibility that we were not making our way through
+the strata of rocks which I believed I recognized piled on the lower
+layer of granitic formation.
+
+"At all events, if I am right," I thought to myself, "I must certainly
+find some remains of primitive plants, and it will be absolutely
+necessary to give way to such indubitable evidence. Let us have a good
+search."
+
+I accordingly lost no opportunity of searching, and had not gone more
+than about a hundred yards, when the evidence I sought for cropped up in
+the most incontestable manner before my eyes. It was quite natural that
+I should expect to find these signs, for during the Silurian period the
+seas contained no fewer than fifteen hundred different animal and
+vegetable species. My feet, so long accustomed to the hard and arid lava
+soil, suddenly found themselves treading on a kind of soft dust, the
+remains of plants and shells.
+
+Upon the walls themselves I could clearly make out the outline, as plain
+as a sun picture, of the fucus and the lycopods. The worthy and
+excellent Professor Hardwigg could not of course make any mistake about
+the matter; but I believe he deliberately closed his eyes, and continued
+on his way with a firm and unalterable step.
+
+I began to think that he was carrying his obstinacy a great deal too
+far. I could no longer act with prudence or composure. I stooped on a
+sudden and picked up an almost perfect shell, which had undoubtedly
+belonged to some animal very much resembling some of the present day.
+Having secured the prize, I followed in the wake of my uncle.
+
+"Do you see this?" I said.
+
+"Well, said the Professor, with the most imperturbable tranquillity, "it
+is the shell of a crustaceous animal of the extinct order of the
+trilobites; nothing more, I assure you."
+
+"But," cried I, much troubled at his coolness, "do you draw no
+conclusion from it?"
+
+"Well, if I may ask, what conclusion do you draw from it yourself?"
+
+"Well, I thought--"
+
+"I know, my boy, what you would say, and you are right, perfectly and
+incontestably right. We have finally abandoned the crust of lava and the
+road by which the lava ascended. It is quite possible that I may have
+been mistaken, but I shall be unable to discover my error until I get to
+the end of this gallery."
+
+"You are quite right as far as that is concerned," I replied, "and I
+should highly approve of your decision, if we had not to fear the
+greatest of all dangers."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+"Want of water."
+
+"Well, my dear Henry, it can't be helped. We must put ourselves on
+rations."
+
+And on he went.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 17
+
+DEEPER AND DEEPER--THE COAL MINE
+
+
+In truth, we were compelled to put ourselves upon rations. Our supply
+would certainly last not more than three days. I found this out about
+supper time. The worst part of the matter was that, in what is called
+the transition rocks, it was hardly to be expected we should meet with
+water!
+
+I had read of the horrors of thirst, and I knew that where we were, a
+brief trial of its sufferings would put an end to our adventures--and
+our lives! But it was utterly useless to discuss the matter with my
+uncle. He would have answered by some axiom from Plato.
+
+During the whole of next day we proceeded on our journey through this
+interminable gallery, arch after arch, tunnel after tunnel. We journeyed
+without exchanging a word. We had become as mute and reticent as Hans,
+our guide.
+
+The road had no longer an upward tendency; at all events, if it had, it
+was not to be made out very clearly. Sometimes there could be no doubt
+that we were going downwards. But this inclination was scarcely to be
+distinguished, and was by no means reassuring to the Professor, because
+the character of the strata was in no wise modified, and the transition
+character of the rocks became more and more marked.
+
+It was a glorious sight to see how the electric light brought out the
+sparkles in the walls of the calcareous rocks, and the old red
+sandstone. One might have fancied oneself in one of those deep cuttings
+in Devonshire, which have given their name to this kind of soil. Some
+magnificent specimens of marble projected from the sides of the gallery:
+some of an agate grey with white veins of variegated character, others
+of a yellow spotted color, with red veins; farther off might be seen
+samples of color in which cherry-tinted seams were to be found in all
+their brightest shades.
+
+The greater number of these marbles were stamped with the marks of
+primitive animals. Since the previous evening, nature and creation had
+made considerable progress. Instead of the rudimentary trilobites, I
+perceived the remains of a more perfect order. Among others, the fish in
+which the eye of a geologist has been able to discover the first form of
+the reptile.
+
+The Devonian seas were inhabited by a vast number of animals of this
+species, which were deposited in tens of thousands in the rocks of new
+formation.
+
+It was quite evident to me that we were ascending the scale of animal
+life of which man forms the summit. My excellent uncle, the Professor,
+appeared not to take notice of these warnings. He was determined at any
+risk to proceed.
+
+He must have been in expectation of one of two things; either that a
+vertical well was about to open under his feet, and thus allow him to
+continue his descent, or that some insurmountable obstacle would compel
+us to stop and go back by the road we had so long traveled. But evening
+came again, and, to my horror, neither hope was doomed to be realized!
+
+On Friday, after a night when I began to feel the gnawing agony of
+thirst, and when in consequence appetite decreased, our little band rose
+and once more followed the turnings and windings, the ascents and
+descents, of this interminable gallery. All were silent and gloomy. I
+could see that even my uncle had ventured too far.
+
+After about ten hours of further progress--a progress dull and
+monotonous to the last degree--I remarked that the reverberation, and
+reflection of our lamps upon the sides of the tunnel, had singularly
+diminished. The marble, the schist, the calcareous rocks, the red
+sandstone, had disappeared, leaving in their places a dark and gloomy
+wall, somber and without brightness. When we reached a remarkably narrow
+part of the tunnel, I leaned my left hand against the rock.
+
+When I took my hand away, and happened to glance at it, it was quite
+black. We had reached the coal strata of the Central Earth.
+
+"A coal mine!" I cried.
+
+"A coal mine without miners," responded my uncle, a little severely.
+
+"How can we tell?"
+
+"I can tell," replied my uncle, in a sharp and doctorial tone. "I am
+perfectly certain that this gallery through successive layers of coal
+was not cut by the hand of man. But whether it is the work of nature or
+not is of little concern to us. The hour for our evening meal has
+come--let us sup."
+
+Hans, the guide, occupied himself in preparing food. I had come to that
+point when I could no longer eat. All I cared about were the few drops
+of water which fell to my share. What I suffered it is useless to
+record. The guide's gourd, not quite half full, was all that was left
+for us three!
+
+Having finished their repast, my two companions laid themselves down
+upon their rugs, and found in sleep a remedy for their fatigue and
+sufferings. As for me, I could not sleep, I lay counting the hours until
+morning.
+
+The next morning, Saturday, at six o'clock, we started again. Twenty
+minutes later we suddenly came upon a vast excavation. From its mighty
+extent I saw at once that the hand of man could have had nothing to do
+with this coal mine; the vault above would have fallen in; as it was, it
+was only held together by some miracle of nature.
+
+This mighty natural cavern was about a hundred feet wide, by about a
+hundred and fifty high. The earth had evidently been cast apart by some
+violent subterranean commotion. The mass, giving way to some prodigious
+upheaving of nature, had split in two, leaving the vast gap into which
+we inhabitants of the earth had penetrated for the first time.
+
+The whole singular history of the coal period was written on those dark
+and gloomy walls. A geologist would have been able easily to follow the
+different phases of its formation. The seams of coal were separated by
+strata of sandstone, a compact clay, which appeared to be crushed down
+by the weight from above.
+
+At that period of the world which preceded the secondary epoch, the
+earth was covered by a coating of enormous and rich vegetation, due to
+the double action of tropical heat and perpetual humidity. A vast
+atmospheric cloud of vapor surrounded the earth on all sides, preventing
+the rays of the sun from ever reaching it.
+
+Hence the conclusion that these intense heats did not arise from this
+new source of caloric.
+
+Perhaps even the star of day was not quite ready for its brilliant
+work--to illumine a universe. Climates did not as yet exist, and a level
+heat pervaded the whole surface of the globe--the same heat existing at
+the North Pole as at the equator.
+
+Whence did it come? From the interior of the earth?
+
+In spite of all the learned theories of Professor Hardwigg, a fierce and
+vehement fire certainly burned within the entrails of the great
+spheroid. Its action was felt even to the very topmost crust of the
+earth; the plants then in existence, being deprived of the vivifying
+rays of the sun, had neither buds, nor flowers, nor odor, but their
+roots drew a strong and vigorous life from the burning earth of early
+days.
+
+There were but few of what may be called trees--only herbaceous plants,
+immense turfs, briers, mosses, rare families, which, however, in those
+days were counted by tens and tens of thousands.
+
+It is entirely to this exuberant vegetation that coal owes its origin.
+The crust of the vast globe still yielded under the influence of the
+seething, boiling mass, which was forever at work beneath. Hence arose
+numerous fissures, and continual falling in of the upper earth. The
+dense mass of plants being beneath the waters, soon formed themselves
+into vast agglomerations.
+
+Then came about the action of natural chemistry; in the depths of the
+ocean the vegetable mass at first became turf, then, thanks to the
+influence of gases and subterranean fermentation, they underwent the
+complete process of mineralization.
+
+In this manner, in early days, were formed those vast and prodigious
+layers of coal, which an ever--increasing consumption must utterly use
+up in about three centuries more, if people do not find some more
+economic light than gas, and some cheaper motive power than steam.
+
+All these reflections, the memories of my school studies, came to my
+mind while I gazed upon these mighty accumulations of coal, whose
+riches, however, are scarcely likely to be ever utilized. The working of
+these mines could only be carried out at an expense that would never
+yield a profit.
+
+The matter, however, is scarcely worthy consideration, when coal is
+scattered over the whole surface of the globe, within a few yards of the
+upper crust. As I looked at these untouched strata, therefore, I knew
+they would remain as long as the world lasts.
+
+While we still continued our journey, I alone forgot the length of the
+road, by giving myself up wholly to these geological considerations. The
+temperature continued to be very much the same as while we were
+traveling amid the lava and the schists. On the other hand my sense of
+smell was much affected by a very powerful odor. I immediately knew that
+the gallery was filled to overflowing with that dangerous gas the miners
+call fire damp, the explosion of which has caused such fearful and
+terrible accidents, making a hundred widows and hundreds of orphans in a
+single hour.
+
+Happily, we were able to illumine our progress by means of the Ruhmkorff
+apparatus. If we had been so rash and imprudent as to explore this
+gallery, torch in hand, a terrible explosion would have put an end to
+our travels, simply because no travelers would be left.
+
+Our excursion through this wondrous coal mine in the very bowels of the
+earth lasted until evening. My uncle was scarcely able to conceal his
+impatience and dissatisfaction at the road continuing still to advance
+in a horizontal direction.
+
+The darkness, dense and opaque a few yards in advance and in the rear,
+rendered it impossible to make out what was the length of the gallery.
+For myself, I began to believe that it was simply interminable, and
+would go on in the same manner for months.
+
+Suddenly, at six o'clock, we stood in front of a wall. To the right, to
+the left above, below, nowhere was there any passage. We had reached a
+spot where the rocks said in unmistakable accents--No Thoroughfare.
+
+I stood stupefied. The guide simply folded his arms. My uncle was
+silent.
+
+"Well, well, so much the better," cried my uncle, at last, "I now know
+what we are about. We are decidedly not upon the road followed by
+Saknussemm. All we have to do is to go back. Let us take one night's
+good rest, and before three days are over, I promise you we shall have
+regained the point where the galleries divided."
+
+"Yes, we may, if our strength lasts as long," I cried, in a lamentable
+voice.
+
+"And why not?"
+
+"Tomorrow, among us three, there will not be a drop of water. It is just
+gone."
+
+"And your courage with it," said my uncle, speaking in a severe tone.
+
+What could I say? I turned round on my side, and from sheer exhaustion
+fell into a heavy sleep disturbed by dreams of water! And I awoke
+unrefreshed.
+
+I would have bartered a diamond mine for a glass of pure spring water!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 18
+
+THE WRONG ROAD!
+
+
+Next day, our departure took place at a very early hour. There was no
+time for the least delay. According to my account, we had five days'
+hard work to get back to the place where the galleries divided.
+
+I can never tell all the sufferings we endured upon our return. My uncle
+bore them like a man who has been in the wrong--that is, with
+concentrated and suppressed anger; Hans, with all the resignation of his
+pacific character; and I--I confess that I did nothing but complain, and
+despair. I had no heart for this bad fortune.
+
+But there was one consolation. Defeat at the outset would probably upset
+the whole journey!
+
+As I had expected from the first, our supply of water gave completely
+out on our first day's march. Our provision of liquids was reduced to
+our supply of Schiedam; but this horrible--nay, I will say it--this
+infernal liquor burnt the throat, and I could not even bear the sight of
+it. I found the temperature to be stifling. I was paralyzed with
+fatigue. More than once I was about to fall insensible to the ground.
+The whole party then halted, and the worthy Icelander and my excellent
+uncle did their best to console and comfort me. I could, however,
+plainly see that my uncle was contending painfully against the extreme
+fatigues of our journey, and the awful torture generated by the absence
+of water.
+
+At length a time came when I ceased to recollect anything--when all was
+one awfull hideous, fantastic dream!
+
+At last, on Tuesday, the seventh of the month of July, after crawling on
+our hands and knees for many hours, more dead than alive, we reached the
+point of junction between the galleries. I lay like a log, an inert mass
+of human flesh on the arid lava soil. It was then ten in the morning.
+
+Hans and my uncle, leaning against the wall, tried to nibble away at
+some pieces of biscuit, while deep groans and sighs escaped from my
+scorched and swollen lips. Then I fell off into a kind of deep lethargy.
+
+Presently I felt my uncle approach, and lift me up tenderly in his arms.
+
+"Poor boy," I heard him say in a tone of deep commiseration.
+
+I was profoundly touched by these words, being by no means accustomed to
+signs of womanly weakness in the Professor. I caught his trembling hands
+in mine and gave them a gentle pressure. He allowed me to do so without
+resistance, looking at me kindly all the time. His eyes were wet with
+tears.
+
+I then saw him take the gourd which he wore at his side. To my surprise,
+or rather to my stupefaction, he placed it to my lips.
+
+"Drink, my boy," he said.
+
+Was it possible my ears had not deceived me? Was my uncle mad? I looked
+at him, with, I am sure, quite an idiotic expression. I could not
+believe him. I too much feared the counteraction of disappointment.
+
+"Drink," he said again.
+
+Had I heard aright? Before, however, I could ask myself the question a
+second time, a mouthful of water cooled my parched lips and throat--one
+mouthful, but I do believe it brought me back to life.
+
+I thanked my uncle by clasping my hands. My heart was too full to speak.
+
+"Yes," said he, "one mouthful of water, the very last--do you hear, my
+boy--the very last! I have taken care of it at the bottom of my bottle
+as the apple of my eye. Twenty times, a hundred times, I have resisted
+the fearful desire to drink it. But--no--no, Harry, I saved it for you."
+
+"My dear uncle," I exclaimed, and the big tears rolled down my hot and
+feverish cheeks.
+
+"Yes, my poor boy, I knew that when you reached this place, this
+crossroad in the earth, you would fall down half dead, and I saved my
+last drop of water in order to restore you."
+
+"Thanks," I cried; "thanks from my heart."
+
+As little as my thirst was really quenched, I had nevertheless partially
+recovered my strength. The contracted muscles of my throat relaxed--and
+the inflammation of my lips in some measure subsided. At all events, I
+was able to speak.
+
+"Well," I said, "there can be no doubt now as to what we have to do.
+Water has utterly failed us; our journey is therefore at an end. Let us
+return."
+
+While I spoke thus, my uncle evidently avoided my face: he held down his
+head; his eyes were turned in every possible direction but the right
+one.
+
+"Yes," I continued, getting excited by my own words, "we must go back to
+Sneffels. May heaven give us strength to enable us once more to revisit
+the light of day. Would that we now stood on the summit of the crater."
+
+"Go back," said my uncle, speaking to himself, "and must it be so?"
+
+"Go back--yes, and without losing a single moment," I vehemently cried.
+
+For some moments there was silence under that dark and gloomy vault.
+
+"So, my dear Harry," said the Professor in a very singular tone of
+voice, "those few drops of water have not sufficed to restore your
+energy and courage."
+
+"Courage!" I cried.
+
+"I see that you are quite as downcast as before--and still give way to
+discouragement and despair."
+
+What, then, was the man made of, and what other projects were entering
+his fertile and audacious brain!
+
+"You are not discouraged, sir?"
+
+"What! Give up just as we are on the verge of success?" he cried.
+"Never, never shall it be said that Professor Hardwigg retreated."
+
+"Then we must make up our minds to perish," I cried with a helpless
+sigh.
+
+"No, Harry, my boy, certainly not. Go, leave me, I am very far from
+desiring your death. Take Hans with you. <i>I will go on alone.</i>"
+
+"You ask us to leave you?"
+
+"Leave me, I say. I have undertaken this dangerous and perilous
+adventure. I will carry it to the end--or I will never return to the
+surface of Mother Earth. Go, Harry--once more I say to you--go!"
+
+My uncle as he spoke was terribly excited. His voice, which before had
+been tender, almost womanly, became harsh and menacing. He appeared to
+be struggling with desperate energy against the impossible. I did not
+wish to abandon him at the bottom of that abyss, while, on the other
+hand, the instinct of preservation told me to fly.
+
+Meanwhile, our guide was looking on with profound calmness and
+indifference. He appeared to be an unconcerned party, and yet he
+perfectly well knew what was going on between us. Our gestures
+sufficiently indicated the different roads each wished to follow--and
+which each tried to influence the other to undertake. But Hans appeared
+not to take the slightest interest in what was really a question of life
+and death for us all, but waited quite ready to obey the signal which
+should say go aloft, or to resume his desperate journey into the
+interior of the earth.
+
+How then I wished with all my heart and soul that I could make him
+understand my words. My representations, my sighs and groans, the
+earnest accents in which I should have spoken would have convinced that
+cold, hard nature. Those fearful dangers and perils of which the stolid
+guide had no idea, I would have pointed them out to him--I would have,
+as it were, made him see and feel. Between us, we might have convinced
+the obstinate Professor. If the worst had come to the worst, we could
+have compelled him to return to the summit of Sneffels.
+
+I quietly approached Hans. I caught his hand in mine. He never moved a
+muscle. I indicated to him the road to the top of the crater. He
+remained motionless. My panting form, my haggard countenance, must have
+indicated the extent of my sufferings. The Icelander gently shook his
+head and pointed to my uncle.
+
+"Master," he said.
+
+The word is Icelandic as well as English.
+
+"The master!" I cried, beside myself with fury--"madman! no--I tell you
+he is not the master of our lives; we must fly! we must drag him with
+us! do you hear me? Do you understand me, I say?"
+
+I have already explained that I held Hans by the arm. I tried to make
+him rise from his seat. I struggled with him and tried to force him
+away. My uncle now interposed.
+
+"My good Henry, be calm," he said. "You will obtain nothing from my
+devoted follower; therefore, listen to what I have to say."
+
+I folded my arms, as well as I could, and looked my uncle full in the
+face.
+
+"This wretched want of water," he said, "is the sole obstacle to the
+success of my project. In the entire gallery, made of lava, schist, and
+coal, it is true we found not one liquid molecule. It is quite possible
+that we may be more fortunate in the western tunnel."
+
+My sole reply was to shake my head with an air of deep incredulity.
+
+"Listen to me to the end," said the Professor in his well-known
+lecturing voice. "While you lay yonder without life or motion, I
+undertook a reconnoitering journey into the conformation of this other
+gallery. I have discovered that it goes directly downwards into the
+bowels of the earth, and in a few hours will take us to the old granitic
+formation. In this we shall undoubtedly find innumerable springs. The
+nature of the rock makes this a mathematical certainty, and instinct
+agrees with logic to say that it is so. Now, this is the serious
+proposition which I have to make to you. When Christopher Columbus asked
+of his men three days to discover the land of promise, his men ill,
+terrified, and hopeless, yet gave him three days--and the New World was
+discovered. Now I, the Christopher Columbus of this subterranean region,
+only ask of you one more day. If, when that time is expired, I have not
+found the water of which we are in search, I swear to you, I will give
+up my mighty enterprise and return to the earth's surface."
+
+Despite my irritation and despair, I knew how much it cost my uncle to
+make this proposition, and to hold such conciliatory language. Under the
+circumstances, what could I do but yield?
+
+"Well," I cried, "let it be as you wish, and may heaven reward your
+superhuman energy. But as, unless we discover water, our hours are
+numbered, let us lose no time, but go ahead."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 19
+
+THE WESTERN GALLERY--A NEW ROUTE
+
+
+Our descent was now resumed by means of the second gallery. Hans took up
+his post in front as usual. We had not gone more than a hundred yards
+when the Professor carefully examined the walls.
+
+"This is the primitive formation--we are on the right road--onwards is
+our hope!"
+
+When the whole earth got cool in the first hours of the world's morning,
+the diminution of the volume of the earth produced a state of
+dislocation in its upper crust, followed by ruptures, crevasses and
+fissures. The passage was a fissure of this kind, through which, ages
+ago, had flowed the eruptive granite. The thousand windings and turnings
+formed an inextricable labyrinth through the ancient soil.
+
+As we descended, successions of layers composing the primitive soil
+appeared with the utmost fidelity of detail. Geological science
+considers this primitive soil as the base of the mineral crust, and it
+has recognized that it is composed of three different strata or layers,
+all resting on the immovable rock known as granite.
+
+No mineralogists had even found themselves placed in such a marvelous
+position to study nature in all her real and naked beauty. The sounding
+rod, a mere machine, could not bring to the surface of the earth the
+objects of value for the study of its internal structure, which we were
+about to see with our own eyes, to touch with our own hands.
+
+Remember that I am writing this after the journey.
+
+Across the streak of the rocks, colored by beautiful green tints, wound
+metallic threads of copper, of manganese, with traces of platinum and
+gold. I could not help gazing at these riches buried in the entrails of
+Mother Earth, and of which no man would have the enjoyment to the end of
+time! These treasures--mighty and inexhaustible, were buried in the
+morning of the earth's history, at such awful depths, that no crowbar or
+pickax will ever drag them from their tomb!
+
+The light of our Ruhmkorff's coil, increased tenfold by the myriad of
+prismatic masses of rock, sent its jets of fire in every direction, and
+I could fancy myself traveling through a huge hollow diamond, the rays
+of which produced myriads of extraordinary effects.
+
+Towards six o'clock, this festival of light began sensibly and visibly
+to decrease, and soon almost ceased. The sides of the gallery assumed a
+crystallized tint, with a somber hue; white mica began to commingle more
+freely with feldspar and quartz, to form what may be called the true
+rock--the stone which is hard above all, that supports, without being
+crushed, the four stories of the earth's soil.
+
+We were walled by an immense prison of granite!
+
+It was now eight o'clock, and still there was no sign of water. The
+sufferings I endured were horrible. My uncle now kept at the head of our
+little column. Nothing could induce him to stop. I, meanwhile, had but
+one real thought. My ear was keenly on the watch to catch the sound of a
+spring. But no pleasant sound of falling water fell upon my listening
+ear.
+
+But at last the time came when my limbs refused to carry me longer. I
+contended heroically against the terrible tortures I endured, because I
+did not wish to compel my uncle to halt. To him I knew this would be the
+last fatal stroke.
+
+Suddenly I felt a deadly faintness come over me. My eyes could no longer
+see; my knees shook. I gave one despairing cry--and fell!
+
+"Help, help, I am dying!"
+
+My uncle turned and slowly retraced his steps. He looked at me with
+folded arms, and then allowed one sentence to escape, in hollow accents,
+from his lips:
+
+"All is over."
+
+The last thing I saw was a face fearfully distorted with pain and
+sorrow; and then my eyes closed.
+
+
+When I again opened them, I saw my companions lying near me, motionless,
+wrapped in their huge traveling rugs. Were they asleep or dead? For
+myself, sleep was wholly out of the question. My fainting fit over, I
+was wakeful as the lark. I suffered too much for sleep to visit my
+eyelids--the more, that I thought myself sick unto death--dying. The
+last words spoken by my uncle seemed to be buzzing in my ears--all is
+over! And it was probable that he was right. In the state of prostration
+to which I was reduced, it was madness to think of ever again seeing the
+light of day.
+
+Above were miles upon miles of the earth's crust. As I thought of it, I
+could fancy the whole weight resting on my shoulders. I was crushed,
+annihilated! and exhausted myself in vain attempts to turn in my granite
+bed.
+
+Hours upon hours passed away. A profound and terrible silence reigned
+around us--a silence of the tomb. Nothing could make itself heard
+through these gigantic walls of granite. The very thought was
+stupendous.
+
+Presently, despite my apathy, despite the kind of deadly calm into which
+I was cast, something aroused me. It was a slight but peculiar noise.
+While I was watching intently, I observed that the tunnel was becoming
+dark. Then gazing through the dim light that remained, I thought I saw
+the Icelander taking his departure, lamp in hand.
+
+Why had he acted thus? Did Hans the guide mean to abandon us? My uncle
+lay fast asleep--or dead. I tried to cry out, and arouse him. My voice,
+feebly issuing from my parched and fevered lips, found no echo in that
+fearful place. My throat was dry, my tongue stuck to the roof of my
+mouth. The obscurity had by this time become intense, and at last even
+the faint sound of the guide's footsteps was lost in the blank distance.
+My soul seemed filled with anguish, and death appeared welcome, only let
+it come quickly.
+
+"Hans is leaving us," I cried. "Hans--Hans, if you are a man, come
+back."
+
+These words were spoken to myself. They could not be heard aloud.
+Nevertheless, after the first few moments of terror were over, I was
+ashamed of my suspicions against a man who hitherto had behaved so
+admirably. Nothing in his conduct or character justified suspicion.
+Moreover, a moment's reflection reassured me. His departure could not be
+a flight. Instead of ascending the gallery, he was going deeper down
+into the gulf. Had he had any bad design, his way would have been
+upwards.
+
+This reasoning calmed me a little and I began to hope!
+
+The good, and peaceful, and imperturbable Hans would certainly not have
+arisen from his sleep without some serious and grave motive. Was he bent
+on a voyage of discovery? During the deep, still silence of the night
+had he at last heard that sweet murmur about which we were all so
+anxious?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 20
+
+WATER, WHERE IS IT? A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT
+
+
+During a long, long, weary hour, there crossed my wildly delirious brain
+all sorts of reasons as to what could have aroused our quiet and
+faithful guide. The most absurd and ridiculous ideas passed through my
+head, each more impossible than the other. I believe I was either half
+or wholly mad.
+
+Suddenly, however, there arose, as it were from the depths of the earth,
+a voice of comfort. It was the sound of footsteps! Hans was returning.
+
+Presently the uncertain light began to shine upon the walls of the
+passage, and then it came in view far down the sloping tunnel. At length
+Hans himself appeared.
+
+He approached my uncle, placed his hand upon his shoulder, and gently
+awakened him. My uncle, as soon as he saw who it was, instantly arose.
+
+"Well!" exclaimed the Professor.
+
+"Vatten," said the hunter.
+
+I did not know a single word of the Danish language, and yet by a sort
+of mysterious instinct I understood what the guide had said.
+
+"Water, water!" I cried, in a wild and frantic tone, clapping my hands,
+and gesticulating like a madman.
+
+"Water!" murmured my uncle, in a voice of deep emotion and gratitude.
+"Hvar?" ("Where?")
+
+"Nedat." ("Below.")
+
+"Where? below!" I understood every word. I had caught the hunter by the
+hands, and I shook them heartily, while he looked on with perfect
+calmness.
+
+The preparations for our departure did not take long, and we were soon
+making a rapid descent into the tunnel.
+
+An hour later we had advanced a thousand yards, and descended two
+thousand feet.
+
+At this moment I heard an accustomed and well-known sound running along
+the floors of the granite rock--a kind of dull and sullen roar, like
+that of a distant waterfall.
+
+During the first half hour of our advance, not finding the discovered
+spring, my feelings of intense suffering appeared to return. Once more I
+began to lose all hope. My uncle, however, observing how downhearted I
+was again becoming, took up the conversation.
+
+"Hans was right," he exclaimed enthusiastically; "that is the dull
+roaring of a torrent."
+
+"A torrent," I cried, delighted at even hearing the welcome words.
+
+"There's not the slightest doubt about it," he replied, "a subterranean
+river is flowing beside us."
+
+I made no reply, but hastened on, once more animated by hope. I began
+not even to feel the deep fatigue which hitherto had overpowered me. The
+very sound of this glorious murmuring water already refreshed me. We
+could hear it increasing in volume every moment. The torrent, which for
+a long time could be heard flowing over our heads, now ran distinctly
+along the left wall, roaring, rushing, spluttering, and still falling.
+
+Several times I passed my hand across the rock hoping to find some trace
+of humidity--of the slightest percolation. Alas! in vain.
+
+Again a half hour passed in the same weary toil. Again we advanced.
+
+It now became evident that the hunter, during his absence, had not been
+able to carry his researches any farther. Guided by an instinct peculiar
+to the dwellers in mountain regions and water finders, he "smelt" the
+living spring through the rock. Still he had not seen the precious
+liquid. He had neither quenched his own thirst, nor brought us one drop
+in his gourd.
+
+Moreover, we soon made the disastrous discovery that, if our progress
+continued, we should soon be moving away from the torrent, the sound of
+which gradually diminished. We turned back. Hans halted at the precise
+spot where the sound of the torrent appeared nearest.
+
+I could bear the suspense and suffering no longer, and seated myself
+against the wall, behind which I could hear the water seething and
+effervescing not two feet away. But a solid wall of granite still
+separated us from it!
+
+Hans looked keenly at me, and, strange enough, for once I thought I saw
+a smile on his imperturbable face.
+
+He rose from a stone on which he had been seated, and took up the lamp.
+I could not help rising and following. He moved slowly along the firm
+and solid granite wall. I watched him with mingled curiosity and
+eagerness. Presently he halted and placed his ear against the dry stone,
+moving slowly along and listening with the most extreme care and
+attention. I understood at once that he was searching for the exact spot
+where the torrent's roar was most plainly heard. This point he soon
+found in the lateral wall on the left side, about three feet above the
+level of the tunnel floor.
+
+I was in a state of intense excitement. I scarcely dared believe what
+the eider-duck hunter was about to do. It was, however, impossible in a
+moment more not to both understand and applaud, and even to smother him
+in my embraces, when I saw him raise the heavy crowbar and commence an
+attack upon the rock itself.
+
+"Saved!" I cried.
+
+"Yes," cried my uncle, even more excited and delighted than myself;
+"Hans is quite right. Oh, the worthy, excellent man! We should never
+have thought of such an idea."
+
+And nobody else, I think, would have done so. Such a process, simple as
+it seemed, would most certainly not have entered our heads. Nothing
+could be more dangerous than to begin to work with pickaxes in that
+particular part of the globe. Supposing while he was at work a break-up
+were to take place, and supposing the torrent once having gained an inch
+were to take an ell, and come pouring bodily through the broken rock!
+
+Not one of these dangers was chimerical. They were only too real. But at
+that moment no fear of falling in of the roof, or even of inundation was
+capable of stopping us. Our thirst was so intense that to quench it we
+would have dug below the bed of old Ocean itself.
+
+Hans went quietly to work--a work which neither my uncle nor I would
+have undertaken at any price. Our impatience was so great that if we had
+once begun with pickax and crowbar, the rock would soon have split into
+a hundred fragments. The guide, on the contrary, calm, ready, moderate,
+wore away the hard rock by little steady blows of his instrument, making
+no attempt at a larger hole than about six inches. As I stood, I heard,
+or I thought I heard, the roar of the torrent momentarily increasing in
+loudness, and at times I almost felt the pleasant sensation of water
+upon my parched lips.
+
+At the end of what appeared an age, Hans had made a hole which enabled
+his crowbar to enter two feet into the solid rock. He had been at work
+exactly an hour. It appeared a dozen. I was getting wild with
+impatience. My uncle began to think of using more violent measures. I
+had the greatest difficulty in checking him. He had indeed just got hold
+of his crowbar when a loud and welcome hiss was heard. Then a stream, or
+rather jet, of water burst through the wall and came out with such force
+as to hit the opposite side!
+
+Hans, the guide, who was half upset by the shock, was scarcely able to
+keep down a cry of pain and grief. I understood his meaning when,
+plunging my hands into the sparkling jet, I myself gave a wild and
+frantic cry. The water was scalding hot!
+
+"Boiling," I cried, in bitter disappointment.
+
+"Well, never mind," said my uncle, "it will soon get cool."
+
+The tunnel began to be filled by clouds of vapor, while a small stream
+ran away into the interior of the earth. In a short time we had some
+sufficiently cool to drink. We swallowed it in huge mouthfuls.
+
+Oh! what exalted delight--what rich and incomparable luxury! What was
+this water, whence did it come? To us what was that? The simple fact
+was--it was water; and, though still with a tingle of warmth about it,
+it brought back to the heart, that life which, but for it, must surely
+have faded away. I drank greedily, almost without tasting it.
+
+When, however, I had almost quenched my ravenous thirst, I made a
+discovery.
+
+"Why, it is chalybeate water!"
+
+"A most excellent stomachic," replied my uncle, "and highly mineralized.
+Here is a journey worth twenty to Spa."
+
+"It's very good," I replied.
+
+"I should think so. Water found six miles under ground. There is a
+peculiarly inky flavor about it, which is by no means disagreeable. Hans
+may congratulate himself on having made a rare discovery. What do you
+say, nephew, according to the usual custom of travelers, to name the
+stream after him?"
+
+"Good," said I. And the name of "Hansbach" ("Hans Brook") was at once
+agreed upon.
+
+Hans was not a bit more proud after hearing our determination than he
+was before. After having taken a very small modicum of the welcome
+refreshment, he had seated himself in a corner with his usual
+imperturbable gravity.
+
+"Now," said I, "it is not worth while letting this water run to waste."
+
+"What is the use," replied my uncle, "the source from which this river
+rises is inexhaustible."
+
+"Never mind," I continued, "let us fill our goatskin and gourds, and
+then try to stop the opening up."
+
+My advice, after some hesitation, was followed or attempted to be
+followed. Hans picked up all the broken pieces of granite he had knocked
+out, and using some tow he happened to have about him, tried to shut up
+the fissure he had made in the wall. All he did was to scald his hands.
+The pressure was too great, and all our attempts were utter failures.
+
+"It is evident," I remarked, "that the upper surface of these springs is
+situated at a very great height above--as we may fairly infer from the
+great pressure of the jet."
+
+"That is by no means doubtful," replied my uncle, "if this column of
+water is about thirty-two thousand feet high, the atmospheric pressure
+must be something enormous. But a new idea has just struck me."
+
+"And what is that?"
+
+"Why be at so much trouble to close this aperture?"
+
+"Because--"
+
+I hesitated and stammered, having no real reason.
+
+"When our water bottles are empty, we are not at all sure that we shall
+be able to fill them," observed my uncle.
+
+"I think that is very probable."
+
+"Well, then, let this water run. It will, of course, naturally follow in
+our track, and will serve to guide and refresh us."
+
+"I think the idea a good one," I cried in reply, "and with this rivulet
+as a companion, there is no further reason why we should not succeed in
+our marvelous project."
+
+"Ah, my boy," said the Professor, laughing, "after all, you are coming
+round."
+
+"More than that, I am now confident of ultimate success."
+
+"One moment, nephew mine. Let us begin by taking some hours of repose."
+
+I had utterly forgotten that it was night. The chronometer, however,
+informed me of the fact. Soon we were sufficiently restored and
+refreshed, and had all fallen into a profound sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 21
+
+UNDER THE OCEAN
+
+
+By the next day we had nearly forgotten our past sufferings. The first
+sensation I experienced was surprise at not being thirsty, and I
+actually asked myself the reason. The running stream, which flowed in
+rippling wavelets at my feet, was the satisfactory reply.
+
+We breakfasted with a good appetite, and then drank our fill of the
+excellent water. I felt myself quite a new man, ready to go anywhere my
+uncle chose to lead. I began to think. Why should not a man as seriously
+convinced as my uncle, succeed, with so excellent a guide as worthy
+Hans, and so devoted a nephew as myself? These were the brilliant ideas
+which now invaded my brain. Had the proposition now been made to go back
+to the summit of Mount Sneffels, I should have declined the offer in a
+most indignant manner.
+
+But fortunately there was no question of going up. We were about to
+descend farther into the interior of the earth.
+
+"Let us be moving," I cried, awakening the echoes of the old world.
+
+We resumed our march on Thursday at eight o'clock in the morning. The
+great granite tunnel, as it went round by sinuous and winding ways,
+presented every now and then sharp turns, and in fact all the appearance
+of a labyrinth. Its direction, however, was in general towards the
+southwest. My uncle made several pauses in order to consult his compass.
+
+The gallery now began to trend downwards in a horizontal direction, with
+about two inches of fall in every furlong. The murmuring stream flowed
+quietly at our feet. I could not but compare it to some familiar spirit,
+guiding us through the earth, and I dabbled my fingers in its tepid
+water, which sang like a naiad as we progressed. My good humor began to
+assume a mythological character.
+
+As for my uncle he began to complain of the horizontal character of the
+road. His route, he found, began to be indefinitely prolonged, instead
+of "sliding down the celestial ray," according to his expression.
+
+But we had no choice; and as long as our road led towards the
+centre--however little progress we made, there was no reason to
+complain.
+
+Moreover, from time to time the slopes were much greater, the naiad sang
+more loudly, and we began to dip downwards in earnest.
+
+As yet, however, I felt no painful sensation. I had not got over the
+excitement of the discovery of water.
+
+That day and the next we did a considerable amount of horizontal, and
+relatively very little vertical, traveling.
+
+On Friday evening, the tenth of July, according to our estimation, we
+ought to have been thirty leagues to the southeast of Reykjavik, and
+about two leagues and a half deep. We now received a rather startling
+surprise.
+
+Under our feet there opened a horrible well. My uncle was so delighted
+that he actually clapped his hands--as he saw how steep and sharp was
+the descent.
+
+"Ah, ah!" he cried, in rapturous delight; "this will take us a long way. 
+Look at the projections of the rock. Hah!" he exclaimed, "it's a fearful
+staircase!"
+
+Hans, however, who in all our troubles had never given up the ropes,
+took care so to dispose of them as to prevent any accidents. Our descent
+then began. I dare not call it a perilous descent, for I was already too
+familiar with that sort of work to look upon it as anything but a very
+ordinary affair.
+
+This well was a kind of narrow opening in the massive granite of the
+kind known as a fissure. The contraction of the terrestrial scaffolding,
+when it suddenly cooled, had been evidently the cause. If it had ever
+served in former times as a kind of funnel through which passed the
+eruptive masses vomited by Sneffels, I was at a loss to explain how it
+had left no mark. We were, in fact, descending a spiral, something like
+those winding staircases in use in modern houses.
+
+We were compelled every quarter of an hour or thereabouts to sit down in
+order to rest our legs. Our calves ached. We then seated ourselves on
+some projecting rock with our legs hanging over, and gossiped while we
+ate a mouthful--drinking still from the pleasantly warm running stream
+which had not deserted us.
+
+It is scarcely necessary to say that in this curiously shaped fissure
+the Hansbach had become a cascade to the detriment of its size. It was
+still, however, sufficient, and more, for our wants. Besides we knew
+that, as soon as the declivity ceased to be so abrupt, the stream must
+resume its peaceful course. At this moment it reminded me of my uncle,
+his impatience and rage, while when it flowed more peacefully, I
+pictured to myself the placidity of the Icelandic guide.
+
+During the whole of two days, the sixth and seventh of July, we followed
+the extraordinary spiral staircase of the fissure, penetrating two
+leagues farther into the crust of the earth, which put us five leagues
+below the level of the sea. On the eighth, however, at twelve o'clock in
+the day, the fissure suddenly assumed a much more gentle slope still
+trending in a southeast direction.
+
+The road now became comparatively easy, and at the same time dreadfully
+monotonous. It would have been difficult for matters to have turned out
+otherwise. Our peculiar journey had no chance of being diversified by
+landscape and scenery. At all events, such was my idea.
+
+At length, on Wednesday the fifteenth, we were actually seven leagues
+(twenty-one miles) below the surface of the earth, and fifty leagues
+distant from the mountain of Sneffels. Though, if the truth be told, we
+were very tired, our health had resisted all suffering, and was in a
+most satisfactory state. Our traveler's box of medicaments had not even
+been opened.
+
+My uncle was careful to note every hour the indications of the compass,
+of the manometer, and of the thermometer, all which he afterwards
+published in his elaborate philosophical and scientific account of our
+remarkable voyage. He was therefore able to give an exact relation of
+the situation. When, therefore, he informed me that we were fifty
+leagues in a horizontal direction distant from our starting point, I
+could not suppress a loud exclamation.
+
+"What is the matter now?" cried my uncle.
+
+"Nothing very important, only an idea has entered my head," was my
+reply.
+
+"Well, out with it, My boy."
+
+"It is my opinion that if your calculations are correct we are no longer
+under Iceland."
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"We can very easily find out," I replied, pulling out a map and
+compasses.
+
+"You see," I said, after careful measurement, "that I am not mistaken.
+We are far beyond Cape Portland; and those fifty leagues to the
+southeast will take us into the open sea."
+
+"Under the open sea," cried my uncle, rubbing his hands with a delighted
+air.
+
+"Yes," I cried, "no doubt old Ocean flows over our heads!"
+
+"Well, my dear boy, what can be more natural! Do you not know that in
+the neighborhood of Newcastle there are coal mines which have been
+worked far out under the sea?"
+
+Now my worthy uncle, the Professor, no doubt regarded this discovery as
+a very simple fact, but to me the idea was by no means a pleasant one.
+And yet when one came to think the matter over seriously, what mattered
+it whether the plains and mountains of Iceland were suspended over our
+devoted heads, or the mighty billows of the Atlantic Ocean? The whole
+question rested on the solidity of the granite roof above us. However, I
+soon got used to the ideal for the passage now level, now running down,
+and still always to the southeast, kept going deeper and deeper into the
+profound abysses of Mother Earth.
+
+Three days later, on the eighteenth day of July, on a Saturday, we
+reached a kind of vast grotto. My uncle here paid Hans his usual
+rix-dollars, and it was decided that the next day should be a day of
+rest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 22
+
+SUNDAY BELOW GROUND
+
+
+I Awoke on Sunday morning without any sense of hurry and bustle
+attendant on an immediate departure. Though the day to be devoted to
+repose and reflection was spent under such strange circumstances, and in
+so wonderful a place, the idea was a pleasant one. Besides, we all began
+to get used to this kind of existence. I had almost ceased to think of
+the sun, of the moon, of the stars, of the trees, houses, and towns; in
+fact, about any terrestrial necessities. In our peculiar position we
+were far above such reflections.
+
+The grotto was a vast and magnificent hall. Along its granitic soil the
+stream flowed placidly and pleasantly. So great a distance was it now
+from its fiery source that its water was scarcely lukewarm, and could be
+drunk without delay or difficulty.
+
+After a frugal breakfast, the Professor made up his mind to devote some
+hours to putting his notes and calculations in order.
+
+"In the first place," he said, "I have a good many to verify and prove,
+in order that we may know our exact position. I wish to be able on our
+return to the upper regions to make a map of our journey, a kind of
+vertical section of the globe, which will be, as it were, the profile of
+the expedition."
+
+"That would indeed be a curious work, Uncle; but can you make your
+observations with anything like certainty and precision?"
+
+"I can. I have never on any occasion failed to note with great care the
+angles and slopes. I am certain as to having made no mistake. Take the
+compass and examine how she points."
+
+I looked at the instrument with care.
+
+"East one quarter southeast."
+
+"Very good," resumed the Professor, noting the observation, and going
+through some rapid calculations. "I make out that we have journeyed two
+hundred and fifty miles from the point of our departure."
+
+"Then the mighty waves of the Atlantic are rolling over our heads?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"And at this very moment it is possible that fierce tempests are raging
+above, and that men and ships are battling against the angry blasts just
+over our heads?"
+
+"It is quite within the range of possibility," rejoined my uncle,
+smiling.
+
+"And that whales are playing in shoals, thrashing the bottom of the sea,
+the roof of our adamantine prison?"
+
+"Be quite at rest on that point; there is no danger of their breaking
+through. But to return to our calculations. We are to the southeast, two
+hundred and fifty miles from the base of Sneffels, and, according to my
+preceding notes, I think we have gone sixteen leagues in a downward
+direction."
+
+"Sixteen leagues--fifty miles!" I cried.
+
+"I am sure of it."
+
+"But that is the extreme limit allowed by science for the thickness of
+the earth's crust," I replied, referring to my geological studies.
+
+"I do not contravene that assertion," was his quiet answer.
+
+"And at this stage of our journey, according to all known laws on the
+increase of heat, there should be here a temperature of <i>fifteen hundred
+degrees of Reaumur</i>."
+
+"There should be--you say, my boy."
+
+"In which case this granite would not exist, but be in a state of
+fusion."
+
+"But you perceive, my boy, that it is not so, and that facts, as usual,
+are very stubborn things, overruling all theories."
+
+"I am forced to yield to the evidence of my senses, but I am
+nevertheless very much surprised."
+
+"What heat does the thermometer really indicate?" continued the
+philosopher.
+
+"Twenty-seven six-tenths."
+
+"So that science is wrong by fourteen hundred and seventy-four degrees
+and four-tenths. According to which, it is demonstrated that the
+proportional increase in temperature is an exploded error. Humphry Davy
+here shines forth in all his glory. He is right, and I have acted wisely
+to believe him. Have you any answer to make to this statement?"
+
+Had I chosen to have spoken, I might have said a great deal. I in no way
+admitted the theory of Humphry Davy--I still held out for the theory of
+proportional increase of heat, though I did not feel it.
+
+I was far more willing to allow that this chimney of an extinct volcano
+was covered by lava of a kind refractory to heat--in fact a bad
+conductor--which did not allow the great increase of temperature to
+percolate through its sides. The hot water jet supported my view of the
+matter.
+
+But without entering on a long and useless discussion, or seeking for
+new arguments to controvert my uncle, I contented myself with taking up
+facts as they were.
+
+"Well, sir, I take for granted that all your calculations are correct,
+but allow me to draw from them a rigorous and definite conclusion."
+
+"Go on, my boy--have your say," cried my uncle goodhumoredly.
+
+"At the place where we now are, under the latitude of Iceland, the
+terrestrial depth is about fifteen hundred and eighty-three leagues."
+
+"Fifteen hundred eighty-three and a quarter."
+
+"Well, suppose we say sixteen hundred in round numbers. Now, out of a
+voyage of sixteen hundred leagues we have completed sixteen."
+
+"As you say, what then?"
+
+"At the expense of a diagonal journey of no less than eighty-five
+leagues."
+
+"Exactly."
+
+"We have been twenty days about it."
+
+"Exactly twenty days."
+
+"Now sixteen is the hundredth part of our contemplated expedition. If we
+go on in this way we shall be two thousand days, that is about five
+years and a half, going down."
+
+The Professor folded his arms, listened, but did not speak.
+
+"Without counting that if a vertical descent of sixteen leagues costs us
+a horizontal of eighty-five, we shall have to go about eight thousand
+leagues to the southeast, and we must therefore come out somewhere in
+the circumference long before we can hope to reach the centre."
+
+"Bother your calculations," cried my uncle in one of his old rages. "On
+what basis do they rest? How do you know that this passage does not take
+us direct to the end we require? Moreover, I have in my favor,
+fortunately, a precedent. What I have undertaken to do, another has
+done, and he having succeeded, why should I not be equally successful?"
+
+"I hope, indeed, you will, but still, I suppose I may be allowed to--"
+
+"You are allowed to hold your tongue," cried Professor Hardwigg, "when
+you talk so unreasonably as this."
+
+I saw at once that the old doctorial Professor was still alive in my
+uncle--and fearful to rouse his angry passions, I dropped the unpleasant
+subject.
+
+"Now, then," he explained, "consult the manometer. What does that
+indicate?"
+
+"A considerable amount of pressure."
+
+"Very good. You see, then, that by descending slowly, and by gradually
+accustoming ourselves to the density of this lower atmosphere, we shall
+not suffer."
+
+"Well, I suppose not, except it may be a certain amount of pain in the
+ears," was my rather grim reply.
+
+"That, my dear boy, is nothing, and you will easily get rid of that
+source of discomfort by bringing the exterior air in communication with
+the air contained in your lungs."
+
+"Perfectly," said I, for I had quite made up my mind in no wise to
+contradict my uncle. "I should fancy almost that I should experience a
+certain amount of satisfaction in making a plunge into this dense
+atmosphere. Have you taken note of how wonderfully sound is propagated?"
+
+"Of course I have. There can be no doubt that a journey into the
+interior of the earth would be an excellent cure for deafness."
+
+"But then, Uncle," I ventured mildly to observe, "this density will
+continue to increase."
+
+"Yes--according to a law which, however, is scarcely defined. It is true
+that the intensity of weight will diminish just in proportion to the
+depth to which we go. You know very well that it is on the surface of
+the earth that its action is most powerfully felt, while on the
+contrary, in the very centre of the earth bodies cease to have any
+weight at all."
+
+"I know that is the case, but as we progress will not the atmosphere
+finally assume the density of water?"
+
+"I know it; when placed under the pressure of seven hundred and ten
+atmospheres," cried my uncle with imperturbable gravity.
+
+"And when we are still lower down?" I asked with natural anxiety.
+
+"Well, lower down, the density will become even greater."
+
+"Then how shall we be able to make our way through this atmospheric
+fog?"
+
+"Well, my worthy nephew, we must ballast ourselves by filling our
+pockets with stones," said Professor Hardwigg.
+
+"Faith, Uncle, you have an answer for everything," was my only reply.
+
+I began to feel that it was unwise of me to go any farther into the wide
+field of hypotheses for I should certainly have revived some difficulty,
+or rather impossibility, that would have enraged the Professor.
+
+It was evident, nevertheless, that the air under a pressure which might
+be multiplied by thousands of atmospheres, would end by becoming
+perfectly solid, and that then admitting our bodies resisted the
+pressure, we should have to stop, in spite of all the reasonings in the
+world. Facts overcome all arguments.
+
+But I thought it best not to urge this argument. My uncle would simply
+have quoted the example of Saknussemm. Supposing the learned Icelander's
+journey ever really to have taken place--there was one simple answer to
+be made:
+
+In the sixteenth century neither the barometer nor the manometer had
+been invented--how, then, could Saknussemm have been able to discover
+when he did reach the centre of the earth?
+
+This unanswerable and learned objection I, however, kept to myself and,
+bracing up my courage, awaited the course of events--little aware of how
+adventurous yet were to be the incidents of our remarkable journey.
+
+The rest of this day of leisure and repose was spent in calculation and
+conversation. I made it a point to agree with the Professor in
+everything; but I envied the perfect indifference of Hans, who, without
+taking any such trouble about the cause and effect, went blindly onwards
+wherever destiny chose to lead him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 23
+
+ALONE
+
+
+It must in all truth be confessed, things as yet had gone on well, and I
+should have acted in bad taste to have complained. If the true medium of
+our difficulties did not increase, it was within the range of
+possibility that we might ultimately reach the end of our journey. Then
+what glory would be ours! I began in the newly aroused ardor of my soul
+to speak enthusiastically to the Professor. Well, was I serious? The
+whole state in which we existed was a mystery--and it was impossible to
+know whether or not I was in earnest.
+
+For several days after our memorable halt, the slopes became more
+rapid--some were even of a most frightful character--almost vertical, so
+that we were forever going down into the solid interior mass. During
+some days, we actually descended a league and a half, even two leagues
+towards the centre of the earth. The descents were sufficiently
+perilous, and while we were engaged in them we learned fully to
+appreciate the marvelous coolness of our guide, Hans. Without him we
+should have been wholly lost. The grave and impassible Icelander devoted
+himself to us with the most incomprehensible sang-froid and ease; and,
+thanks to him, many a dangerous pass was got over, where, but for him,
+we should inevitably have stuck fast.
+
+His silence increased every day. I think that we began to be influenced
+by this peculiar trait in his character. It is certain that the
+inanimate objects by which you are surrounded have a direct action on
+the brain. It must be that a man who shuts himself up between four walls
+must lose the faculty of associating ideas and words. How many persons
+condemned to the horrors of solitary confinement have gone mad--simply
+because the thinking faculties have lain dormant!
+
+During the two weeks that followed our last interesting conversation,
+there occurred nothing worthy of being especially recorded.
+
+I have, while writing these memoirs, taxed my memory in vain for one
+incident of travel during this particular period.
+
+But the next event to be related is terrible indeed. Its very memory,
+even now, makes my soul shudder, and my blood run cold.
+
+It was on the seventh of August. Our constant and successive descents
+had taken us quite thirty leagues into the interior of the earth, that
+is to say that there were above us thirty leagues, nearly a hundred
+miles, of rocks, and oceans, and continents, and towns, to say nothing
+of living inhabitants. We were in a southeasterly direction, about two
+hundred leagues from Iceland.
+
+On that memorable day the tunnel had begun to assume an almost
+horizontal course.
+
+I was on this occasion walking on in front. My uncle had charge of one
+of the Ruhmkorff coils, I had possession of the other. By means of its
+light I was busy examining the different layers of granite. I was
+completely absorbed in my work.
+
+Suddenly halting and turning round, I found that I was alone!
+
+"Well," thought I to myself, "I have certainly been walking too fast--or
+else Hans and my uncle have stopped to rest. The best thing I can do is
+to go back and find them. Luckily, there is very little ascent to tire
+me."
+
+I accordingly retraced my steps and, while doing so, walked for at least
+a quarter of an hour. Rather uneasy, I paused and looked eagerly around.
+Not a living soul. I called aloud. No reply. My voice was lost amid the
+myriad cavernous echoes it aroused!
+
+I began for the first time to feel seriously uneasy. A cold shiver shook
+my whole body, and perspiration, chill and terrible, burst upon my skin.
+
+"I must be calm," I said, speaking aloud, as boys whistle to drive away
+fear. "There can be no doubt that I shall find my companions. There
+cannot be two roads. It is certain that I was considerably ahead; all I
+have to do is to go back."
+
+Having come to this determination I ascended the tunnel for at least
+half an hour, unable to decide if I had ever seen certain landmarks
+before. Every now and then I paused to discover if any loud appeal was
+made to me, well knowing that in that dense and intensified atmosphere I
+should hear it a long way off. But no. The most extraordinary silence
+reigned in this immense gallery. Only the echoes of my own footsteps
+could be heard.
+
+At last I stopped. I could scarcely realize the fact of my isolation. I
+was quite willing to think that I had made a mistake, but not that I was
+lost. If I had made a mistake, I might find my way; if lost--I shuddered
+to think of it.
+
+"Come, come," said I to myself, "since there is only one road, and they
+must come by it, we shall at last meet. All I have to do is still to go
+upwards. Perhaps, however, not seeing me, and forgetting I was ahead,
+they may have gone back in search of me. Still, even in this case, if I
+make haste, I shall get up to them. There can be no doubt about the
+matter."
+
+But as I spoke these last words aloud, it would have been quite clear to
+any listener--had there been one--that I was by no means convinced of
+the fact. Moreover in order to associate together these simple ideas and
+to reunite them under the form of reasoning, required some time. I could
+not all at once bring my brain to think.
+
+Then another dread doubt fell upon my soul. After all, was I ahead? Of
+course I was. Hans was no doubt following behind preceded by my uncle. I
+perfectly recollected his having stopped for a moment to strap his
+baggage on his shoulder. I now remembered this trifling detail. It was,
+I believe, just at that very moment that I had determined to continue my
+route.
+
+"Again," thought I, reasoning as calmly as was possible, "there is
+another sure means of not losing my way, a thread to guide me through
+the labyrinthine subterraneous retreat--one which I had forgotten--my
+faithful river."
+
+This course of reasoning roused my drooping spirits, and I resolved to
+resume my journey without further delay. No time was to be lost.
+
+It was at this moment that I had reason to bless the thoughtfulness of
+my uncle, when he refused to allow the eider hunter to close the
+orifices of the hot spring--that small fissure in the great mass of
+granite. This beneficent spring after having saved us from thirst during
+so many days would now enable me to regain the right road.
+
+Having come to this mental decision, I made up my mind, before I started
+upwards, that ablution would certainly do me a great deal of good.
+
+I stopped to plunge my hands and forehead in the pleasant water of the
+Hansbach stream, blessing its presence as a certain consolation.
+
+Conceive my horror and stupefaction!--I was treading a hard, dusty,
+shingly road of granite. The stream on which I reckoned had wholly
+disappeared!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 24
+
+LOST!
+
+
+No words in any human language can depict my utter despair. I was
+literally buried alive; with no other expectation before me but to die
+in all the slow horrible torture of hunger and thirst.
+
+Mechanically I crawled about, feeling the dry and arid rock. Never to my
+fancy had I ever felt anything so dry.
+
+But, I frantically asked myself, how had I lost the course of the
+flowing stream? There could be no doubt it had ceased to flow in the
+gallery in which I now was. Now I began to understand the cause of the
+strange silence which prevailed when last I tried if any appeal from my
+companions might perchance reach my ear.
+
+It so happened that when I first took an imprudent step in the wrong
+direction, I did not perceive the absence of the all-important stream.
+
+It was now quite evident that when we halted, another tunnel must have
+received the waters of the little torrent, and that I had unconsciously
+entered a different gallery. To what unknown depths had my companions
+gone? Where was I?
+
+How to get back! Clue or landmark there was absolutely none! My feet
+left no signs on the granite and shingle. My brain throbbed with agony
+as I tried to discover the solution of this terrible problem. My
+situation, after all sophistry and reflection, had finally to be summed
+up in three awful words--
+
+<i>Lost!</i> Lost!! LOST!!!
+
+Lost at a depth which, to my finite understanding, appeared to be
+immeasurable.
+
+These thirty leagues of the crust of the earth weighed upon my shoulders
+like the globe on the shoulders of Atlas. I felt myself crushed by the
+awful weight. It was indeed a position to drive the sanest man to
+madness!
+
+I tried to bring my thoughts back to the things of the world so long
+forgotten. It was with the greatest difficulty that I succeeded in doing
+so. Hamburg, the house on the Konigstrasse, my dear cousin Gretchen--all
+that world which had before vanished like a shadow floated before my now
+vivid imagination.
+
+There they were before me, but how unreal. Under the influence of a
+terrible hallucination I saw all the incidents of our journey pass
+before me like the scenes of a panorama. The ship and its inmates,
+Iceland, M. Fridriksson, and the great summit of Mount Sneffels! I said
+to myself that, if in my position I retained the most faint and shadowy
+outline of a hope, it would be a sure sign of approaching delirium. It
+were better to give way wholly to despair!
+
+In fact, did I but reason with calmness and philosophy, what human power
+was there in existence able to take me back to the surface of the earth,
+and ready, too, to split asunder, to rend in twain those huge and mighty
+vaults which stand above my head? Who could enable me to find my
+road--and regain my companions?
+
+Insensate folly and madness to entertain even a shadow of hope!
+
+"Oh, Uncle!" was my despairing cry.
+
+This was the only word of reproach which came to my lips; for I
+thoroughly understood how deeply and sorrowfully the worthy Professor
+would regret my loss, and how in his turn he would patiently seek for
+me.
+
+When I at last began to resign myself to the fact that no further aid
+was to be expected from man, and knowing that I was utterly powerless to
+do anything for my own salvation, I kneeled with earnest fervor and
+asked assistance from Heaven. The remembrance of my innocent childhood,
+the memory of my mother, known only in my infancy, came welling forth
+from my heart. I had recourse to prayer. And little as I had a right to
+be remembered by Him whom I had forgotten in the hour of prosperity, and
+whom I so tardily invoked, I prayed earnestly and sincerely.
+
+This renewal of my youthful faith brought about a much greater amount of
+calm, and I was enabled to concentrate all my strength and intelligence
+on the terrible realities of my unprecedented situation.
+
+I had about me that which I had at first wholly forgotten--three days'
+provisions. Moreover, my water bottle was quite full. Nevertheless, the
+one thing which it was impossible to do was to remain alone. Try to find
+my companions I must, at any price. But which course should I take?
+Should I go upwards, or again descend? Doubtless it was right to retrace
+my steps in an upward direction.
+
+By doing this with care and coolness, I must reach the point where I had
+turned away from the rippling stream. I must find the fatal bifurcation
+or fork. Once at this spot, once the river at my feet, I could, at all
+events, regain the awful crater of Mount Sneffels. Why had I not thought
+of this before? This, at last, was a reasonable hope of safety. The most
+important thing, then, to be done was to discover the bed of the
+Hansbach.
+
+After a slight meal and a draught of water, I rose like a giant
+refreshed. Leaning heavily on my pole, I began the ascent of the
+gallery. The slope was very rapid and rather difficult. But I advanced
+hopefully and carefully, like a man who at last is making his way out of
+a forest, and knows there is only one road to follow.
+
+During one whole hour nothing happened to check my progress. As I
+advanced, I tried to recollect the shape of the tunnel--to recall to my
+memory certain projections of rocks--to persuade myself that I had
+followed certain winding routes before. But no one particular sign could
+I bring to mind, and I was soon forced to allow that this gallery would
+never take me back to the point at which I had separated myself from my
+companions. It was absolutely without issue--a mere blind alley in the
+earth.
+
+The moment at length came when, facing the solid rock, I knew my fate,
+and fell inanimate on the arid floor!
+
+To describe the horrible state of despair and fear into which I then
+fell would now be vain and impossible. My last hope, the courage which
+had sustained me, drooped before the sight of this pitiless granite
+rock!
+
+Lost in a vast labyrinth, the sinuosities of which spread in every
+direction, without guide, clue or compass, I knew it was a vain and
+useless task to attempt flight. All that remained to me was to lie down
+and die. To lie down and die the most cruel and horrible of deaths!
+
+In my state of mind, the idea came into my head that one day perhaps,
+when my fossil bones were found, their discovery so far below the level
+of the earth might give rise to solemn and interesting scientific
+discussions.
+
+I tried to cry aloud, but hoarse, hollow, and inarticulate sounds alone
+could make themselves heard through my parched lips. I literally panted
+for breath.
+
+In the midst of all these horrible sources of anguish and despair, a new
+horror took possession of my soul. My lamp, by falling down, had got out
+of order. I had no means of repairing it. Its light was already becoming
+paler and paler, and soon would expire.
+
+With a strange sense of resignation and despair, I watched the luminous
+current in the coil getting less and less. A procession of shadows moved
+flashing along the granite wall. I scarcely dared to lower my eyelids,
+fearing to lose the last spark of this fugitive light. Every instant it
+seemed to me that it was about to vanish and to leave me forever--in
+utter darkness!
+
+At last, one final trembling flame remained in the lamp; I followed it
+with all my power of vision; I gasped for breath; I concentrated upon it
+all the power of my soul, as upon the last scintillation of light I was
+ever destined to see: and then I was to be lost forever in Cimmerian and
+tenebrous shades.
+
+A wild and plaintive cry escaped my lips. On earth during the most
+profound and comparatively complete darkness, light never allows a
+complete destruction and extinction of its power. Light is so diffuse,
+so subtle, that it permeates everywhere, and whatever little may remain,
+the retina of the eye will succeed in finding it. In this place
+nothing--the absolute obscurity made me blind in every sense.
+
+My head was now wholly lost. I raised my arms, trying the effects of the
+feeling in getting against the cold stone wall. It was painful in the
+extreme. Madness must have taken possession of me. I knew not what I
+did. I began to run, to fly, rushing at haphazard in this inextricable
+labyrinth, always going downwards, running wildly underneath the
+terrestrial crust, like an inhabitant of the subterranean furnaces,
+screaming, roaring, howling, until bruised by the pointed rocks, falling
+and picking myself up all covered with blood, seeking madly to drink the
+blood which dripped from my torn features, mad because this blood only
+trickled over my face, and watching always for this horrid wall which
+ever presented to me the fearful obstacle against which I could not dash
+my head.
+
+Where was I going? It was impossible to say. I was perfectly ignorant of
+the matter.
+
+Several hours passed in this way. After a long time, having utterly
+exhausted my strength, I fell a heavy inert mass along the side of the
+tunnel, and lost consciousness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 25
+
+THE WHISPERING GALLERY
+
+
+When at last I came back to a sense of life and being, my face was wet,
+but wet, as I soon knew, with tears. How long this state of
+insensibility lasted, it is quite impossible for me now to say. I had no
+means left to me of taking any account of time. Never since the creation
+of the world had such a solitude as mine existed. I was completely
+abandoned.
+
+After my fall I lost much blood. I felt myself flooded with the
+life-giving liquid. My first sensation was perhaps a natural one. Why
+was I not dead? Because I was alive, there was something left to do. I
+tried to make up my mind to think no longer. As far as I was able, I
+drove away all ideas, and utterly overcome by pain and grief, I crouched
+against the granite wall.
+
+I just commenced to feel the fainting coming on again, and the sensation
+that this was the last struggle before complete annihilation--when, on a
+sudden, a violent uproar reached my ears. It had some resemblance to the
+prolonged rumbling voice of thunder, and I clearly distinguished
+sonorous voices, lost one after the other, in the distant depths of the
+gulf.
+
+Whence came this noise? Naturally, it was to be supposed from new
+phenomena which were taking place in the bosom of the solid mass of
+Mother Earth! The explosion of some gaseous vapors, or the fall of some
+solid, of the granitic or other rock.
+
+Again I listened with deep attention. I was extremely anxious to hear if
+this strange and inexplicable sound was likely to be renewed! A whole
+quarter of an hour elapsed in painful expectation. Deep and solemn
+silence reigned in the tunnel. So still that I could hear the beatings
+of my own heart! I waited, waited with a strange kind of hopefulness.
+
+Suddenly my ear, which leaned accidentally against the wall, appeared to
+catch, as it were, the faintest echo of a sound. I thought that I heard
+vague, incoherent and distant voices. I quivered all over with
+excitement and hope!
+
+"It must be hallucination," I cried. "It cannot be! it is not true!"
+
+But no! By listening more attentively, I really did convince myself that
+what I heard was truly the sound of human voices. To make any meaning
+out of the sound, however, was beyond my power. I was too weak even to
+hear distinctly. Still it was a positive fact that someone was speaking.
+Of that I was quite certain.
+
+There was a moment of fear. A dread fell upon my soul that it might be
+my own words brought back to me by a distant echo. Perhaps without
+knowing it, I might have been crying aloud. I resolutely closed my lips,
+and once more placed my ear to the huge granite wall.
+
+Yes, for certain. It was in truth the sound of human voices.
+
+I now by the exercise of great determination dragged myself along the
+sides of the cavern, until I reached a point where I could hear more
+distinctly. But though I could detect the sound, I could only make out
+uncertain, strange, and incomprehensible words. They reached my ear as
+if they had been spoken in a low tone--murmured, as it were, afar off.
+
+At last, I made out the word forlorad repeated several times in a tone
+betokening great mental anguish and sorrow.
+
+What could this word mean, and who was speaking it? It must be either my
+uncle or the guide Hans! If, therefore, I could hear them, they must
+surely be able to hear me.
+
+"Help," I cried at the top of my voice; "help, I am dying!"
+
+I then listened with scarcely a breath; I panted for the slightest sound
+in the darkness--a cry, a sigh, a question! But silence reigned supreme.
+No answer came! In this way some minutes passed. A whole flood of ideas
+flashed through my mind. I began to fear that my voice, weakened by
+sickness and suffering, could not reach my companions who were in search
+of me.
+
+"It must be they," I cried; "who else could by any possibility be buried
+a hundred miles below the level of the earth?" The mere supposition was
+preposterous.
+
+I began, therefore, to listen again with the most breathless attention.
+As I moved my ears along the side of the place I was in, I found a
+mathematical point as it were, where the voices appeared to attain their
+maximum of intensity. The word forlorad again distinctly reached my ear.
+Then came again that rolling noise like thunder which had awakened me
+out of torpor.
+
+"I begin to understand," I said to myself after some little time devoted
+to reflection; "it is not through the solid mass that the sound reaches
+my ears. The walls of my cavernous retreat are of solid granite, and the
+most fearful explosion would not make uproar enough to penetrate them.
+The sound must come along the gallery itself. The place I was in must
+possess some peculiar acoustic properties of its own."
+
+Again I listened; and this time--yes, this time--I heard my name
+distinctly pronounced: cast as it were into space.
+
+It was my uncle, the Professor, who was speaking. He was in conversation
+with the guide, and the word which had so often reached my ears,
+forlorad, was a Danish expression.
+
+Then I understood it all. In order to make myself heard, I too must
+speak as it were along the side of the gallery, which would carry the
+sound of my voice just as the wire carries the electric fluid from point
+to point.
+
+But there was no time to lose. If my companions were only to remove a
+few feet from where they stood, the acoustic effect would be over, my
+Whispering Gallery would be destroyed. I again therefore crawled towards
+the wall, and said as clearly and distinctly as I could:
+
+"Uncle Hardwigg."
+
+I then awaited a reply.
+
+Sound does not possess the property of traveling with such extreme
+rapidity. Besides the density of the air at that depth from light and
+motion was very far from adding to the rapidity of circulation. Several
+seconds elapsed, which to my excited imagination, appeared ages; and
+these words reached my eager ears, and moved my wildly beating heart:
+
+"Harry, my boy, is that you?"
+
+A short delay between question and answer.
+
+"Yes--yes."
+
+..........
+
+"Where are you?"
+
+..........
+
+"Lost!"
+
+..........
+
+"And your lamp?"
+
+..........
+
+"Out."
+
+..........
+
+"But the guiding stream?"
+
+..........
+
+"Is lost!"
+
+..........
+
+"Keep your courage, Harry. We will do our best."
+
+..........
+
+"One moment, my uncle," I cried; "I have no longer strength to answer
+your questions. But--for heaven's sake--do you--continue--to speak--to
+me!" Absolute silence, I felt, would be annihilation.
+
+"Keep up your courage," said my uncle. "As you are so weak, do not
+speak. We have been searching for you in all directions, both by going
+upwards and downwards in the gallery. My dear boy, I had begun to give
+over all hope--and you can never know what bitter tears of sorrow and
+regret I have shed. At last, supposing you to be still on the road
+beside the Hansbach, we again descended, firing off guns as signals.
+Now, however, that we have found you, and that our voices reach each
+other, it may be a long time before we actually meet. We are conversing
+by means of some extraordinary acoustic arrangement of the labyrinth.
+But do not despair, my dear boy. It is something gained even to hear
+each other."
+
+While he was speaking, my brain was at work reflecting. A certain
+undefined hope, vague and shapeless as yet, made my heart beat wildly.
+In the first place, it was absolutely necessary for me to know one
+thing. I once more, therefore, leaned my head against the wall, which I
+almost touched with my lips, and again spoke.
+
+"Uncle."
+
+..........
+
+"My boy?" was his answer after a few moments.
+
+..........
+
+"It is of the utmost consequence that we should know how far we are
+asunder."
+
+..........
+
+"That is not difficult."
+
+..........
+
+"You have your chronometer at hand?" I asked.
+
+..........
+
+"Certainly."
+
+..........
+
+"Well, take it into your hand. Pronounce my name, noting exactly the
+second at which you speak. I will reply as soon as I hear your
+words--and you will then note exactly the moment at which my reply
+reaches you."
+
+..........
+
+"Very good; and the mean time between my question and your answer will
+be the time occupied by my voice in reaching you."
+
+..........
+
+"That is exactly what I mean, Uncle," was my eager reply.
+
+..........
+
+"Are you ready?"
+
+..........
+
+"Yes."
+
+..........
+
+"Well, make ready, I am about to pronounce your name," said the
+Professor.
+
+I applied my ear close to the sides of the cavernous gallery, and as
+soon as the word "Harry" reached my ear, I turned round and, placing my
+lips to the wall, repeated the sound.
+
+..........
+
+"Forty seconds," said my uncle. "There has elapsed forty seconds between
+the two words. The sound, therefore, takes twenty seconds to ascend.
+Now, allowing a thousand and twenty feet for every second--we have
+twenty thousand four hundred feet--a league and a half and one-eighth."
+
+These words fell on my soul like a kind of death knell.
+
+"A league and a half," I muttered in a low and despairing voice.
+
+..........
+
+"It shall be got over, my boy," cried my uncle in a cheery tone; "depend
+on us."
+
+..........
+
+"But do you know whether to ascend or descend?" I asked faintly enough.
+
+..........
+
+"We have to descend, and I will tell you why. You have reached a vast
+open space, a kind of bare crossroad, from which galleries diverge in
+every direction. That in which you are now lying must necessarily bring
+you to this point, for it appears that all these mighty fissures, these
+fractures of the globe's interior, radiate from the vast cavern which we
+at this moment occupy. Rouse yourself, then, have courage and continue
+your route. Walk if you can, if not drag yourself along--slide, if
+nothing else is possible. The slope must be rather rapid--and you will
+find strong arms to receive you at the end of your journey. Make a
+start, like a good fellow."
+
+These words served to rouse some kind of courage in my sinking frame.
+
+"Farewell for the present, good uncle, I am about to take my departure.
+As soon as I start, our voices will cease to commingle. Farewell, then,
+until we meet again."
+
+..........
+
+"Adieu, Harry--until we say Welcome." Such were the last words which
+reached my anxious ears before I commenced my weary and almost hopeless
+journey.
+
+This wonderful and surprising conversation which took place through the
+vast mass of the earth's labyrinth, these words exchanged, the speakers
+being about five miles apart--ended with hopeful and pleasant
+expressions. I breathed one more prayer to Heaven, I sent up words of
+thanksgiving--believing in my inmost heart that He had led me to the
+only place where the voices of my friends could reach my ears.
+
+This apparently astounding acoustic mystery is easily explainable by
+simple natural laws; it arose from the conductibility of the rock. There
+are many instances of this singular propagation of sound which are not
+perceptible in its less mediate positions. In the interior gallery of
+St. Paul's, and amid the curious caverns in Sicily, these phenomena are
+observable. The most marvelous of them all is known as the Ear of
+Dionysius.
+
+These memories of the past, of my early reading and studies, came fresh
+to my thoughts. Moreover, I began to reason that if my uncle and I could
+communicate at so great a distance, no serious obstacle could exist
+between us. All I had to do was to follow the direction whence the sound
+had reached me; and logically putting it, I must reach him if my
+strength did not fail.
+
+I accordingly rose to my feet. I soon found, however, that I could not
+walk; that I must drag myself along. The slope as I expected was very
+rapid; but I allowed myself to slip down.
+
+Soon the rapidity of the descent began to assume frightful proportions;
+and menaced a fearful fall. I clutched at the sides; I grasped at
+projections of rocks; I threw myself backwards. All in vain. My weakness
+was so great I could do nothing to save myself.
+
+Suddenly earth failed me.
+
+I was first launched into a dark and gloomy void. I then struck against
+the projecting asperities of a vertical gallery, a perfect well. My head
+bounded against a pointed rock, and I lost all knowledge of existence.
+As far as I was concerned, death had claimed me for his own.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 26
+
+A RAPID RECOVERY
+
+
+When I returned to the consciousness of existence, I found myself
+surrounded by a kind of semiobscurity, lying on some thick and soft
+coverlets. My uncle was watching--his eyes fixed intently on my
+countenance, a grave expression on his face, a tear in his eye. At the
+first sigh which struggled from my bosom, he took hold of my hand. When
+he saw my eyes open and fix themselves upon his, he uttered a loud cry
+of joy. "He lives! he lives!"
+
+"Yes, my good uncle," I whispered.
+
+"My dear boy," continued the grim Professor, clasping me to his heart,
+"you are saved!"
+
+I was deeply and unaffectedly touched by the tone in which these words
+were uttered, and even more by the kindly care which accompanied them.
+The Professor, however, was one of those men who must be severely tried
+in order to induce any display of affection or gentle emotion. At this
+moment our friend Hans, the guide, joined us. He saw my hand in that of
+my uncle, and I venture to say that, taciturn as he was, his eyes beamed
+with lively satisfaction.
+
+"God dag," he said.
+
+"Good day, Hans, good day," I replied, in as hearty a tone as I could
+assume, "and now, Uncle, that we are together, tell me where we are. I
+have lost all idea of our position, as of everything else."
+
+"Tomorrow, Harry, tomorrow," he replied. "Today you are far too weak.
+Your head is surrounded with bandages and poultices that must not be
+touched. Sleep, my boy, sleep, and tomorrow you will know all that you
+require."
+
+"But," I cried, "let me know what o'clock it is--what day it is?"
+
+"It is now eleven o'clock at night, and this is once more Sunday. It is
+now the ninth of the month of August. And I distinctly prohibit you from
+asking any more questions until the tenth of the same."
+
+I was, if the truth were told, very weak indeed, and my eyes soon closed
+involuntarily. I did require a good night's rest, and I went off
+reflecting at the last moment that my perilous adventure in the interior
+of the earth, in total darkness, had lasted four days!
+
+On the morning of the next day, at my awakening, I began to look around
+me. My sleeping place, made of all our traveling bedding, was in a
+charming grotto, adorned with magnificent stalagmites, glittering in all
+the colors of the rainbow, the floor of soft and silvery sand.
+
+A dim obscurity prevailed. No torch, no lamp was lighted, and yet
+certain unexplained beams of light penetrated from without, and made
+their way through the opening of the beautiful grotto.
+
+I, moreover, heard a vague and indefinite murmur, like the ebb and flow
+of waves upon a strand, and sometimes I verily believed I could hear the
+sighing of the wind.
+
+I began to believe that, instead of being awake, I must be dreaming.
+Surely my brain had not been affected by my fall, and all that occurred
+during the last twenty-four hours was not the frenzied visions of
+madness? And yet after some reflection, a trial of my faculties, I came
+to the conclusion that I could not be mistaken. Eyes and ears could not
+surely both deceive me.
+
+"It is a ray of the blessed daylight," I said to myself, "which has
+penetrated through some mighty fissure in the rocks. But what is the
+meaning of this murmur of waves, this unmistakable moaning of the
+salt-sea billows? I can hear, too, plainly enough, the whistling of the
+wind. But can I be altogether mistaken? If my uncle, during my illness,
+has but carried me back to the surface of the earth! Has he, on my
+account, given up his wondrous expedition, or in some strange manner has
+it come to an end?"
+
+I was puzzling my brain over these and other questions, when the
+Professor joined me.
+
+"Good day, Harry," he cried in a joyous tone. "I fancy you are quite
+well."
+
+"I am very much better," I replied, actually sitting up in my bed.
+
+"I knew that would be the end of it, as you slept both soundly and
+tranquilly. Hans and I have each taken turn to watch, and every hour we
+have seen visible signs of amelioration."
+
+"You must be right, Uncle," was my reply, "for I feel as if I could do
+justice to any meal you could put before me."
+
+"You shall eat, my boy, you shall eat. The fever has left you. Our
+excellent friend Hans has rubbed your wounds and bruises with I know not
+what ointment, of which the Icelanders alone possess the secret. And
+they have healed your bruises in the most marvelous manner. Ah, he's a
+wise fellow is Master Hans."
+
+While he was speaking, my uncle was placing before me several articles
+of food, which, despite his earnest injunctions, I readily devoured. As
+soon as the first rage of hunger was appeased, I overwhelmed him with
+questions, to which he now no longer hesitated to give answers.
+
+I then learned, for the first time, that my providential fall had
+brought me to the bottom of an almost perpendicular gallery. As I came
+down, amidst a perfect shower of stones, the least of which falling on
+me would have crushed me to death, they came to the conclusion that I
+had carried with me an entire dislocated rock. Riding as it were on this
+terrible chariot, I was cast headlong into my uncle's arms. And into
+them I fell, insensible and covered with blood.
+
+"It is indeed a miracle," was the Professor's final remark, "that you
+were not killed a thousand times over. But let us take care never to
+separate; for surely we should risk never meeting again."
+
+"Let us take care never again to separate."
+
+These words fell with a sort of chill upon my heart. The journey, then,
+was not over. I looked at my uncle with surprise and astonishment. My
+uncle, after an instant's examination of my countenance, said: "What is
+the matter, Harry?"
+
+"I want to ask you a very serious question. You say that I am all right
+in health?"
+
+"Certainly you are."
+
+"And all my limbs are sound and capable of new exertion?" I asked.
+
+"Most undoubtedly."
+
+"But what about my head?" was my next anxious question.
+
+"Well, your head, except that you have one or two contusions, is exactly
+where it ought to be--on your shoulders," said my uncle, laughing.
+
+"Well, my own opinion is that my head is not exactly right. In fact, I
+believe myself slightly delirious."
+
+"What makes you think so?"
+
+"I will explain why I fancy I have lost my senses," I cried. "Have we
+not returned to the surface of Mother Earth?"
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+"Then truly I must be mad, for do I not see the light of day? do I not
+hear the whistling of the wind? and can I not distinguish the wash of a
+great sea?"
+
+"And that is all that makes you uneasy?" said my uncle, with a smile.
+
+"Can you explain?"
+
+"I will not make any attempt to explain; for the whole matter is utterly
+inexplicable. But you shall see and judge for yourself. You will then
+find that geological science is as yet in its infancy--and that we are
+doomed to enlighten the world."
+
+"Let us advance, then," I cried eagerly, no longer able to restrain my
+curiosity.
+
+"Wait a moment, my dear Harry," he responded; "you must take precautions
+after your illness before going into the open air."
+
+"The open air?"
+
+"Yes, my boy. I have to warn you that the wind is rather violent--and I
+have no wish for you to expose yourself without necessary precautions."
+
+"But I beg to assure you that I am perfectly recovered from my illness."
+
+"Have just a little patience, my boy. A relapse would be inconvenient to
+all parties. We have no time to lose--as our approaching sea voyage may
+be of long duration."
+
+"Sea voyage?" I cried, more bewildered than ever.
+
+"Yes. You must take another day's rest, and we shall be ready to go on
+board by tomorrow," replied my uncle, with a peculiar smile.
+
+"Go on board!" The words utterly astonished me.
+
+Go on board--what and how? Had we come upon a river, a lake, had we
+discovered some inland sea? Was a vessel lying at anchor in some part of
+the interior of the earth?
+
+My curiosity was worked up to the very highest pitch. My uncle made vain
+attempts to restrain me. When at last, however, he discovered that my
+feverish impatience would do more harm than good--and that the
+satisfaction of my wishes could alone restore me to a calm state of
+mind--he gave way.
+
+I dressed myself rapidly--and then taking the precaution to please my
+uncle, of wrapping myself in one of the coverlets, I rushed out of the
+grotto.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 27
+
+THE CENTRAL SEA
+
+
+At first I saw absolutely nothing. My eyes, wholly unused to the
+effulgence of light, could not bear the sudden brightness; and I was
+compelled to close them. When I was able to reopen them, I stood still,
+far more stupefied than astonished. Not all the wildest effects of
+imagination could have conjured up such a scene! "The sea--the sea," I
+cried.
+
+"Yes," replied my uncle, in a tone of pardonable pride; "the Central
+Sea. No future navigator will deny the fact of my having discovered it;
+and hence of acquiring a right of giving it a name."
+
+It was quite true. A vast, limitless expanse of water, the end of a lake
+if not of an ocean, spread before us, until it was lost in the distance.
+The shore, which was very much indented, consisted of a beautiful soft
+golden sand, mixed with small shells, the long-deserted home of some of
+the creatures of a past age. The waves broke incessantly--and with a
+peculiarly sonorous murmur, to be found in underground localities. A
+slight frothy flake arose as the wind blew along the pellucid waters;
+and many a dash of spray was blown into my face. The mighty
+superstructure of rock which rose above to an inconceivable height left
+only a narrow opening--but where we stood, there was a large margin of
+strand. On all sides were capes and promontories and enormous cliffs,
+partially worn by the eternal breaking of the waves, through countless
+ages! And as I gazed from side to side, the mighty rocks faded away like
+a fleecy film of cloud.
+
+It was in reality an ocean, with all the usual characteristics of an
+inland sea, only horribly wild--so rigid, cold and savage.
+
+One thing startled and puzzled me greatly. How was it that I was able to
+look upon that vast sheet of water instead of being plunged in utter
+darkness? The vast landscape before me was lit up like day. But there
+was wanting the dazzling brilliancy, the splendid irradiation of the
+sun; the pale cold illumination of the moon; the brightness of the
+stars. The illuminating power in this subterranean region, from its
+trembling and Rickering character, its clear dry whiteness, the very
+slight elevation of its temperature, its great superiority to that of
+the moon, was evidently electric; something in the nature of the aurora
+borealis, only that its phenomena were constant, and able to light up
+the whole of the ocean cavern.
+
+The tremendous vault above our heads, the sky, so to speak, appeared to
+be composed of a conglomeration of nebulous vapors, in constant motion.
+I should originally have supposed that, under such an atmospheric
+pressure as must exist in that place, the evaporation of water could not
+really take place, and yet from the action of some physical law, which
+escaped my memory, there were heavy and dense clouds rolling along that
+mighty vault, partially concealing the roof. Electric currents produced
+astonishing play of light and shade in the distance, especially around
+the heavier clouds. Deep shadows were cast beneath, and then suddenly,
+between two clouds, there would come a ray of unusual beauty, and
+remarkable intensity. And yet it was not like the sun, for it gave no
+heat.
+
+The effect was sad and excruciatingly melancholy. Instead of a noble
+firmament of blue, studded with stars, there was above me a heavy roof
+of granite, which seemed to crush me.
+
+Gazing around, I began to think of the theory of the English captain who
+compared the earth to a vast hollow sphere in the interior of which the
+air is retained in a luminous state by means of atmospheric pressure,
+while two stars, Pluto and Proserpine, circled there in their mysterious
+orbits. After all, suppose the old fellow was right!
+
+In truth, we were imprisoned--bound as it were, in a vast excavation.
+Its width it was impossible to make out; the shore, on either hand,
+widening rapidly until lost to sight; while its length was equally
+uncertain. A haze on the distant horizon bounded our view. As to its
+height, we could see that it must be many miles to the roof. Looking
+upward, it was impossible to discover where the stupendous roof began.
+The lowest of the clouds must have been floating at an elevation of two
+thousand yards, a height greater than that of terrestrial vapors, which
+circumstance was doubtless owing to the extreme density of the air.
+
+I use the word "cavern" in order to give an idea of the place. I cannot
+describe its awful grandeur; human language fails to convey an idea of
+its savage sublimity. Whether this singular vacuum had or had not been
+caused by the sudden cooling of the earth when in a state of fusion, I
+could not say. I had read of most wonderful and gigantic caverns--but,
+none in any way like this.
+
+The great grotto of Guachara, in Colombia, visited by the learned
+Humboldt; the vast and partially explored Mammoth Cave in Kentucky--what
+were these holes in the earth to that in which I stood in speechless
+admiration! with its vapory clouds, its electric light, and the mighty
+ocean slumbering in its bosom! Imagination, not description, can alone
+give an idea of the splendor and vastness of the cave.
+
+I gazed at these marvels in profound silence. Words were utterly wanting
+to indicate the sensations of wonder I experienced. I seemed, as I stood
+upon that mysterious shore, as if I were some wandering inhabitant of a
+distant planet, present for the first time at the spectacle of some
+terrestrial phenomena belonging to another existence. To give body and
+existence to such new sensations would have required the coinage of new
+words--and here my feeble brain found itself wholly at fault. I looked
+on, I thought, I reflected, I admired, in a state of stupefaction not
+altogether unmingled with fear!
+
+The unexpected spectacle restored some color to my pallid cheeks. I
+seemed to be actually getting better under the influence of this
+novelty. Moreover, the vivacity of the dense atmosphere reanimated my
+body by inflating my lungs with unaccustomed oxygen.
+
+It will be readily conceived that after an imprisonment of forty-seven
+days, in a dark and miserable tunnel it was with infinite delight that I
+breathed this saline air. It was like the genial, reviving influence of
+the salt sea waves.
+
+My uncle had already got over the first surprise.
+
+With the Latin poet Horace his idea was that--
+
+     Not to admire is all the art I know,
+
+     To make man happy and to keep him so.
+
+
+"Well," he said, after giving me time thoroughly to appreciate the
+marvels of this underground sea, "do you feel strong enough to walk up
+and down?"
+
+"Certainly," was my ready answer, "nothing would give me greater
+pleasure."
+
+"Well then, my boy," he said, "lean on my arm, and we will stroll along
+the beach."
+
+I accepted his offer eagerly, and we began to walk along the shores of
+this extraordinary lake. To our left were abrupt rocks, piled one upon
+the other--a stupendous titanic pile; down their sides leaped
+innumerable cascades, which at last, becoming limpid and murmuring
+streams, were lost in the waters of the lake. Light vapors, which rose
+here and there, and floated in fleecy clouds from rock to rock,
+indicated hot springs, which also poured their superfluity into the vast
+reservoir at our feet.
+
+Among them I recognized our old and faithful stream, the Hansbach,
+which, lost in that wild basin, seemed as if it had been flowing since
+the creation of the world.
+
+"We shall miss our excellent friend," I remarked, with a deep sigh.
+
+"Bah!" said my uncle testily, "what matters it? That or another, it is
+all the same."
+
+I thought the remark ungrateful, and felt almost inclined to say so; but
+I forbore.
+
+At this moment my attention was attracted by an unexpected spectacle.
+After we had gone about five hundred yards, we suddenly turned a steep
+promontory, and found ourselves close to a lofty forest! It consisted of
+straight trunks with tufted tops, in shape like parasols. The air seemed
+to have no effect upon these trees--which in spite of a tolerable breeze
+remained as still and motionless as if they had been petrified.
+
+I hastened forward. I could find no name for these singular formations.
+Did they not belong to the two thousand and more known trees--or were we
+to make the discovery of a new growth? By no means. When we at last
+reached the forest, and stood beneath the trees, my surprise gave way to
+admiration.
+
+In truth, I was simply in the presence of a very ordinary product of the
+earth, of singular and gigantic proportions. My uncle unhesitatingly
+called them by their real names.
+
+"It is only," he said, in his coolest manner, "a forest of mushrooms."
+
+On close examination I found that he was not mistaken. Judge of the
+development attained by this product of damp hot soils. I had heard that
+the Lycoperdon giganteum reaches nine feet in circumference, but here
+were white mushrooms, nearly forty feet high, and with tops of equal
+dimensions. They grew in countless thousands--the light could not make
+its way through their massive substance, and beneath them reigned a
+gloomy and mystic darkness.
+
+Still I wished to go forward. The cold in the shades of this singular
+forest was intense. For nearly an hour we wandered about in this visible
+darkness. At length I left the spot, and once more returned to the
+shores of the lake, to light and comparative warmth.
+
+But the amazing vegetation of subterraneous land was not confined to
+gigantic mushrooms. New wonders awaited us at every step. We had not
+gone many hundred yards, when we came upon a mighty group of other trees
+with discolored leaves--the common humble trees of Mother Earth, of an
+exorbitant and phenomenal size: lycopods a hundred feet high; flowering
+ferns as tall as pines; gigantic grasses!
+
+"Astonishing, magnificent, splendid!" cried my uncle; "here we have
+before us the whole flora of the second period of the world, that of
+transition. Behold the humble plants of our gardens, which in the first
+ages of the world were mighty trees. Look around you, my dear Harry. No
+botanist ever before gazed on such a sight!"
+
+My uncle's enthusiasm, always a little more than was required, was now
+excusable.
+
+"You are right, Uncle," I remarked. "Providence appears to have designed
+the preservation in this vast and mysterious hothouse of antediluvian
+plants, to prove the sagacity of learned men in figuring them so
+marvelously on paper."
+
+"Well said, my boy--very well said; it is indeed a mighty hothouse. But
+you would also be within the bounds of reason and common sense, if you
+added that it is also a vast menagerie."
+
+I looked rather anxiously around. If the animals were as exaggerated as
+the plants, the matter would certainly be serious.
+
+"A menagerie?"
+
+"Doubtless. Look at the dust we are treading under foot--behold the
+bones with which the whole soil of the seashore is covered--"
+
+"Bones," I replied, "yes, certainly, the bones of antediluvian animals."
+
+I stooped down as I spoke, and picked up one or two singular remains,
+relics of a bygone age. It was easy to give a name to these gigantic
+bones, in some instances as big as trunks of trees.
+
+"Here is, clearly, the lower jawbone of a mastodon," I cried, almost as
+warmly and enthusiastically as my uncle; "here are the molars of the
+Dinotherium; here is a leg bone which belonged to the Megatherium. You
+are right, Uncle, it is indeed a menagerie; for the mighty animals to
+which these bones once belonged, have lived and died on the shores of
+this subterranean sea, under the shadow of these plants. Look, yonder
+are whole skeletons--and yet--"
+
+"And yet, nephew?" said my uncle, noticing that I suddenly came to a
+full stop.
+
+"I do not understand the presence of such beasts in granite caverns,
+however vast and prodigious," was my reply.
+
+"Why not?" said my uncle, with very much of his old professional
+impatience.
+
+"Because it is well known that animal life only existed on earth during
+the secondary period, when the sedimentary soil was formed by the
+alluviums, and thus replaced the hot and burning rocks of the primitive
+age."
+
+"I have listened to you earnestly and with patience, Harry, and I have a
+simple and clear answer to your objections: and that is, that this
+itself is a sedimentary soil."
+
+"How can that be at such enormous depth from the surface of the earth?"
+
+"The fact can be explained both simply and geologically. At a certain
+period, the earth consisted only of an elastic crust, liable to
+alternative upward and downward movements in virtue of the law of
+attraction. It is very probable that many a landslip took place in those
+days, and that large portions of sedimentary soil were cast into huge
+and mighty chasms."
+
+"Quite possible," I dryly remarked. "But, Uncle, if these antediluvian
+animals formerly lived in these subterranean regions, what more likely
+than that one of these monsters may at this moment be concealed behind
+one of yonder mighty rocks."
+
+As I spoke, I looked keenly around, examining with care every point of
+the horizon; but nothing alive appeared to exist on these deserted
+shores.
+
+I now felt rather fatigued, and told my uncle so. The walk and
+excitement were too much for me in my weak state. I therefore seated
+myself at the end of a promontory, at the foot of which the waves broke
+in incessant rolls. I looked round a bay formed by projections of vast
+granitic rocks. At the extreme end was a little port protected by huge
+pyramids of stones. A brig and three or four schooners might have lain
+there with perfect ease. So natural did it seem, that every minute my
+imagination induced me to expect a vessel coming out under all sail and
+making for the open sea under the influence of a warm southerly breeze.
+
+But the fantastic illusion never lasted more than a minute. We were the
+only living creatures in this subterranean world!
+
+During certain periods there was an utter cessation of wind, when a
+silence deeper, more terrible than the silence of the desert fell upon
+these solitary and arid rocks--and seemed to hang like a leaden weight
+upon the waters of this singular ocean. I sought, amid the awful
+stillness, to penetrate through the distant fog, to tear down the veil
+which concealed the mysterious distance. What unspoken words were
+murmured by my trembling lips--what questions did I wish to ask and did
+not! Where did this sea end--to what did it lead? Should we ever be able
+to examine its distant shores?
+
+But my uncle had no doubts about the matter. He was convinced that our
+enterprise would in the end be successful. For my part, I was in a state
+of painful indecision--I desired to embark on the journey and to
+succeed, and still I feared the result.
+
+After we had passed an hour or more in silent contemplation of the
+wondrous spectacle, we rose and went down towards the bank on our way to
+the grotto, which I was not sorry to gain. After a slight repast, I
+sought refuge in slumber, and at length, after many and tedious
+struggles, sleep came over my weary eyes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 28
+
+LAUNCHING THE RAFT
+
+
+On the morning of the next day, to my great surprise, I awoke completely
+restored. I thought a bath would be delightful after my long illness and
+sufferings. So, soon after rising, I went and plunged into the waters of
+this new Mediterranean. The bath was cool, fresh and invigorating.
+
+I came back to breakfast with an excellent appetite. Hans, our worthy
+guide, thoroughly understood how to cook such eatables as we were able
+to provide; he had both fire and water at discretion, so that he was
+enabled slightly to vary the weary monotony of our ordinary repast.
+
+Our morning meal was like a capital English breakfast, with coffee by
+way of a windup. And never had this delicious beverage been so welcome
+and refreshing.
+
+My uncle had sufficient regard for my state of health not to interrupt
+me in the enjoyment of the meal, but he was evidently delighted when I
+had finished.
+
+"Now then," said he, "come with me. It is the height of the tide, and I
+am anxious to study its curious phenomena."
+
+"What!"' I cried, rising in astonishment, "did you say the tide, Uncle?"
+
+"Certainly I did."
+
+"You do not mean to say," I replied, in a tone of respectful doubt,
+"that the influence of the sun and moon is felt here below."
+
+"And pray why not? Are not all bodies influenced by the law of universal
+attraction? Why should this vast underground sea be exempt from the
+general law, the rule of the universe? Besides, there is nothing like
+that which is proved and demonstrated. Despite the great atmospheric
+pressure down here, you will notice that this inland sea rises and falls
+with as much regularity as the Atlantic itself."
+
+As my uncle spoke, we reached the sandy shore, and saw and heard the
+waves breaking monotonously on the beach. They were evidently rising.
+
+"This is truly the flood," I cried, looking at the water at my feet.
+
+"Yes, my excellent nephew," replied my uncle, rubbing his hands with the
+gusto of a philosopher, "and you see by these several streaks of foam
+that the tide rises at least ten or twelve feet."
+
+"It is indeed marvelous."
+
+"By no means," he responded; "on the contrary, it is quite natural."
+
+"It may appear so in your eyes, my dear uncle," was my reply, "but all
+the phenomena of the place appear to me to partake of the marvelous. It
+is almost impossible to believe that which I see. Who in his wildest
+dreams could have imagined that, beneath the crust of our earth, there
+could exist a real ocean, with ebbing and flowing tides, with its
+changes of winds, and even its storms! I for one should have laughed the
+suggestion to scorn."
+
+"But, Harry, my boy, why not?" inquired my uncle, with a pitying smile;
+"is there any physical reason in opposition to it?"
+
+"Well, if we give up the great theory of the central heat of the earth,
+I certainly can offer no reasons why anything should be looked upon as
+impossible."
+
+"Then you will own," he added, "that the system of Sir Humphry Davy is
+wholly justified by what we have seen?"
+
+"I allow that it is--and that point once granted, I certainly can see no
+reason for doubting the existence of seas and other wonders, even
+countries, in the interior of the globe."
+
+"That is so--but of course these varied countries are uninhabited?"
+
+"Well, I grant that it is more likely than not: still, I do not see why
+this sea should not have given shelter to some species of unknown fish."
+
+"Hitherto we have not discovered any, and the probabilities are rather
+against our ever doing so," observed the Professor.
+
+I was losing my skepticism in the presence of these wonders.
+
+"Well, I am determined to solve the question. It is my intention to try
+my luck with my fishing line and hook."
+
+"Certainly; make the experiment," said my uncle, pleased with my
+enthusiasm. "While we are about it, it will certainly be only proper to
+discover all the secrets of this extraordinary region."
+
+"But, after all, where are we now?" I asked; "all this time I have quite
+forgotten to ask you a question, which, doubtless, your philosophical
+instruments have long since answered."
+
+"Well," replied the Professor, "examining the situation from only one
+point of view, we are now distant three hundred and fifty leagues from
+Iceland."
+
+"So much?" was my exclamation.
+
+"I have gone over the matter several times, and am sure not to have made
+a mistake of five hundred yards," replied my uncle positively.
+
+"And as to the direction--are we still going to the southeast?"
+
+"Yes, with a western declination[2] of nineteen degrees, forty-two
+minutes, just as it is above. As for the inclination[3] I have
+discovered a very curious fact."
+
+[2] The declination is the variation of the needle from the true
+meridian of a place.
+
+[3] Inclination is the dip of the magnetic needle with a tendency to
+incline towards the earth.
+
+"What may that be, Uncle? Your information interests me."
+
+"Why, that the needle instead of dipping towards the pole as it does on
+earth, in the northern hemisphere, has an upward tendency."
+
+"This proves," I cried, "that the great point of magnetic attraction
+lies somewhere between the surface of the earth and the spot we have
+succeeded in reaching."
+
+"Exactly, my observant nephew," exclaimed my uncle, elated and
+delighted, "and it is quite probable that if we succeed in getting
+toward the polar regions--somewhere near the seventy-third degree of
+latitude, where Sir James Ross discovered the magnetic pole, we shall
+behold the needle point directly upward. We have therefore discovered by
+analogy, that this great centre of attraction is not situated at a very
+great depth."
+
+"Well," said I, rather surprised, "this discovery will astonish
+experimental philosophers. It was never suspected."
+
+"Science, great, mighty and in the end unerring," replied my uncle
+dogmatically, "science has fallen into many errors--errors which have
+been fortunate and useful rather than otherwise, for they have been the
+steppingstones to truth."
+
+After some further discussion, I turned to another matter.
+
+"Have you any idea of the depth we have reached?"
+
+"We are now," continued the Professor, "exactly thirty-five
+leagues--above a hundred miles--down into the interior of the earth."
+
+"So," said I, after measuring the distance on the map, "we are now
+beneath the Scottish Highlands, and have over our heads the lofty
+Grampian Hills."
+
+"You are quite right," said the Professor, laughing; "it sounds very
+alarming, the weight being heavy--but the vault which supports this vast
+mass of earth and rock is solid and safe; the mighty Architect of the
+Universe has constructed it of solid materials. Man, even in his highest
+flights of vivid and poetic imagination, never thought of such things!
+What are the finest arches of our bridges, what the vaulted roofs of our
+cathedrals, to that mighty dome above us, and beneath which floats an
+ocean with its storms and calms and tides!"
+
+"I admire it all as much as you can, Uncle, and have no fear that our
+granite sky will fall upon our heads. But now that we have discussed
+matters of science and discovery, what are your future intentions? Are
+you not thinking of getting back to the surface of our beautiful earth?"
+
+This was said more as a feeler than with any hope of success.
+
+"Go back, nephew," cried my uncle in a tone of alarm, "you are not
+surely thinking of anything so absurd or cowardly. No, my intention is
+to advance and continue our journey. We have as yet been singularly
+fortunate, and henceforth I hope we shall be more so."
+
+"But," said I, "how are we to cross yonder liquid plain?"
+
+"It is not my intention to leap into it head foremost, or even to swim
+across it, like Leander over the Hellespont. But as oceans are, after
+all, only great lakes, inasmuch as they are surrounded by land, so does
+it stand to reason, that this central sea is circumscribed by granite
+surroundings."
+
+"Doubtless," was my natural reply.
+
+"Well, then, do you not think that when once we reach the other end, we
+shall find some means of continuing our journey?"
+
+"Probably, but what extent do you allow to this internal ocean?"
+
+"Well, I should fancy it to extend about forty or fifty leagues--more or
+less."
+
+"But even supposing this approximation to be a correct one--what then?"
+I asked.
+
+"My dear boy, we have no time for further discussion. We shall embark
+tomorrow."
+
+I looked around with surprise and incredulity. I could see nothing in
+the shape of boat or vessel.
+
+"What!" I cried, "we are about to launch out upon an unknown sea; and
+where, if I may ask, is the vessel to carry us?"
+
+"Well, my dear boy, it will not be exactly what you would call a vessel.
+For the present we must be content with a good and solid raft."
+
+"A raft," I cried, incredulously, "but down here a raft is as impossible
+of construction as a vessel--and I am at a loss to imagine--"
+
+"My good Harry--if you were to listen instead of talking so much, you
+would hear," said my uncle, waxing a little impatient.
+
+"I should hear?"
+
+"Yes--certain knocks with the hammer, which Hans is now employing to
+make the raft. He has been at work for many hours."
+
+"Making a raft?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But where has he found trees suitable for such a construction?"
+
+"He found the trees all ready to his hand. Come, and you shall see our
+excellent guide at work."
+
+More and more amazed at what I heard and saw, I followed my uncle like
+one in a dream.
+
+After a walk of about a quarter of an hour, I saw Hans at work on the
+other side of the promontory which formed our natural port. A few
+minutes more and I was beside him. To my great surprise, on the sandy
+shore lay a half-finished raft. It was made from beams of a very
+peculiar wood, and a great number of limbs, joints, boughs, and pieces
+lay about, sufficient to have constructed a fleet of ships and boats.
+
+I turned to my uncle, silent with astonishment and awe.
+
+"Where did all this wood come from?" I cried; "what wood is it?"
+
+"Well, there is pinewood, fir, and the palms of the northern regions,
+mineralized by the action of the sea," he replied, sententiously.
+
+"Can it be possible?"
+
+"Yes," said the learned Professor, "what you see is called fossil wood."
+
+"But then," cried I, after reflecting for a moment, "like the lignites,
+it must be as hard and as heavy as iron, and therefore will certainly
+not float."
+
+"Sometimes that is the case. Many of these woods have become true
+anthracites, but others again, like those you see before you, have only
+undergone one phase of fossil transformation. But there is no proof like
+demonstration," added my uncle, picking one or two of these precious
+waifs and casting them into the sea.
+
+The piece of wood, after having disappeared for a moment, came to the
+surface, and floated about with the oscillation produced by wind and
+tide.
+
+"Are you convinced?" said my uncle, with a self-satisfied smile.
+
+"I am convinced," I cried, "that what I see is incredible."
+
+The fact was that my journey into the interior of the earth was rapidly
+changing all preconceived notions, and day by day preparing me for the
+marvelous.
+
+I should not have been surprised to have seen a fleet of native canoes
+afloat upon that silent sea.
+
+The very next evening, thanks to the industry and ability of Hans, the
+raft was finished. It was about ten feet long and five feet wide. The
+beams bound together with stout ropes, were solid and firm, and once
+launched by our united efforts, the improvised vessel floated tranquilly
+upon the waters of what the Professor had well named the Central Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 29
+
+ON THE WATERS--A RAFT VOYAGE
+
+
+On the thirteenth of August we were up betimes. There was no time to be
+lost. We now had to inaugurate a new kind of locomotion, which would
+have the advantage of being rapid and not fatiguing.
+
+A mast, made of two pieces of wood fastened together, to give additional
+strength, a yard made from another one, the sail a linen sheet from our
+bed. We were fortunately in no want of cordage, and the whole on trial
+appeared solid and seaworthy.
+
+At six o'clock in the morning, when the eager and enthusiastic Professor
+gave the signal to embark, the victuals, the luggage, all our
+instruments, our weapons, and a goodly supply of sweet water, which we
+had collected from springs in the rocks, were placed on the raft.
+
+Hans had, with considerable ingenuity, contrived a rudder, which enabled
+him to guide the floating apparatus with ease. He took the tiller, as a
+matter of course. The worthy man was as good a sailor as he was a guide
+and duck hunter. I then let go the painter which held us to the shore,
+the sail was brought to the wind, and we made a rapid offing.
+
+Our sea voyage had at length commenced; and once more we were making for
+distant and unknown regions.
+
+Just as we were about to leave the little port where the raft had been
+constructed, my uncle, who was very strong as to geographic
+nomenclature, wanted to give it a name, and among others, suggested
+mine.
+
+"Well," said I, "before you decide I have another to propose."
+
+"Well; out with it."
+
+"I should like to call it Gretchen. Port Gretchen will sound very well
+on our future map."
+
+"Well then, Port Gretchen let it be," said the Professor.
+
+And thus it was that the memory of my dear girl was attached to our
+adventurous and memorable expedition.
+
+When we left the shore the wind was blowing from the northward and
+eastward. We went directly before the wind at a much greater speed than
+might have been expected from a raft. The dense layers of atmosphere at
+that depth had great propelling power and acted upon the sail with
+considerable force.
+
+At the end of an hour, my uncle, who had been taking careful
+observations, was enabled to judge of the rapidity with which we moved.
+It was far beyond anything seen in the upper world.
+
+"If," he said, "we continue to advance at our present rate, we shall
+have traveled at least thirty leagues in twenty-four hours. With a mere
+raft this is an almost incredible velocity."
+
+I certainly was surprised, and without making any reply went forward
+upon the raft. Already the northern shore was fading away on the edge of
+the horizon. The two shores appeared to separate more and more, leaving
+a wide and open space for our departure. Before me I could see nothing
+but the vast and apparently limitless sea--upon which we floated--the
+only living objects in sight.
+
+Huge and dark clouds cast their grey shadows below--shadows which seemed
+to crush that colorless and sullen water by their weight. Anything more
+suggestive of gloom and of regions of nether darkness I never beheld.
+Silvery rays of electric light, reflected here and there upon some small
+spots of water, brought up luminous sparkles in the long wake of our
+cumbrous bark. Presently we were wholly out of sight of land; not a
+vestige could be seen, nor any indication of where we were going. So
+still and motionless did we seem without any distant point to fix our
+eyes on that but for the phosphoric light at the wake of the raft I
+should have fancied that we were still and motionless.
+
+But I knew that we were advancing at a very rapid rate.
+
+About twelve o'clock in the day, vast collections of seaweed were
+discovered surrounding us on all sides. I was aware of the extraordinary
+vegetative power of these plants, which have been known to creep along
+the bottom of the great ocean, and stop the advance of large ships. But
+never were seaweeds ever seen, so gigantic and wonderful as those of the
+Central Sea. I could well imagine how, seen at a distance, tossing and
+heaving on the summit of the billows, the long lines of algae have been
+taken for living things, and thus have been fertile sources of the
+belief in sea serpents.
+
+Our raft swept past great specimens of fucus or seawrack, from three to
+four thousand feet in length, immense, incredibly long, looking like
+snakes that stretched out far beyond our horizon. It afforded me great
+amusement to gaze on their variegated ribbon-like endless lengths. Hour
+after hour passed without our coming to the termination of these
+floating weeds. If my astonishment increased, my patience was well-nigh
+exhausted.
+
+What natural force could possibly have produced such abnormal and
+extraordinary plants? What must have been the aspect of the globe,
+during the first centuries of its formation, when under the combined
+action of heat and humidity, the vegetable kingdom occupied its vast
+surface to the exclusion of everything else?
+
+These were considerations of never-ending interest for the geologist and
+the philosopher.
+
+All this while we were advancing on our journey; and at length night
+came; but as I had remarked the evening before, the luminous state of
+the atmosphere was in nothing diminished. Whatever was the cause, it was
+a phenomenon upon the duration of which we could calculate with
+certainty.
+
+As soon as our supper had been disposed of, and some little speculative
+conversation indulged in, I stretched myself at the foot of the mast,
+and presently went to sleep.
+
+Hans remained motionless at the tiller, allowing the raft to rise and
+fall on the waves. The wind being aft, and the sail square, all he had
+to do was to keep his oar in the centre.
+
+Ever since we had taken our departure from the newly named Port
+Gretchen, my worthy uncle had directed me to keep a regular log of our
+day's navigation, with instructions to put down even the most minute
+particulars, every interesting and curious phenomenon, the direction of
+the wind, our rate of sailing, the distance we went; in a word, every
+incident of our extraordinary voyage.
+
+From our log, therefore, I tell the story of our voyage on the Central
+Sea.
+
+
+Friday, August 14th. A steady breeze from the northwest. Raft
+progressing with extreme rapidity, and going perfectly straight. Coast
+still dimly visible about thirty leagues to leeward. Nothing to be seen
+beyond the horizon in front. The extraordinary intensity of the light
+neither increases nor diminishes. It is singularly stationary. The
+weather remarkably fine; that is to say, the clouds have ascended very
+high, and are light and fleecy, and surrounded by an atmosphere
+resembling silver in fusion.
+
+Thermometer, +32 degrees centigrade.
+
+About twelve o'clock in the day our guide Hans having prepared and
+baited a hook, cast his line into the subterranean waters. The bait he
+used was a small piece of meat, by means of which he concealed his hook.
+Anxious as I was, I was for a long time doomed to disappointment. Were
+these waters supplied with fish or not? That was the important question.
+No--was my decided answer. Then there came a sudden and rather hard tug.
+Hans coolly drew it in, and with it a fish, which struggled violently to
+escape.
+
+"A fish!" cried my uncle.
+
+"It is a sturgeon!" I cried, "certainly a small sturgeon."
+
+The Professor examined the fish carefully, noting every characteristic;
+and he did not coincide in my opinion. The fish had a flat head, round
+body, and the lower extremities covered with bony scales; its mouth was
+wholly without teeth, the pectoral fins, which were highly developed,
+sprouted direct from the body, which properly speaking had no tail. The
+animal certainly belonged to the order in which naturalists class the
+sturgeon, but it differed from that fish in many essential particulars.
+
+My uncle, after all, was not mistaken. After a long and patient
+examination, he said:
+
+"This fish, my dear boy, belongs to a family which has been extinct for
+ages, and of which no trace has ever been found on earth, except fossil
+remains in the Devonian strata."
+
+"You do not mean to say," I cried, "that we have captured a live
+specimen of a fish belonging to the primitive stock that existed before
+the deluge?"
+
+"We have," said the Professor, who all this time was continuing his
+observations, "and you may see by careful examination that these fossil
+fish have no identity with existing species. To hold in one's hand,
+therefore, a living specimen of the order, is enough to make a
+naturalist happy for life."
+
+"But," cried I, "to what family does it belong?"
+
+"To the order of Ganoides--an order of fish having angular scales,
+covered with bright enamel--forming one of the family of the
+Cephalaspides, of the genus--"
+
+"Well, sir," I remarked, as I noticed my uncle hesitated to conclude.
+
+"To the genus Pterychtis--yes, I am certain of it. Still, though I am
+confident of the correctness of my surmise, this fish offers to our
+notice a remarkable peculiarity, never known to exist in any other fish
+but those which are the natives of subterranean waters, wells, lakes, in
+caverns, and suchlike hidden pools."
+
+"And what may that be?"
+
+"It is blind."
+
+"Blind!" I cried, much surprised.
+
+"Not only blind," continued the Professor, "but absolutely without
+organs of sight."
+
+I now examined our discovery for myself. It was singular, to be sure,
+but it was really a fact. This, however, might be a solitary instance, I
+suggested. The hook was baited again and once more thrown into the
+water. This subterranean ocean must have been tolerably well supplied
+with fish, for in two hours we took a large number of Pterychtis, as
+well as other fish belonging to another supposed extinct family--the
+Dipterides (a genus of fish, furnished with two fins only, whence the
+name), though my uncle could not class it exactly. All, without
+exception, however, were blind. This unexpected capture enabled us to
+renew our stock of provisions in a very satisfactory way.
+
+We were now convinced that this subterranean sea contained only fish
+known to us as fossil specimens--and fish and reptiles alike were all
+the more perfect the farther back they dated their origin.
+
+We began to hope that we should find some of those saurians which
+science has succeeded in reconstructing from bits of bone or cartilage.
+
+I took up the telescope and carefully examined the horizon--looked over
+the whole sea; it was utterly and entirely deserted. Doubtless we were
+still too near the coast.
+
+After an examination of the ocean, I looked upward, towards the strange
+and mysterious sky. Why should not one of the birds reconstructed by the
+immortal Cuvier flap his stupendous wings aloft in the dull strata of
+subterranean air? It would, of course, find quite sufficient food from
+the fish in the sea. I gazed for some time upon the void above. It was
+as silent and as deserted as the shores we had but lately left.
+
+Nevertheless, though I could neither see nor discover anything, my
+imagination carried me away into wild hypotheses. I was in a kind of
+waking dream. I thought I saw on the surface of the water those enormous
+antediluvian turtles as big as floating islands. Upon those dull and
+somber shores passed a spectral row of the mammifers of early days, the
+great Liptotherium found in the cavernous hollow of the Brazilian hills,
+the Mesicotherium, a native of the glacial regions of Siberia.
+
+Farther on, the pachydermatous Lophrodon, that gigantic tapir, which
+concealed itself behind rocks, ready to do battle for its prey with the
+Anoplotherium, a singular animal partaking of the nature of the
+rhinoceros, the horse, the hippopotamus and the camel.
+
+There was the giant Mastodon, twisting and turning his horrid trunk,
+with which he crushed the rocks of the shore to powder, while the
+Megatherium--his back raised like a cat in a passion, his enormous claws
+stretched out, dug into the earth for food, at the same time that he
+awoke the sonorous echoes of the whole place with his terrible roar.
+
+Higher up still, the first monkey ever seen on the face of the globe
+clambered, gamboling and playing up the granite hills. Still farther
+away, ran the Pterodactyl, with the winged hand, gliding or rather
+sailing through the dense and compressed air like a huge bat.
+
+Above all, near the leaden granitic sky, were immense birds, more
+powerful than the cassowary and the ostrich, which spread their mighty
+wings and fluttered against the huge stone vault of the inland sea.
+
+I thought, such was the effect of my imagination, that I saw this whole
+tribe of antediluvian creatures. I carried myself back to far ages, long
+before man existed--when, in fact, the earth was in too imperfect a
+state for him to live upon it.
+
+My dream was of countless ages before the existence of man. The
+mammifers first disappeared, then the mighty birds, then the reptiles of
+the secondary period, presently the fish, the crustacea, the mollusks,
+and finally the vertebrata. The zoophytes of the period of transition in
+their turn sank into annihilation.
+
+The whole panorama of the world's life before the historic period,
+seemed to be born over again, and mine was the only human heart that
+beat in this unpeopled world! There were no more seasons; there were no
+more climates; the natural heat of the world increased unceasingly, and
+neutralized that of the great radiant Sun.
+
+Vegetation was exaggerated in an extraordinary manner. I passed like a
+shadow in the midst of brushwood as lofty as the giant trees of
+California, and trod underfoot the moist and humid soil, reeking with a
+rank and varied vegetation.
+
+I leaned against the huge column-like trunks of giant trees, to which
+those of Canada were as ferns. Whole ages passed, hundreds upon hundreds
+of years were concentrated into a single day.
+
+Next, unrolled before me like a panorama, came the great and wondrous
+series of terrestrial transformations. Plants disappeared; the granitic
+rocks lost all trace of solidity; the liquid state was suddenly
+substituted for that which had before existed. This was caused by
+intense heat acting on the organic matter of the earth. The waters
+flowed over the whole surface of the globe; they boiled; they were
+volatilized, or turned into vapor; a kind of steam cloud wrapped the
+whole earth, the globe itself becoming at last nothing but one huge
+sphere of gas, indescribable in color, between white heat and red, as
+big and as brilliant as the sun.
+
+In the very centre of this prodigious mass, fourteen hundred thousand
+times as large as our globe, I was whirled round in space, and brought
+into close conjunction with the planets. My body was subtilized, or
+rather became volatile, and commingled in a state of atomic vapor, with
+the prodigious clouds, which rushed forward like a mighty comet into
+infinite space!
+
+What an extraordinary dream! Where would it finally take me? My feverish
+hand began to write down the marvelous details--details more like the
+imaginings of a lunatic than anything sober and real. I had during this
+period of hallucination forgotten everything--the Professor, the guide,
+and the raft on which we were floating. My mind was in a state of
+semioblivion.
+
+"What is the matter, Harry?" said my uncle suddenly.
+
+My eyes, which were wide opened like those of a somnambulist, were fixed
+upon him, but I did not see him, nor could I clearly make out anything
+around me.
+
+"Take care, my boy," again cried my uncle, "you will fall into the sea."
+
+As he uttered these words, I felt myself seized on the other side by the
+firm hand of our devoted guide. Had it not been for the presence of mind
+of Hans, I must infallibly have fallen into the waves and been drowned.
+
+"Have you gone mad?" cried my uncle, shaking me on the other side.
+
+"What--what is the matter?" I said at last, coming to myself.
+
+"Are you ill, Henry?" continued the Professor in an anxious tone.
+
+"No--no; but I have had an extraordinary dream. It, however, has passed
+away. All now seems well," I added, looking around me with strangely
+puzzled eyes.
+
+"All right," said my uncle; "a beautiful breeze, a splendid sea. We are
+going along at a rapid rate, and if I am not out in my calculations we
+shall soon see land. I shall not be sorry to exchange the narrow limits
+of our raft for the mysterious strand of the subterranean ocean."
+
+As my uncle uttered these words, I rose and carefully scanned the
+horizon. But the line of water was still confounded with the lowering
+clouds that hung aloft, and in the distance appeared to touch the edge
+of the water.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 30
+
+TERRIFIC SAURIAN COMBAT
+
+
+Saturday, August 15th. The sea still retains its uniform monotony. The
+same leaden hue, the same eternal glare from above. No indication of
+land being in sight. The horizon appears to retreat before us, more and
+more as we advance.
+
+My head, still dull and heavy from the effects of my extraordinary
+dream, which I cannot as yet banish from my mind.
+
+The Professor, who has not dreamed, is, however, in one of his morose
+and unaccountable humors. Spends his time in scanning the horizon, at
+every point of the compass. His telescope is raised every moment to his
+eyes, and when he finds nothing to give any clue to our whereabouts, he
+assumes a Napoleonic attitude and walks anxiously.
+
+I remarked that my uncle, the Professor, had a strong tendency to resume
+his old impatient character, and I could not but make a note of this
+disagreeable circumstance in my journal. I saw clearly that it had
+required all the influence of my danger and suffering, to extract from
+him one scintillation of humane feeling. Now that I was quite recovered,
+his original nature had conquered and obtained the upper hand.
+
+And, after all, what had he to be angry and annoyed about, now more than
+at any other time? Was not the journey being accomplished under the most
+favorable circumstances? Was not the raft progressing with the most
+marvelous rapidity?
+
+What, then, could be the matter? After one or two preliminary hems, I
+determined to inquire.
+
+"You seem uneasy, Uncle," said I, when for about the hundredth time he
+put down his telescope and walked up and down, muttering to himself.
+
+"No, I am not uneasy," he replied in a dry harsh tone, "by no means."
+
+"Perhaps I should have said impatient," I replied, softening the force
+of my remark.
+
+"Enough to make me so, I think."
+
+"And yet we are advancing at a rate seldom attained by a raft," I
+remarked.
+
+"What matters that?" cried my uncle. "I am not vexed at the rate we go
+at, but I am annoyed to find the sea so much vaster than I expected."
+
+I then recollected that the Professor, before our departure, had
+estimated the length of this subterranean ocean as at most about thirty
+leagues. Now we had traveled at least over thrice that distance without
+discovering any trace of the distant shore. I began to understand my
+uncle's anger.
+
+"We are not going down," suddenly exclaimed the Professor. "We are not
+progressing with our great discoveries. All this is utter loss of time.
+After all, I did not come from home to undertake a party of pleasure.
+This voyage on a raft over a pond annoys and wearies me."
+
+He called this adventurous journey a party of pleasure, and this great
+inland sea a pond!
+
+"But," argued I, "if we have followed the route indicated by the great
+Saknussemm, we cannot be going far wrong."
+
+"'That is the question,' as the great, the immortal Shakespeare, has it.
+Are we following the route indicated by that wondrous sage? Did
+Saknussemm ever fall in with this great sheet of water? If he did, did
+he cross it? I begin to fear that the rivulet we adopted for a guide has
+led us wrong."
+
+"In any case, we can never regret having come thus far. It is worth the
+whole journey to have enjoyed this magnificent spectacle--it is
+something to have seen."
+
+"I care nothing about seeing, nor about magnificent spectacles. I came
+down into the interior of the earth with an object, and that object I
+mean to attain. Don't talk to me about admiring scenery, or any other
+sentimental trash."
+
+After this I thought it well to hold my tongue, and allow the Professor
+to bite his lips until the blood came, without further remark.
+
+At six o'clock in the evening, our matter-of-fact guide, Hans, asked for
+his week's salary, and receiving his three rix-dollars, put them
+carefully in his pocket. He was perfectly contented and satisfied.
+
+
+Sunday, August 16th. Nothing new to record. The same weather as before.
+The wind has a slight tendency to freshen up, with signs of an
+approaching gale. When I awoke, my first observation was in regard to
+the intensity of the light. I keep on fearing, day after day, that the
+extraordinary electric phenomenon should become first obscured, and then
+go wholly out, leaving us in total darkness. Nothing, however, of the
+kind occurs. The shadow of the raft, its mast and sails, is clearly
+distinguished on the surface of the water.
+
+This wondrous sea is, after all, infinite in its extent. It must be
+quite as wide as the Mediterranean--or perhaps even as the great
+Atlantic Ocean. Why, after all, should it not be so?
+
+My uncle has on more than one occasion, tried deep-sea soundings. He
+tied the cross of one of our heaviest crowbars to the extremity of a
+cord, which he allowed to run out to the extent of two hundred fathoms.
+We had the greatest difficulty in hoisting in our novel kind of lead.
+
+When the crowbar was finally dragged on board, Hans called my attention
+to some singular marks upon its surface. The piece of iron looked as if
+it had been crushed between two very hard substances.
+
+I looked at our worthy guide with an inquiring glance.
+
+"Tander," said he.
+
+Of course I was at a loss to understand. I turned round towards my
+uncle, absorbed in gloomy reflections. I had little wish to disturb him
+from his reverie. I accordingly turned once more towards our worthy
+Icelander.
+
+Hans very quietly and significantly opened his mouth once or twice, as
+if in the act of biting, and in this way made me understand his meaning.
+
+"Teeth!" cried I, with stupefaction, as I examined the bar of iron with
+more attention.
+
+Yes. There can be no doubt about the matter. The indentations on the bar
+of iron are the marks of teeth! What jaws must the owner of such molars
+be possessed of! Have we then, come upon a monster of unknown species,
+which still exists within the vast waste of waters--a monster more
+voracious than a shark, more terrible and bulky than the whale? I am
+unable to withdraw my eyes from the bar of iron, actually half crushed!
+
+Is, then, my dream about to come true--a dread and terrible reality?
+
+All day my thoughts were bent upon these speculations, and my
+imagination scarcely regained a degree of calmness and power of
+reflection until after a sleep of many hours.
+
+This day, as on other Sundays, we observed as a day of rest and pious
+meditation.
+
+
+Monday, August 17th. I have been trying to realize from memory the
+particular instincts of those antediluvian animals of the secondary
+period, which succeeding to the mollusca, to the crustacea, and to the
+fish, preceded the appearance of the race of mammifers. The generation
+of reptiles then reigned supreme upon the earth. These hideous monsters
+ruled everything in the seas of the secondary period, which formed the
+strata of which the Jura mountains are composed. Nature had endowed them
+with perfect organization. What a gigantic structure was theirs; what
+vast and prodigious strength they possessed!
+
+The existing saurians, which include all such reptiles as lizards,
+crocodiles, and alligators, even the largest and most formidable of
+their class, are but feeble imitations of their mighty sires, the
+animals of ages long ago. If there were giants in the days of old, there
+were also gigantic animals.
+
+I shuddered as I evolved from my mind the idea and recollection of these
+awful monsters. No eye of man had seen them in the flesh. They took
+their walks abroad upon the face of the earth thousands of ages before
+man came into existence, and their fossil bones, discovered in the
+limestone, have allowed us to reconstruct them anatomically, and thus to
+get some faint idea of their colossal formation.
+
+I recollect once seeing in the great Museum of Hamburg the skeleton of
+one of these wonderful saurians. It measured no less than thirty feet
+from the nose to the tail. Am I, then, an inhabitant of the earth of the
+present day, destined to find myself face to face with a representative
+of this antediluvian family? I can scarcely believe it possible; I can
+hardly believe it true. And yet these marks of powerful teeth upon the
+bar of iron! Can there be a doubt from their shape that the bite is the
+bite of a crocodile?
+
+My eyes stare wildly and with terror upon the subterranean sea. Every
+moment I expect one of these monsters to rise from its vast cavernous
+depths.
+
+I fancy that the worthy Professor in some measure shares my notions, if
+not my fears, for, after an attentive examination of the crowbar, he
+cast his eyes rapidly over the mighty and mysterious ocean.
+
+"What could possess him to leave the land," I thought, "as if the depth
+of this water was of any importance to us. No doubt he has disturbed
+some terrible monster in his watery home, and perhaps we may pay dearly
+for our temerity."
+
+Anxious to be prepared for the worst, I examined our weapons, and saw
+that they were in a fit state for use. My uncle looked on at me and
+nodded his head approvingly. He, too, has noticed what we have to fear.
+
+Already the uplifting of the waters on the surface indicates that
+something is in motion below. The danger approaches. It comes nearer and
+nearer. It behooves us to be on the watch.
+
+
+Tuesday, August 18th. Evening came at last, the hour when the desire for
+sleep caused our eyelids to be heavy. Night there is not, properly
+speaking, in this place, any more than there is in summer in the arctic
+regions. Hans, however, is immovable at the rudder. When he snatches a
+moment of rest I really cannot say. I take advantage of his vigilance to
+take some little repose.
+
+But two hours after I was awakened from a heavy sleep by an awful shock.
+The raft appeared to have struck upon a sunken rock. It was lifted right
+out of the water by some wondrous and mysterious power, and then started
+off twenty fathoms distant.
+
+"Eh, what is it?" cried my uncle starting up. "Are we shipwrecked, or
+what?"
+
+Hans raised his hand and pointed to where, about two hundred yards off,
+a large black mass was moving up and down.
+
+I looked with awe. My worst fears were realized.
+
+"It is a colossal monster!" I cried, clasping my hands.
+
+"Yes," cried the agitated Professor, "and there yonder is a huge sea
+lizard of terrible size and shape."
+
+"And farther on behold a prodigious crocodile. Look at his hideous jaws,
+and that row of monstrous teeth. Ha! he has gone."
+
+"A whale! a whale!" shouted the Professor, "I can see her enormous fins.
+See, see, how she blows air and water!"
+
+Two liquid columns rose to a vast height above the level of the sea,
+into which they fell with a terrific crash, waking up the echoes of that
+awful place. We stood still--surprised, stupefied, terror-stricken at
+the sight of this group of fearful marine monsters, more hideous in the
+reality than in my dream. They were of supernatural dimensions; the very
+smallest of the whole party could with ease have crushed our raft and
+ourselves with a single bite.
+
+Hans, seizing the rudder which had flown out of his hand, puts it hard
+aweather in order to escape from such dangerous vicinity; but no sooner
+does he do so, than he finds he is flying from Scylla to Charybdis. To
+leeward is a turtle about forty feet wide, and a serpent quite as long,
+with an enormous and hideous head peering from out the waters.
+
+Look which way we will, it is impossible for us to fly. The fearful
+reptiles advanced upon us; they turned and twisted about the raft with
+awful rapidity. They formed around our devoted vessel a series of
+concentric circles. I took up my rifle in desperation. But what effect
+can a rifle ball produce upon the armor scales with which the bodies of
+these horrid monsters are covered?
+
+We remain still and dumb from utter horror. They advance upon us, nearer
+and nearer. Our fate appears certain, fearful and terrible. On one side
+the mighty crocodile, on the other the great sea serpent. The rest of
+the fearful crowd of marine prodigies have plunged beneath the briny
+waves and disappeared!
+
+I am about to fire at any risk and try the effect of a shot. Hans, the
+guide, however, interfered by a sign to check me. The two hideous and
+ravenous monsters passed within fifty fathoms of the raft, and then made
+a rush at one another--their fury and rage preventing them from seeing
+us.
+
+The combat commenced. We distinctly made out every action of the two
+hideous monsters.
+
+But to my excited imagination the other animals appeared about to take
+part in the fierce and deadly struggle--the monster, the whale, the
+lizard, and the turtle. I distinctly saw them every moment. I pointed
+them out to the Icelander. But he only shook his head.
+
+"Tva," he said.
+
+"What--two only does he say. Surely he is mistaken," I cried in a tone
+of wonder.
+
+"He is quite right," replied my uncle coolly and philosophically,
+examining the terrible duel with his telescope and speaking as if he
+were in a lecture room.
+
+"How can that be?"
+
+"Yes, it is so. The first of these hideous monsters has the snout of a
+porpoise, the head of a lizard, the teeth of a crocodile; and it is this
+that has deceived us. It is the most fearful of all antediluvian
+reptiles, the world--renowned Ichthyosaurus or great fish lizard."
+
+"And the other?"
+
+"The other is a monstrous serpent, concealed under the hard vaulted
+shell of the turtle, the terrible enemy of its fearful rival, the
+Plesiosaurus, or sea crocodile."
+
+Hans was quite right. The two monsters only, disturbed the surface of
+the sea!
+
+At last have mortal eyes gazed upon two reptiles of the great primitive
+ocean! I see the flaming red eyes of the Ichthyosaurus, each as big, or
+bigger than a man's head. Nature in its infinite wisdom had gifted this
+wondrous marine animal with an optical apparatus of extreme power,
+capable of resisting the pressure of the heavy layers of water which
+rolled over him in the depths of the ocean where he usually fed. It has
+by some authors truly been called the whale of the saurian race, for it
+is as big and quick in its motions as our king of the seas. This one
+measures not less than a hundred feet in length, and I can form some
+idea of his girth when I see him lift his prodigious tail out of the
+waters. His jaw is of awful size and strength, and according to the
+best-informed naturalists, it does not contain less than a hundred and
+eighty-two teeth.
+
+The other was the mighty Plesiosaurus, a serpent with a cylindrical
+trunk, with a short stumpy tail, with fins like a bank of oars in a
+Roman galley.
+
+Its whole body covered by a carapace or shell, and its neck, as flexible
+as that of a swan, rose more than thirty feet above the waves, a tower
+of animated flesh!
+
+These animals attacked one another with inconceivable fury. Such a
+combat was never seen before by mortal eyes, and to us who did see it,
+it appeared more like the phantasmagoric creation of a dream than
+anything else. They raised mountains of water, which dashed in spray
+over the raft, already tossed to and fro by the waves. Twenty times we
+seemed on the point of being upset and hurled headlong into the waves.
+Hideous hisses appeared to shake the gloomy granite roof of that mighty
+cavern--hisses which carried terror to our hearts. The awful combatants
+held each other in a tight embrace. I could not make out one from the
+other. Still the combat could not last forever; and woe unto us,
+whichsoever became the victor.
+
+One hour, two hours, three hours passed away, without any decisive
+result. The struggle continued with the same deadly tenacity, but
+without apparent result. The deadly opponents now approached, now drew
+away from the raft. Once or twice we fancied they were about to leave us
+altogether, but instead of that, they came nearer and nearer.
+
+We crouched on the raft ready to fire at them at a moment's notice, poor
+as the prospect of hurting or terrifying them was. Still we were
+determined not to perish without a struggle.
+
+Suddenly the Ichthyosaurus and the Plesiosaurus disappeared beneath the
+waves, leaving behind them a maelstrom in the midst of the sea. We were
+nearly drawn down by the indraft of the water!
+
+Several minutes elapsed before anything was again seen. Was this
+wonderful combat to end in the depths of the ocean? Was the last act of
+this terrible drama to take place without spectators?
+
+It was impossible for us to say.
+
+Suddenly, at no great distance from us, an enormous mass rises out of
+the waters--the head of the great Plesiosaurus. The terrible monster is
+now wounded unto death. I can see nothing now of his enormous body. All
+that could be distinguished was his serpent-like neck, which he twisted
+and curled in all the agonies of death. Now he struck the waters with it
+as if it had been a gigantic whip, and then again wriggled like a worm
+cut in two. The water was spurted up to a great distance in all
+directions. A great portion of it swept over our raft and nearly blinded
+us. But soon the end of the beast approached nearer and nearer; his
+movements slackened visibly; his contortions almost ceased; and at last
+the body of the mighty snake lay an inert, dead mass on the surface of
+the now calm and placid waters.
+
+As for the Ichthyosaurus, has he gone down to his mighty cavern under
+the sea to rest, or will he reappear to destroy us?
+
+This question remained unanswered. And we had breathing time.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 31
+
+THE SEA MONSTER
+
+
+Wednesday, August 19th. Fortunately the wind, which for the present
+blows with some violence, has allowed us to escape from the scene of the
+unparalleled and extraordinary struggle. Hans with his usual
+imperturbable calm remained at the helm. My uncle, who for a short time
+had been withdrawn from his absorbing reveries by the novel incidents of
+this sea fight, fell back again apparently into a brown study. His eyes
+were fixed impatiently on the widespread ocean.
+
+Our voyage now became monotonous and uniform. Dull as it has become, I
+have no desire to have it broken by any repetition of the perils and
+adventures of yesterday.
+
+
+Thursday, August 20th. The wind is now N. N. E., and blows very
+irregularly. It has changed to fitful gusts. The temperature is
+exceedingly high. We are now progressing at the average rate of about
+ten miles and a half per hour.
+
+About twelve o'clock a distant sound as of thunder fell upon our ears. I
+make a note of the fact without even venturing a suggestion as to its
+cause. It was one continued roar as of a sea falling over mighty rocks.
+
+"Far off in the distance," said the Professor dogmatically, "there is
+some rock or some island against which the sea lashed to fury by the
+wind, is breaking violently."
+
+Hans, without saying a word, clambered to the top of the mast, but could
+make out nothing. The ocean was level in every direction as far as the
+eye could reach.
+
+Three hours passed away without any sign to indicate what might be
+before us. The sound began to assume that of a mighty cataract.
+
+I expressed my opinion on this point strongly to my uncle. He merely
+shook his head. I, however, am strongly impressed by a conviction that I
+am not wrong. Are we advancing towards some mighty waterfall which shall
+cast us into the abyss? Probably this mode of descending into the abyss
+may be agreeable to the Professor, because it would be something like
+the vertical descent he is so eager to make. I entertain a very
+different opinion.
+
+Whatever be the truth, it is certain that not many leagues distant there
+must be some very extraordinary phenomenon, for as we advance the roar
+becomes something mighty and stupendous. Is it in the water, or in the
+air?
+
+I cast hasty glances aloft at the suspended vapors, and I seek to
+penetrate their mighty depths. But the vault above is tranquil. The
+clouds, which are now elevated to the very summit, appear utterly still
+and motionless, and completely lost in the irradiation of electric
+light. It is necessary, therefore, to seek for the cause of this
+phenomenon elsewhere.
+
+I examine the horizon, now perfectly calm, pure, and free from all haze.
+Its aspect still remains unchanged. But if this awful noise proceeds
+from a cataract--if, so to speak in plain English, this vast interior
+ocean is precipitated into a lower basin--if these tremendous roars are
+produced by the noise of falling waters, the current would increase in
+activity, and its increasing swiftness would give me some idea of the
+extent of the peril with which we are menaced. I consult the current. It
+simply does not exist: there is no such thing. An empty bottle cast into
+the water lies to leeward without motion.
+
+About four o'clock Hans rises, clambers up the mast, and reaches the
+truck itself. From this elevated position his looks are cast around.
+They take in a vast circumference of the ocean. At last, his eyes remain
+fixed. His face expresses no astonishment, but his eyes slightly dilate.
+
+"He has seen something at last," cried my uncle.
+
+"I think so," I replied.
+
+Hans came down, stood beside us, and pointed with his right hand to the
+south.
+
+"Der nere," he said.
+
+"There," replied my uncle.
+
+And seizing his telescope, he looked at it with great attention for
+about a minute, which to me appeared an age. I knew not what to think or
+expect.
+
+"Yes, yes," he cried in a tone of considerable surprise, "there it is."
+
+"What?" I asked.
+
+"A tremendous spurt of water rising out of the waves."
+
+"Some other marine monster," I cried, already alarmed.
+
+"Perhaps."
+
+"Then let us steer more to the westward, for we know what we have to
+expect from antediluvian animals," was my eager reply.
+
+"Go ahead," said my uncle.
+
+I turned towards Hans. Hans was at the tiller steering with his usual
+imperturbable calm.
+
+Nevertheless, if from the distance which separated us from this
+creature, a distance which must be estimated at not less than a dozen
+leagues, one could see the column of water spurting from the blow-hole
+of the great animal, his dimensions must be something preternatural. To
+fly is, therefore, the course to be suggested by ordinary prudence. But
+we have not come into that part of the world to be prudent. Such is my
+uncle's determination.
+
+We, accordingly, continued to advance. The nearer we come, the loftier
+is the spouting water. What monster can fill himself with such huge
+volumes of water, and then unceasingly spout them out in such lofty
+jets?
+
+At eight o'clock in the evening, reckoning as above ground, where there
+is day and night, we are not more than two leagues from the mighty
+beast. Its long, black, enormous, mountainous body, lies on the top of
+the water like an island. But then sailors have been said to have gone
+ashore on sleeping whales, mistaking them for land. Is it illusion, or
+is it fear? Its length cannot be less than a thousand fathoms. What,
+then, is this cetaceous monster of which no Cuvier ever thought?
+
+It is quite motionless and presents the appearance of sleep. The sea
+seems unable to lift him upwards; it is rather the waves which break on
+his huge and gigantic frame. The waterspout, rising to a height of five
+hundred feet, breaks in spray with a dull, sullen roar.
+
+We advance, like senseless lunatics, towards this mighty mass.
+
+I honestly confess that I was abjectly afraid. I declared that I would
+go no farther. I threatened in my terror to cut the sheet of the sail. I
+attacked the Professor with considerable acrimony, calling him
+foolhardy, mad, I know not what. He made no answer.
+
+Suddenly the imperturbable Hans once more pointed his finger to the
+menacing object:
+
+"<i>Holme</i>!"
+
+"An island!" cried my uncle.
+
+"An island?" I replied, shrugging my shoulders at this poor attempt at
+deception.
+
+"Of course it is," cried my uncle, bursting into a loud and joyous
+laugh.
+
+"But the waterspout?"
+
+"Geyser," said Hans.
+
+"Yes, of course--a geyser," replied my uncle, still laughing, "a geyser
+like those common in Iceland. Jets like this are the great wonders of
+the country."
+
+At first I would not allow that I had been so grossly deceived. What
+could be more ridiculous than to have taken an island for a marine
+monster? But kick as one may, one must yield to evidence, and I was
+finally convinced of my error. It was nothing, after all, but a natural
+phenomenon.
+
+As we approached nearer and nearer, the dimensions of the liquid sheaf
+of waters became truly grand and stupendous. The island had, at a
+distance, presented the appearance of an enormous whale, whose head rose
+high above the waters. The geyser, a word the Icelanders pronounce
+geysir, and which signifies fury, rose majestically from its summit.
+Dull detonations are heard every now and then, and the enormous jet,
+taken as it were with sudden fury, shakes its plume of vapor, and bounds
+into the first layer of the clouds. It is alone. Neither spurts of vapor
+nor hot springs surround it, and the whole volcanic power of that region
+is concentrated in one sublime column. The rays of electric light mix
+with this dazzling sheaf, every drop as it falls assuming the prismatic
+colors of the rainbow.
+
+"Let us go on shore," said the Professor, after some minutes of silence.
+
+It is necessary, however, to take great precaution, in order to avoid
+the weight of falling waters, which would cause the raft to founder in
+an instant. Hans, however, steers admirably, and brings us to the other
+extremity of the island.
+
+I was the first to leap on the rock. My uncle followed, while the
+eider-duck hunter remained still, like a man above any childish sources
+of astonishment. We were now walking on granite mixed with siliceous
+sandstone; the soil shivered under our feet like the sides of boilers in
+which over-heated steam is forcibly confined. It is burning. We soon
+came in sight of the little central basin from which rose the geyser. I
+plunged a thermometer into the water which ran bubbling from the centre,
+and it marked a heat of a hundred and sixty-three degrees!
+
+This water, therefore, came from some place where the heat was intense.
+This was singularly in contradiction with the theories of Professor
+Hardwigg. I could not help telling him my opinion on the subject.
+
+"Well," said he sharply, "and what does this prove against my doctrine?"
+
+"Nothing," replied I dryly, seeing that I was running my head against a
+foregone conclusion.
+
+Nevertheless, I am compelled to confess that until now we have been most
+remarkably fortunate, and that this voyage is being accomplished in most
+favorable conditions of temperature; but it appears evident, in fact,
+certain, that we shall sooner or later arrive at one of those regions
+where the central heat will reach its utmost limits, and will go far
+beyond all the possible gradations of thermometers.
+
+Visions of the Hades of the ancients, believed to be in the centre of
+the earth, floated through my imagination.
+
+We shall, however, see what we shall see. That is the Professor's
+favorite phrase now. Having christened the volcanic island by the name
+of his nephew, the leader of the expedition turned away and gave the
+signal for embarkation.
+
+I stood still, however, for some minutes, gazing upon the magnificent
+geyser. I soon was able to perceive that the upward tendency of the
+water was irregular; now it diminished in intensity, and then, suddenly,
+it regained new vigor, which I attributed to the variation of the
+pressure of the accumulated vapors in its reservoir.
+
+At last we took our departure, going carefully round the projecting, and
+rather dangerous, rocks of the southern side. Hans had taken advantage
+of this brief halt to repair the raft.
+
+Before we took our final departure from the island, however, I made some
+observations to calculate the distance we had gone over, and I put them
+down in my journal. Since we left Port Gretchen, we had traveled two
+hundred and seventy leagues--more than eight hundred miles--on this
+great inland sea; we were, therefore, six hundred and twenty leagues
+from Iceland, and exactly under England.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 32
+
+THE BATTLE OF THE ELEMENTS
+
+
+Friday, August 21st. This morning the magnificent geyser had wholly
+disappeared. The wind had freshened up, and we were fast leaving the
+neighborhood of Henry's Island. Even the roaring sound of the mighty
+column was lost to the ear.
+
+The weather, if, under the circumstances, we may use such an expression,
+is about to change very suddenly. The atmosphere is being gradually
+loaded with vapors, which carry with them the electricity formed by the
+constant evaporation of the saline waters; the clouds are slowly but
+sensibly falling towards the sea, and are assuming a dark-olive texture;
+the electric rays can scarcely pierce through the opaque curtain which
+has fallen like a drop scene before this wondrous theater, on the stage
+of which another and terrible drama is soon to be enacted. This time it
+is no fight of animals; it is the fearful battle of the elements.
+
+I feel that I am very peculiarly influenced, as all creatures are on
+land when a deluge is about to take place.
+
+The cumuli, a perfectly oval kind of cloud, piled upon the south,
+presented a most awful and sinister appearance, with the pitiless aspect
+often seen before a storm. The air is extremely heavy; the sea is
+comparatively calm.
+
+In the distance, the clouds have assumed the appearance of enormous
+balls of cotton, or rather pods, piled one above the other in
+picturesque confusion. By degrees, they appear to swell out, break, and
+gain in number what they lose in grandeur; their heaviness is so great
+that they are unable to lift themselves from the horizon; but under the
+influence of the upper currents of air, they are gradually broken up,
+become much darker, and then present the appearance of one single layer
+of a formidable character; now and then a lighter cloud, still lit up
+from above, rebounds upon this grey carpet, and is lost in the opaque
+mass.
+
+There can be no doubt that the entire atmosphere is saturated with
+electric fluid; I am myself wholly impregnated; my hairs literally stand
+on end as if under the influence of a galvanic battery. If one of my
+companions ventured to touch me, I think he would receive rather a
+violent and unpleasant shock.
+
+About ten o'clock in the morning, the symptoms of the storm became more
+thorough and decisive; the wind appeared to soften down as if to take
+breath for a renewed attack; the vast funereal pall above us looked like
+a huge bag--like the cave of AEolus, in which the storm was collecting
+its forces for the attack.
+
+I tried all I could not to believe in the menacing signs of the sky, and
+yet I could not avoid saying, as it were involuntarily:
+
+"I believe we are going to have bad weather."
+
+The Professor made me no answer. He was in a horrible, in a detestable
+humor--to see the ocean stretching interminably before his eyes. On
+hearing my words he simply shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"We shall have a tremendous storm," I said again, pointing to the
+horizon. "These clouds are falling lower and lower upon the sea, as if
+to crush it."
+
+A great silence prevailed. The wind wholly ceased. Nature assumed a dead
+calm, and ceased to breathe. Upon the mast, where I noticed a sort of
+slight ignis fatuus, the sail hangs in loose heavy folds. The raft is
+motionless in the midst of a dark heavy sea--without undulation, without
+motion. It is as still as glass. But as we are making no progress, what
+is the use of keeping up the sail, which may be the cause of our
+perdition if the tempest should suddenly strike us without warning.
+
+"Let us lower the sail," I said, "it is only an act of common prudence."
+
+"No--no," cried my uncle, in an exasperated tone, "a hundred times, no.
+Let the wind strike us and do its worst, let the storm sweep us away
+where it will--only let me see the glimmer of some coast--of some rocky
+cliffs, even if they dash our raft into a thousand pieces. No! keep up
+the sail--no matter what happens."
+
+These words were scarcely uttered when the southern horizon underwent a
+sudden and violent change. The long accumulated vapors were resolved
+into water, and the air required to fill up the void produced became a
+wild and raging tempest.
+
+It came from the most distant corners of the mighty cavern. It raged
+from every point of the compass. It roared; it yelled; it shrieked with
+glee as of demons let loose. The darkness increased and became indeed
+darkness visible.
+
+The raft rose and fell with the storm, and bounded over the waves. My
+uncle was cast headlong upon the deck. I with great difficulty dragged
+myself towards him. He was holding on with might and main to the end of
+a cable, and appeared to gaze with pleasure and delight at the spectacle
+of the unchained elements.
+
+Hans never moved a muscle. His long hair driven hither and thither by
+the tempest and scattered wildly over his motionless face, gave him a
+most extraordinary appearance--for every single hair was illuminated by
+little sparkling sprigs.
+
+His countenance presents the extraordinary appearance of an antediluvian
+man, a true contemporary of the Megatherium.
+
+Still the mast holds good against the storm. The sail spreads out and
+fills like a soap bubble about to burst. The raft rushes on at a pace
+impossible to estimate, but still less swiftly than the body of water
+displaced beneath it, the rapidity of which may be seen by the lines
+which fly right and left in the wake.
+
+"The sail, the sail!" I cried, making a trumpet of my hands, and then
+endeavoring to lower it.
+
+"Let it alone!" said my uncle, more exasperated than ever.
+
+"<i>Nej</i>," said Hans, gently shaking his head.
+
+Nevertheless, the rain formed a roaring cataract before this horizon of
+which we were in search, and to which we were rushing like madmen.
+
+But before this wilderness of waters reached us, the mighty veil of
+cloud was torn in twain; the sea began to foam wildly; and the
+electricity, produced by some vast and extraordinary chemical action in
+the upper layer of cloud, is brought into play. To the fearful claps of
+thunder are added dazzling flashes of lightning, such as I had never
+seen. The flashes crossed one another, hurled from every side; while the
+thunder came pealing like an echo. The mass of vapor becomes
+incandescent; the hailstones which strike the metal of our boots and our
+weapons are actually luminous; the waves as they rise appear to be
+fire-eating monsters, beneath which seethes an intense fire, their
+crests surmounted by combs of flame.
+
+My eyes are dazzled, blinded by the intensity of light, my ears are
+deafened by the awful roar of the elements. I am compelled to hold onto
+the mast, which bends like a reed beneath the violence of the storm, to
+which none ever before seen by mariners bore any resemblance.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Here my traveling notes become very incomplete, loose and vague. I have
+only been able to make out one or two fugitive observations, jotted down
+in a mere mechanical way. But even their brevity, even their obscurity,
+show the emotions which overcame me.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Sunday, August 23rd. Where have we got to? In what region are we
+wandering? We are still carried forward with inconceivable rapidity.
+
+The night has been fearful, something not to be described. The storm
+shows no signs of cessation. We exist in the midst of an uproar which
+has no name. The detonations as of artillery are incessant. Our ears
+literally bleed. We are unable to exchange a word, or hear each other
+speak.
+
+The lightning never ceases to flash for a single instant. I can see the
+zigzags after a rapid dart strike the arched roof of this mightiest of
+mighty vaults. If it were to give way and fall upon us! Other lightnings
+plunge their forked streaks in every direction, and take the form of
+globes of fire, which explode like bombshells over a beleaguered city.
+The general crash and roar do not apparently increase; it has already
+gone far beyond what human ear can appreciate. If all the powder
+magazines in the world were to explode together, it would be impossible
+for us to hear worse noise.
+
+There is a constant emission of light from the storm clouds; the
+electric matter is incessantly released; evidently the gaseous
+principles of the air are out of order; innumerable columns of water
+rush up like waterspouts, and fall back upon the surface of the ocean in
+foam.
+
+Whither are we going? My uncle still lies at full length upon the raft,
+without speaking--without taking any note of time.
+
+The heat increases. I look at the thermometer, to my surprise it
+indicates--<i>The exact figure is here rubbed out in my manuscript.</i>
+
+
+Monday, August 24th. This terrible storm will never end. Why should not
+this state of the atmosphere, so dense and murky, once modified, again
+remain definitive?
+
+We are utterly broken and harassed by fatigue. Hans remains just as
+usual. The raft runs to the southeast invariably. We have now already
+run two hundred leagues from the newly discovered island.
+
+About twelve o'clock the storm became worse than ever. We are obliged
+now to fasten every bit of cargo tightly on the deck of the raft, or
+everything would be swept away. We make ourselves fast, too, each man
+lashing the other. The waves drive over us, so that several times we are
+actually under water.
+
+We had been under the painful necessity of abstaining from speech for
+three days and three nights. We opened our mouths, we moved our lips,
+but no sound came. Even when we placed our mouths to each other's ears
+it was the same.
+
+The wind carried the voice away.
+
+My uncle once contrived to get his head close to mine after several
+almost vain endeavors. He appeared to my nearly exhausted senses to
+articulate some word. I had a notion, more from intuition than anything
+else, that he said to me, "We are lost."
+
+I took out my notebook, from which under the most desperate
+circumstances I never parted, and wrote a few words as legibly as I
+could:
+
+"Take in sail."
+
+With a deep sigh he nodded his head and acquiesced.
+
+His head had scarcely time to fall back in the position from which he
+had momentarily raised it than a disk or ball of fire appeared on the
+very edge of the raft--our devoted, our doomed craft. The mast and sail
+are carried away bodily, and I see them swept away to a prodigious
+height like a kite.
+
+We were frozen, actually shivered with terror. The ball of fire, half
+white, half azure-colored, about the size of a ten-inch bombshell, moved
+along, turning with prodigious rapidity to leeward of the storm. It ran
+about here, there, and everywhere, it clambered up one of the bulwarks
+of the raft, it leaped upon the sack of provisions, and then finally
+descended lightly, fell like a football and landed on our powder barrel.
+
+Horrible situation. An explosion of course was now inevitable.
+
+By heaven's mercy, it was not so.
+
+The dazzling disk moved on one side, it approached Hans, who looked at
+it with singular fixity; then it approached my uncle, who cast himself
+on his knees to avoid it; it came towards me, as I stood pale and
+shuddering in the dazzling light and heat; it pirouetted round my feet,
+which I endeavored to withdraw.
+
+An odor of nitrous gas filled the whole air; it penetrated to the
+throat, to the lungs. I felt ready to choke.
+
+Why is it that I cannot withdraw my feet? Are they riveted to the
+flooring of the raft?
+
+No.
+
+The fall of the electric globe has turned all the iron on board into
+loadstones--the instruments, the tools, the arms are clanging together
+with awful and horrible noise; the nails of my heavy boots adhere
+closely to the plate of iron incrustated in the wood. I cannot withdraw
+my foot.
+
+It is the old story again of the mountain of adamant.
+
+At last, by a violent and almost superhuman effort, I tear it away just
+as the ball which is still executing its gyratory motions is about to
+run round it and drag me with it--if--
+
+Oh, what intense stupendous light! The globe of fire bursts--we are
+enveloped in cascades of living fire, which flood the space around with
+luminous matter.
+
+Then all went out and darkness once more fell upon the deep! I had just
+time to see my uncle once more cast apparently senseless on the flooring
+of the raft, Hans at the helm, "spitting fire" under the influence of
+the electricity which seemed to have gone through him.
+
+Whither are we going, I ask? and echo answers, Whither?
+
+.............
+
+Tuesday, August 25th. I have just come out of a long fainting fit. The
+awful and hideous storm still continues; the lightning has increased in
+vividness, and pours out its fiery wrath like a brood of serpents let
+loose in the atmosphere.
+
+Are we still upon the sea? Yes, and being carried along with incredible
+velocity.
+
+We have passed under England, under the Channel, under France, probably
+under the whole extent of Europe.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Another awful clamor in the distance. This time it is certain that the
+sea is breaking upon the rocks at no great distance. Then--
+
+..............
+
+..............
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 33
+
+OUR ROUTE REVERSED
+
+
+Here ends what I call "My Journal" of our voyage on board the raft,
+which journal was happily saved from the wreck. I proceed with my
+narrative as I did before I commenced my daily notes.
+
+What happened when the terrible shock took place, when the raft was cast
+upon the rocky shore, it would be impossible for me now to say. I felt
+myself precipitated violently into the boiling waves, and if I escaped
+from a certain and cruel death, it was wholly owing to the determination
+of the faithful Hans, who, clutching me by the arm, saved me from the
+yawning abyss.
+
+The courageous Icelander then carried me in his powerful arms, far out
+of the reach of the waves, and laid me down upon a burning expanse of
+sand, where I found myself some time afterwards in the company of my
+uncle, the Professor.
+
+Then he quietly returned towards the fatal rocks, against which the
+furious waves were beating, in order to save any stray waifs from the
+wreck. This man was always practical and thoughtful. I could not utter a
+word; I was quite overcome with emotion; my whole body was broken and
+bruised with fatigue; it took hours before I was anything like myself.
+
+Meanwhile, there fell a fearful deluge of rain, drenching us to the
+skin. Its very violence, however, proclaimed the approaching end of the
+storm. Some overhanging rocks afforded us a slight protection from the
+torrents.
+
+Under this shelter, Hans prepared some food, which, however, I was
+unable to touch; and, exhausted by the three weary days and nights of
+watching, we fell into a deep and painful sleep. My dreams were fearful,
+but at last exhausted nature asserted her supremacy, and I slumbered.
+
+Next day when I awoke the change was magical. The weather was
+magnificent. Air and sea, as if by mutual consent, had regained their
+serenity. Every trace of the storm, even the faintest, had disappeared.
+I was saluted on my awakening by the first joyous tones I had heard from
+the Professor for many a day. His gaiety, indeed, was something
+terrible.
+
+"Well, my lad," he cried, rubbing his hands together, "have you slept
+soundly?"
+
+Might it not have been supposed that we were in the old house on the
+Konigstrasse; that I had just come down quietly to my breakfast; and
+that my marriage with Gretchen was to take place that very day? My
+uncle's coolness was exasperating.
+
+Alas, considering how the tempest had driven us in an easterly
+direction, we had passed under the whole of Germany, under the city of
+Hamburg where I had been so happy, under the very street which contained
+all I loved and cared for in the world.
+
+It was a positive fact that I was only separated from her by a distance
+of forty leagues. But these forty leagues were of hard, impenetrable
+granite!
+
+All these dreary and miserable reflections passed through my mind,
+before I attempted to answer my uncle's question.
+
+"Why, what is the matter?" he cried. "Cannot you say whether you have
+slept well or not?"
+
+"I have slept very well," was my reply, "but every bone in my body
+aches. I suppose that will lead to nothing."
+
+"Nothing at all, my boy. It is only the result of the fatigue of the
+last few days--that is all."
+
+"You appear--if I may be allowed to say so--to be very jolly this
+morning," I said.
+
+"Delighted, my dear boy, delighted. Was never happier in my life. We
+have at last reached the wished-for port."
+
+"The end of our expedition?" cried I, in a tone of considerable
+surprise.
+
+"No; but to the confines of that sea which I began to fear would never
+end, but go round the whole world. We will now tranquilly resume our
+journey by land, and once again endeavor to dive into the centre of the
+earth."
+
+"My dear uncle," I began, in a hesitating kind of way, "allow me to ask
+you one question."
+
+"Certainly, Harry; a dozen if you think proper."
+
+"One will suffice. How about getting back?" I asked.
+
+"How about getting back? What a question to ask. We have not as yet
+reached the end of our journey."
+
+"I know that. All I want to know is how you propose we shall manage the
+return voyage?"
+
+"In the most simple manner in the world," said the imperturbable
+Professor. "Once we reach the exact centre of this sphere, either we
+shall find a new road by which to ascend to the surface, or we shall
+simply turn round and go back by the way we came. I have every reason to
+believe that while we are traveling forward, it will not close behind
+us."
+
+"Then one of the first matters to see to will be to repair the raft,"
+was my rather melancholy response.
+
+"Of course. We must attend to that above all things," continued the
+Professor.
+
+"Then comes the all-important question of provisions," I urged. "Have we
+anything like enough left to enable us to accomplish such great, such
+amazing, designs as you contemplate carrying out?"
+
+"I have seen into the matter, and my answer is in the affirmative. Hans
+is a very clever fellow, and I have reason to believe that he has saved
+the greater part of the cargo. But the best way to satisfy your scruples
+is to come and judge for yourself."
+
+Saying which, he led the way out of the kind of open grotto in which we
+had taken shelter. I had almost begun to hope that which I should rather
+have feared, and this was the impossibility of such a shipwreck leaving
+even the slightest signs of what it had carried as freight. I was,
+however, thoroughly mistaken.
+
+As soon as I reached the shores of this inland sea, I found Hans
+standing gravely in the midst of a large number of things laid out in
+complete order. My uncle wrung his hands with deep and silent gratitude.
+His heart was too full for speech.
+
+This man, whose superhuman devotion to his employers I not only never
+saw surpassed, nor even equaled, had been hard at work all the time we
+slept, and at the risk of his life had succeeded in saving the most
+precious articles of our cargo.
+
+Of course, under the circumstances, we necessarily experienced several
+severe losses. Our weapons had wholly vanished. But experience had
+taught us to do without them. The provision of powder had, however,
+remained intact, after having narrowly escaped blowing us all to atoms
+in the storm.
+
+"Well," said the Professor, who was now ready to make the best of
+everything, "as we have no guns, all we have to do is to give up all
+idea of hunting."
+
+"Yes, my dear sir, we can do without them, but what about all our
+instruments?"
+
+"Here is the manometer, the most useful of all, and which I gladly
+accept in lieu of the rest. With it alone I can calculate the depth as
+we proceed; by its means alone I shall be able to decide when we have
+reached the centre of the earth. Ha, ha! but for this little instrument
+we might make a mistake, and run the risk of coming out at the
+antipodes!"
+
+All this was said amid bursts of unnatural laughter.
+
+"But the compass," I cried, "without that what can we do?"
+
+"Here it is, safe and sound!" he cried, with real joy, "ah, ah, and here
+we have the chronometer and the thermometers. Hans the hunter is indeed
+an invaluable man!"
+
+It was impossible to deny this fact. As far as the nautical and other
+instruments were concerned, nothing was wanting. Then on further
+examination, I found ladders, cords, pickaxes, crowbars, and shovels,
+all scattered about on the shore.
+
+There was, however, finally the most important question of all, and that
+was, provisions.
+
+"But what are we to do for food?" I asked.
+
+"Let us see to the commissariat department", replied my uncle gravely.
+
+The boxes which contained our supply of food for the voyage were placed
+in a row along the strand, and were in a capital state of preservation;
+the sea had in every case respected their contents, and to sum up in one
+sentence, taking into consideration, biscuits, salt meat, Schiedam and
+dried fish, we could still calculate on having about four months'
+supply, if used with prudence and caution.
+
+"Four months," cried the sanguine Professor in high glee. "Then we shall
+have plenty of time both to go and to come, and with what remains I
+undertake to give a grand dinner to my colleagues of the Johanneum."
+
+I sighed. I should by this time have become used to the temperament of
+my uncle, and yet this man astonished me more and more every day. He was
+the greatest human enigma I ever had known.
+
+"Now," he, "before we do anything else, we must lay in a stock of fresh
+water. The rain has fallen in abundance, and filled the hollows of the
+granite. There is a rich supply of water, and we have no fear of
+suffering from thirst, which in our circumstances is of the last
+importance. As for the raft, I shall recommend Hans to repair it to the
+best of his abilities; though I have every reason to believe we shall
+not require it again."
+
+"How is that?" I cried, more amazed than ever at my uncle's style of
+reasoning.
+
+"I have an idea, my dear boy; it is none other than this simple fact; we
+shall not come out by the same opening as that by which we entered."
+
+I began to look at my uncle with vague suspicion. An idea had more than
+once taken possession of me; and this was, that he was going mad. And
+yet, little did I think how true and prophetic his words were doomed to
+be.
+
+"And now," he said, "having seen to all these matters of detail, to
+breakfast."
+
+I followed him to a sort of projecting cape, after he had given his last
+instructions to our guide. In this original position, with dried meat,
+biscuit, and a delicious cup of tea, we made a satisfactory meal--I may
+say one of the most welcome and pleasant I ever remember. Exhaustion,
+the keen atmosphere, the state of calm after so much agitation, all
+contributed to give me an excellent appetite. Indeed, it contributed
+very much to producing a pleasant and cheerful state of mind.
+
+While breakfast was in hand, and between the sips of warm tea, I asked
+my uncle if he had any idea of how we now stood in relation to the world
+above.
+
+"For my part," I added, "I think it will be rather difficult to
+determine."
+
+"Well, if we were compelled to fix the exact spot," said my uncle, "it
+might be difficult, since during the three days of that awful tempest I
+could keep no account either of the quickness of our pace, or of the
+direction in which the raft was going. Still, we will endeavor to
+approximate to the truth. We shall not, I believe, be so very far out."
+
+"Well, if I recollect rightly," I replied, "our last observation was
+made at the geyser island."
+
+"Harry's Island, my boy! Harry's Island. Do not decline the honor of
+having named it; given your name to an island discovered by us, the
+first human beings who trod it since the creation of the world!"
+
+"Let it be so, then. At Harry's Island we had already gone over two
+hundred and seventy leagues of sea, and we were, I believe, about six
+hundred leagues, more or less, from Iceland."
+
+"Good. I am glad to see that you remember so well. Let us start from
+that point, and let us count four days of storm, during which our rate
+of traveling must have been very great. I should say that our velocity
+must have been about eighty leagues to the twenty-four hours."
+
+I agreed that I thought this a fair calculation. There were then three
+hundred leagues to be added to the grand total.
+
+"Yes, and the Central Sea must extend at least six hundred leagues from
+side to side. Do you know, my boy, Harry, that we have discovered an
+inland lake larger than the Mediterranean?"
+
+"Certainly, and we only know of its extent in one way. It may be
+hundreds of miles in length."
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"Then," said I, after calculating for some for some minutes, "if your
+previsions are right, we are at this moment exactly under the
+Mediterranean itself."
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"Yes, I am almost certain of it. Are we not nine hundred leagues distant
+from Reykjavik?"
+
+"That is perfectly true, and a famous bit of road we have traveled, my
+boy. But why we should be under the Mediterranean more than under Turkey
+or the Atlantic Ocean can only be known when we are sure of not having
+deviated from our course; and of this we know nothing."
+
+"I do not think we were driven very far from our course; the wind
+appears to me to have been always about the same. My opinion is that
+this shore must be situated to the southeast of Port Gretchen."
+
+"Good--I hope so. It will, however, be easy to decide the matter by
+taking the bearings from our departure by means of the compass. Come
+along, and we will consult that invaluable invention."
+
+The Professor now walked eagerly in the direction of the rock where the
+indefatigable Hans had placed the instruments in safety. My uncle was
+gay and lighthearted; he rubbed his hands, and assumed all sorts of
+attitudes. He was to all appearance once more a young man. Since I had
+known him, never had he been so amiable and pleasant. I followed him,
+rather curious to know whether I had made any mistake in my estimation
+of our position.
+
+As soon as we had reached the rock, my uncle took the compass, placed it
+horizontally before him, and looked keenly at the needle.
+
+As he had at first shaken it to give it vivacity, it oscillated
+considerably, and then slowly assumed its right position under the
+influence of the magnetic power.
+
+The Professor bent his eyes curiously over the wondrous instrument. A
+violent start immediately showed the extent of his emotion.
+
+He closed his eyes, rubbed them, and took another and a keener survey.
+
+Then he turned slowly round to me, stupefaction depicted on his
+countenance.
+
+"What is the matter?" said I, beginning to be alarmed.
+
+He could not speak. He was too overwhelmed for words. He simply pointed
+to the instrument.
+
+I examined it eagerly according to his mute directions, and a loud cry
+of surprise escaped my lips. The needle of the compass pointed due
+north--in the direction we expected was the south!
+
+It pointed to the shore instead of to the high seas.
+
+I shook the compass; I examined it with a curious and anxious eye. It
+was in a state of perfection. No blemish in any way explained the
+phenomenon. Whatever position we forced the needle into, it returned
+invariably to the same unexpected point.
+
+It was useless attempting to conceal from ourselves the fatal truth.
+
+There could be no doubt about it, unwelcome as was the fact, that during
+the tempest, there had been a sudden slant of wind, of which we had been
+unable to take any account, and thus the raft had carried us back to the
+shores we had left, apparently forever, so many days before!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 34
+
+A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY
+
+
+It would be altogether impossible for me to give any idea of the utter
+astonishment which overcame the Professor on making this extraordinary
+discovery. Amazement, incredulity, and rage were blended in such a way
+as to alarm me.
+
+During the whole course of my Life I had never seen a man at first so
+chapfallen; and then so furiously indignant.
+
+The terrible fatigues of our sea voyage, the fearful dangers we had
+passed through, had all, all, gone for nothing. We had to begin them all
+over again.
+
+Instead of progressing, as we fondly expected, during a voyage of so
+many days, we had retreated. Every hour of our expedition on the raft
+had been so much lost time!
+
+Presently, however, the indomitable energy of my uncle overcame every
+other consideration.
+
+"So," he said, between his set teeth, "fatality will play me these
+terrible tricks. The elements themselves conspire to overwhelm me with
+mortification. Air, fire, and water combine their united efforts to
+oppose my passage. Well, they shall see what the earnest will of a
+determined man can do. I will not yield, I will not retreat even one
+inch; and we shall see who shall triumph in this great contest--man or
+nature."
+
+Standing upright on a rock, irritated and menacing, Professor Hardwigg,
+like the ferocious Ajax, seemed to defy the fates. I, however, took upon
+myself to interfere, and to impose some sort of check upon such
+insensate enthusiasm.
+
+"Listen to me, Uncle," I said, in a firm but temperate tone of voice,
+"there must be some limit to ambition here below. It is utterly useless
+to struggle against the impossible. Pray listen to reason. We are
+utterly unprepared for a sea voyage; it is simply madness to think of
+performing a journey of five hundred leagues upon a wretched pile of
+beams, with a counterpane for a sail, a paltry stick for a mast, and a
+tempest to contend with. As we are totally incapable of steering our
+frail craft, we shall become the mere plaything of the storm, and it is
+acting the part of madmen if we, a second time, run any risk upon this
+dangerous and treacherous Central Sea."
+
+These are only a few of the reasons and arguments I put
+together--reasons and arguments which to me appeared unanswerable. I was
+allowed to go on without interruption for about ten minutes. The
+explanation to this I soon discovered. The Professor was not even
+listening, and did not hear a word of all my eloquence.
+
+"To the raft!" he cried in a hoarse voice, when I paused for a reply.
+
+Such was the result of my strenuous effort to resist his iron will. I
+tried again; I begged and implored him; I got into a passion; but I had
+to deal with a will more determined than my own. I seemed to feel like
+the waves which fought and battled against the huge mass of granite at
+our feet, which had smiled grimly for so many ages at their puny
+efforts.
+
+Hans, meanwhile, without taking part in our discussion, had been
+repairing the raft. One would have supposed that he instinctively
+guessed at the further projects of my uncle.
+
+By means of some fragments of cordage, he had again made the raft
+seaworthy.
+
+While I had been speaking, he had hoisted a new mast and sail, the
+latter already fluttering and waving in the breeze.
+
+The worthy Professor spoke a few words to our imperturbable guide, who
+immediately began to put our baggage on board and to prepare for our
+departure. The atmosphere was now tolerably clear and pure, and the
+northeast wind blew steadily and serenely. It appeared likely to last
+for some time.
+
+What, then, could I do? Could I undertake to resist the iron will of two
+men? It was simply impossible if even I could have hoped for the support
+of Hans. This, however, was out of the question. It appeared to me that
+the Icelander had set aside all personal will and identity. He was a
+picture of abnegation.
+
+I could hope for nothing from one so infatuated with and devoted to his
+master. All I could do, therefore, was to swim with the stream.
+
+In a mood of stolid and sullen resignation, I was about to take my
+accustomed place on the raft when my uncle placed his hand upon my
+shoulder.
+
+"There is no hurry, my boy," he said, "we shall not start until
+tomorrow."
+
+I looked the picture of resignation to the dire will of fate.
+
+"Under the circumstances," he said, "I ought to neglect no precautions.
+As fate has cast me upon these shores, I shall not leave without having
+completely examined them."
+
+In order to understand this remark, I must explain that though we had
+been driven back to the northern shore, we had landed at a very
+different spot from that which had been our starting point.
+
+Port Gretchen must, we calculated, be very much to the westward.
+Nothing, therefore, was more natural and reasonable than that we should
+reconnoiter this new shore upon which we had so unexpectedly landed.
+
+"Let us go on a journey of discovery," I cried.
+
+And leaving Hans to his important operation, we started on our
+expedition. The distance between the foreshore at high water and the
+foot of the rocks was considerable. It would take about half an hour's
+walking to get from one to the other.
+
+As we trudged along, our feet crushed innumerable shells of every shape
+and size--once the dwelling place of animals of every period of
+creation.
+
+I particularly noticed some enormous shells--carapaces (turtle and
+tortoise species) the diameter of which exceeded fifteen feet.
+
+They had in past ages belonged to those gigantic Glyptodons of the
+Pliocene period, of which the modern turtle is but a minute specimen. In
+addition, the whole soil was covered by a vast quantity of stony relics,
+having the appearance of flints worn by the action of the waves, and
+lying in successive layers one above the other. I came to the conclusion
+that in past ages the sea must have covered the whole district. Upon the
+scattered rocks, now lying far beyond its reach, the mighty waves of
+ages had left evident marks of their passage.
+
+On reflection, this appeared to me partially to explain the existence of
+this remarkable ocean, forty leagues below the surface of the earth's
+crust. According to my new, and perhaps fanciful, theory, this liquid
+mass must be gradually lost in the deep bowels of the earth. I had also
+no doubt that this mysterious sea was fed by infiltration of the ocean
+above, through imperceptible fissures.
+
+Nevertheless, it was impossible not to admit that these fissures must
+now be nearly choked up, for if not, the cavern, or rather the immense
+and stupendous reservoir, would have been completely filled in a short
+space of time. Perhaps even this water, having to contend against the
+accumulated subterraneous fires of the interior of the earth, had become
+partially vaporized. Hence the explanation of those heavy clouds
+suspended over our heads, and the superabundant display of that
+electricity which occasioned such terrible storms in this deep and
+cavernous sea.
+
+This lucid explanation of the phenomena we had witnessed appeared to me
+quite satisfactory. However great and mighty the marvels of nature may
+seem to us, they are always to be explained by physical reasons.
+Everything is subordinate to some great law of nature.
+
+It now appeared clear that we were walking upon a kind of sedimentary
+soil, formed like all the soils of that period, so frequent on the
+surface of the globe, by the subsidence of the waters. The Professor,
+who was now in his element, carefully examined every rocky fissure. Let
+him only find an opening and it directly became important to him to
+examine its depth.
+
+For a whole mile we followed the windings of the Central Sea, when
+suddenly an important change took place in the aspect of the soil. It
+seemed to have been rudely cast up, convulsionized, as it were, by a
+violent upheaving of the lower strata. In many places, hollows here and
+hillocks there attested great dislocations at some other period of the
+terrestrial mass.
+
+We advanced with great difficulty over the broken masses of granite
+mixed with flint, quartz, and alluvial deposits, when a large field,
+more even than a field, a plain of bones, appeared suddenly before our
+eyes! It looked like an immense cemetery, where generation after
+generation had mingled their mortal dust.
+
+Lofty barrows of early remains rose at intervals. They undulated away to
+the limits of the distant horizon and were lost in a thick and brown
+fog.
+
+On that spot, some three square miles in extent, was accumulated the
+whole history of animal life--scarcely one creature upon the
+comparatively modern soil of the upper and inhabited world had not there
+existed.
+
+Nevertheless, we were drawn forward by an all-absorbing and impatient
+curiosity. Our feet crushed with a dry and crackling sound the remains
+of those prehistoric fossils, for which the museums of great cities
+quarrel, even when they obtain only rare and curious morsels. A thousand
+such naturalists as Cuvier would not have sufficed to recompose the
+skeletons of the organic beings which lay in this magnificent osseous
+collection.
+
+I was utterly confounded. My uncle stood for some minutes with his arms
+raised on high towards the thick granite vault which served us for a
+sky. His mouth was wide open; his eyes sparkled wildly behind his
+spectacles (which he had fortunately saved), his head bobbed up and down
+and from side to side, while his whole attitude and mien expressed
+unbounded astonishment.
+
+He stood in the presence of an endless, wondrous, and inexhaustibly rich
+collection of antediluvian monsters, piled up for his own private and
+peculiar satisfaction.
+
+Fancy an enthusiastic lover of books carried suddenly into the very
+midst of the famous library of Alexandria burned by the sacrilegious
+Omar, and which some miracle had restored to its pristine splendor! Such
+was something of the state of mind in which Uncle Hardwigg was now
+placed.
+
+For some time he stood thus, literally aghast at the magnitude of his
+discovery.
+
+But it was even a greater excitement when, darting wildly over this mass
+of organic dust, he caught up a naked skull and addressed me in a
+quivering voice:
+
+"Harry, my boy--Harry--this is a human head!"
+
+"A human head, Uncle!" I said, no less amazed and stupefied than
+himself.
+
+"Yes, nephew. Ah! Mr. Milne-Edwards--ah! Mr. De Quatrefages--why are you
+not here where I am--I, Professor Hardwigg!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 35
+
+DISCOVERY UPON DISCOVERY
+
+
+In order fully to understand the exclamation made by my uncle, and his
+allusions to these illustrious and learned men, it will be necessary to
+enter into certain explanations in regard to a circumstance of the
+highest importance to paleontology, or the science of fossil life, which
+had taken place a short time before our departure from the upper regions
+of the earth.
+
+On the 28th of March, 1863, some navigators under the direction of M.
+Boucher de Perthes, were at work in the great quarries of
+Moulin-Quignon, near Abbeville, in the department of the Somme, in
+France. While at work, they unexpectedly came upon a human jawbone
+buried fourteen feet below the surface of the soil. It was the first
+fossil of the kind that had ever been brought to the light of day. Near
+this unexpected human relic were found stone hatchets and carved flints,
+colored and clothed by time in one uniform brilliant tint of verdigris.
+
+The report of this extraordinary and unexpected discovery spread not
+only all over France, but over England and Germany. Many learned men
+belonging to various scientific bodies, and noteworthy among others,
+Messrs. Milne-Edwards and De Quatrefages, took the affair very much to
+heart, demonstrated the incontestable authenticity of the bone in
+question, and became--to use the phrase then recognized in England--the
+most ardent supporters of the "jawbone question."
+
+To the eminent geologists of the United Kingdom who looked upon the fact
+as certain--Messrs. Falconer, Buck, Carpenter, and others--were soon
+united the learned men of Germany, and among those in the first rank,
+the most eager, the most enthusiastic, was my worthy uncle, Professor
+Hardwigg.
+
+The authenticity of a human fossil of the Quaternary period seemed then
+to be incontestably demonstrated, and even to be admitted by the most
+skeptical.
+
+This system or theory, call it what you will, had, it is true, a bitter
+adversary in M. Elie de Beaumont. This learned man, who holds such a
+high place in the scientific world, holds that the soil of
+Moulin-Quignon does not belong to the diluvium but to a much less
+ancient stratum, and, in accordance with Cuvier in this respect, he
+would by no means admit that the human species was contemporary with the
+animals of the Quaternary epoch. My worthy uncle, Professor Hardwigg, in
+concert with the great majority of geologists, had held firm, had
+disputed, discussed, and finally, after considerable talking and
+writing, M. Elie de Beaumont had been pretty well left alone in his
+opinions.
+
+We were familiar with all the details of this discussion, but were far
+from being aware then that since our departure the matter had entered
+upon a new phase. Other similar jawbones, though belonging to
+individuals of varied types and very different natures, had been found
+in the movable grey sands of certain grottoes in France, Switzerland,
+and Belgium; together with arms, utensils, tools, bones of children, of
+men in the prime of life, and of old men. The existence of men in the
+Quaternary period became, therefore, more positive every day.
+
+But this was far from being all. New remains, dug up from the Pliocene
+or Tertiary deposits, had enabled the more far-seeing or audacious among
+learned men to assign even a far greater degree of antiquity to the
+human race. These remains, it is true, were not those of men; that is,
+were not the bones of men, but objects decidedly having served the human
+race: shinbones, thighbones of fossil animals, regularly scooped out,
+and in fact sculptured--bearing the unmistakable signs of human
+handiwork.
+
+By means of these wondrous and unexpected discoveries, man ascended
+endless centuries in the scale of time; he, in fact, preceded the
+mastodon; became the contemporary of the <i>Elephas meridionalis</i>--the
+southern elephant; acquired an antiquity of over a hundred thousand
+years, since that is the date given by the most eminent geologists to
+the Pliocene period of the earth. Such was then the state of
+paleontologic science, and what we moreover knew sufficed to explain our
+attitude before this great cemetery of the plains of the Hardwigg Ocean.
+
+It will now be easy to understand the Professor's mingled astonishment
+and joy when, on advancing about twenty yards, he found himself in the
+presence of, I may say face to face with, a specimen of the human race
+actually belonging to the Quaternary period!
+
+It was indeed a human skull, perfectly recognizable. Had a soil of very
+peculiar nature, like that of the cemetery of St. Michel at Bordeaux,
+preserved it during countless ages? This was the question I asked
+myself, but which I was wholly unable to answer. But this head with
+stretched and parchmenty skin, with the teeth whole, the hair abundant,
+was before our eyes as in life!
+
+I stood mute, almost paralyzed with wonder and awe before this dread
+apparition of another age. My uncle, who on almost every occasion was a
+great talker, remained for a time completely dumfounded. He was too full
+of emotion for speech to be possible. After a while, however, we raised
+up the body to which the skull belonged. We stood it on end. It seemed,
+to our excited imaginations, to look at us with its terrible hollow
+eyes.
+
+After some minutes of silence, the man was vanquished by the Professor.
+Human instincts succumbed to scientific pride and exultation. Professor
+Hardwigg, carried away by his enthusiasm, forgot all the circumstances
+of our journey, the extraordinary position in which we were placed, the
+immense cavern which stretched far away over our heads. There can be no
+doubt that he thought himself at the Institution addressing his
+attentive pupils, for he put on his most doctorial style, waved his
+hand, and began:
+
+"Gentlemen, I have the honor on this auspicious occasion to present to
+you a man of the Quaternary period of our globe. Many learned men have
+denied his very existence, while other able persons, perhaps of even
+higher authority, have affirmed their belief in the reality of his life.
+If the St. Thomases of paleontology were present, they would
+reverentially touch him with their fingers and believe in his existence,
+thus acknowledging their obstinate heresy. I know that science should be
+careful in relation to all discoveries of this nature. I am not without
+having heard of the many Barnums and other quacks who have made a trade
+of suchlike pretended discoveries. I have, of course, heard of the
+discovery of the kneebones of Ajax, of the pretended finding of the body
+of Orestes by the Spartiates, and of the body of Asterius, ten spans
+long, fifteen feet--of which we read in Pausanias.
+
+"I have read everything in relation to the skeleton of Trapani,
+discovered in the fourteenth century, and which many persons chose to
+regard as that of Polyphemus, and the history of the giant dug up during
+the sixteenth century in the environs of Palmyra. You are well aware as
+I am, gentlemen, of the existence of the celebrated analysis made near
+Lucerne, in 1577, of the great bones which the celebrated Doctor Felix
+Plater declared belonged to a giant about nineteen feet high. I have
+devoured all the treatises of Cassanion, and all those memoirs,
+pamphlets, speeches, and replies published in reference to the skeleton
+of Teutobochus, king of the Cimbri, the invader of Gaul, dug out of a
+gravel pit in Dauphine, in 1613. In the eighteenth century I should have
+denied, with Peter Campet, the existence of the preadamites of
+Scheuchzer. I have had in my hands the writing called Gigans--"
+
+Here my uncle was afflicted by the natural infirmity which prevented him
+from pronouncing difficult words in public. It was not exactly
+stuttering, but a strange sort of constitutional hesitation.
+
+"The writing named Gigans--" he repeated.
+
+He, however, could get no further.
+
+"Giganteo--"
+
+Impossible! The unfortunate word would not come out. There would have
+been great laughter at the Institution, had the mistake happened there.
+
+"Gigantosteology!" at last exclaimed Professor Hardwigg between two
+savage growls.
+
+Having got over our difficulty, and getting more and more excited--
+
+"Yes, gentlemen, I am well acquainted with all these matters, and know,
+also, that Cuvier and Blumenbach fully recognized in these bones the
+undeniable remains of mammoths of the Quaternary period. But after what
+we now see, to allow a doubt is to insult scientific inquiry. There is
+the body; you can see it; you can touch it. It is not a skeleton, it is
+a complete and uninjured body, preserved with an anthropological
+object."
+
+I did not attempt to controvert this singular and astounding assertion.
+
+"If I could but wash this corpse in a solution of sulphuric acid,"
+continued my uncle, "I would undertake to remove all the earthy
+particles, and these resplendent shells, which are incrusted all over
+this body. But I am without this precious dissolving medium.
+Nevertheless, such as it is, this body will tell its own history."
+
+Here the Professor held up the fossil body, and exhibited it with rare
+dexterity. No professional showman could have shown more activity.
+
+"As on examination you will see," my uncle continued, "it is only about
+six feet in length, which is a long way from the pretended giants of
+early days. As to the particular race to which it belonged, it is
+incontestably Caucasian. It is of the white race, that is, of our own.
+The skull of this fossil being is a perfect ovoid without any remarkable
+or prominent development of the cheekbones, and without any projection
+of the jaw. It presents no indication of the prognathism which modifies
+the facial angle.[4] Measure the angle for yourselves, and you will find
+that it is just ninety degrees. But I will advance still farther on the
+road of inquiry and deduction, and I dare venture to say that this human
+sample or specimen belongs to the Japhetic family, which spread over the
+world from India to the uttermost limits of western Europe. There is no
+occasion, gentlemen, to smile at my remarks."
+
+[4] The facial angle is formed by two planes--one more or less vertical
+which is in a straight line with the forehead and the incisors; the
+other, horizontal, which passes through the organs of hearing, and the
+lower nasal bone. Prognathism, in anthropological language, means that
+particular projection of the jaw which modifies the facial angle.
+
+Of course nobody smiled. But the excellent Professor was so accustomed
+to beaming countenances at his lectures, that he believed he saw all his
+audience laughing during the delivery of his learned dissertation.
+
+"Yes," he continued, with renewed animation, "this is a fossil man, a
+contemporary of the mastodons, with the bones of which this whole
+amphitheater is covered. But if I am called on to explain how he came to
+this place, how these various strata by which he is covered have fallen
+into this vast cavity, I can undertake to give you no explanation.
+Doubtless, if we carry ourselves back to the Quaternary epoch, we shall
+find that great and mighty convulsions took place in the crust of the
+earth; the continually cooling operation, through which the earth had to
+pass, produced fissures, landslips, and chasms, through which a large
+portion of the earth made its way. I come to no absolute conclusion, but
+there is the man, surrounded by the works of his hands, his hatchets and
+his carved flints, which belong to the stony period; and the only
+rational supposition is, that, like myself, he visited the centre of the
+earth as a traveling tourist, a pioneer of science. At all events, there
+can be no doubt of his great age, and of his being one of the oldest
+race of human beings."
+
+The Professor with these words ceased his oration, and I burst forth
+into loud and "unanimous" applause. Besides, after all, my uncle was
+right. Much more learned men than his nephew would have found it rather
+hard to refute his facts and arguments.
+
+Another circumstance soon presented itself. This fossilized body was not
+the only one in this vast plain of bones--the cemetery of an extinct
+world. Other bodies were found, as we trod the dusty plain, and my uncle
+was able to choose the most marvelous of these specimens in order to
+convince the most incredulous.
+
+In truth, it was a surprising spectacle, the successive remains of
+generations and generations of men and animals confounded together in
+one vast cemetery. But a great question now presented itself to our
+notice, and one we were actually afraid to contemplate in all its
+bearings.
+
+Had these once animated beings been buried so far beneath the soil by
+some tremendous convulsion of nature, after they had been earth to earth
+and ashes to ashes, or had they lived here below, in this subterranean
+world, under this factitious sky, borne, married, and given in marriage,
+and died at last, just like ordinary inhabitants of the earth?
+
+Up to the present moment, marine monsters, fish, and suchlike animals
+had alone been seen alive!
+
+The question which rendered us rather uneasy, was a pertinent one. Were
+any of these men of the abyss wandering about the deserted shores of
+this wondrous sea of the centre of the earth?
+
+This was a question which rendered me very uneasy and uncomfortable.
+How, should they really be in existence, would they receive us men from
+above?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 36
+
+WHAT IS IT?
+
+
+For a long and weary hour we tramped over this great bed of bones. We
+advanced regardless of everything, drawn on by ardent curiosity. What
+other marvels did this great cavern contain--what other wondrous
+treasures for the scientific man? My eyes were quite prepared for any
+number of surprises, my imagination lived in expectation of something
+new and wonderful.
+
+The borders of the great Central Ocean had for some time disappeared
+behind the hills that were scattered over the ground occupied by the
+plain of bones. The imprudent and enthusiastic Professor, who did not
+care whether he lost himself or not, hurried me forward. We advanced
+silently, bathed in waves of electric fluid.
+
+By reason of a phenomenon which I cannot explain, and thanks to its
+extreme diffusion, now complete, the light illumined equally the sides
+of every hill and rock. Its seat appeared to be nowhere, in no
+determined force, and produced no shade whatever.
+
+The appearance presented was that of a tropical country at midday in
+summer--in the midst of the equatorial regions and under the vertical
+rays of the sun.
+
+All signs of vapor had disappeared. The rocks, the distant mountains,
+some confused masses of far-off forests, assumed a weird and mysterious
+aspect under this equal distribution of the luminous fluid!
+
+We resembled, to a certain extent, the mysterious personage in one of
+Hoffmann's fantastic tales--the man who lost his shadow.
+
+After we had walked about a mile farther, we came to the edge of a vast
+forest not, however, one of the vast mushroom forests we had discovered
+near Port Gretchen.
+
+It was the glorious and wild vegetation of the Tertiary period, in all
+its superb magnificence. Huge palms, of a species now unknown, superb
+palmacites--a genus of fossil palms from the coal formation--pines,
+yews, cypress, and conifers or cone-bearing trees, the whole bound
+together by an inextricable and complicated mass of creeping plants.
+
+A beautiful carpet of mosses and ferns grew beneath the trees. Pleasant
+brooks murmured beneath umbrageous boughs, little worthy of this name,
+for no shade did they give. Upon their borders grew small treelike
+shrubs, such as are seen in the hot countries on our own inhabited
+globe.
+
+The one thing wanting in these plants, these shrubs, these trees--was
+color! Forever deprived of the vivifying warmth of the sun, they were
+vapid and colorless. All shade was lost in one uniform tint, of a brown
+and faded character. The leaves were wholly devoid of verdure, and the
+flowers, so numerous during the Tertiary period which gave them birth,
+were without color and without perfume, something like paper discolored
+by long exposure to the atmosphere.
+
+My uncle ventured beneath the gigantic groves. I followed him, though
+not without a certain amount of apprehension. Since nature had shown
+herself capable of producing such stupendous vegetable supplies, why
+might we not meet with mammals just as large, and therefore dangerous?
+
+I particularly remarked, in the clearings left by trees that had fallen
+and been partially consumed by time, many leguminous (beanlike) shrubs,
+such as the maple and other eatable trees, dear to ruminating animals.
+Then there appeared confounded together and intermixed, the trees of
+such varied lands, specimens of the vegetation of every part of the
+globe; there was the oak near the palm tree, the Australian eucalyptus,
+an interesting class of the order Myrtaceae--leaning against the tall
+Norwegian pine, the poplar of the north, mixing its branches with those
+of the New Zealand kauris. It was enough to drive the most ingenious
+classifier of the upper regions out of his mind, and to upset all his
+received ideas about botany.
+
+Suddenly I stopped short and restrained my uncle.
+
+The extreme diffuseness of the light enabled me to see the smallest
+objects in the distant copses. I thought I saw--no, I really did see
+with my own eyes--immense, gigantic animals moving about under the
+mighty trees. Yes, they were truly gigantic animals, a whole herd of
+mastodons, not fossils, but living, and exactly like those discovered in
+1801, on the marshy banks of the great Ohio, in North America.
+
+Yes, I could see these enormous elephants, whose trunks were tearing
+down large boughs, and working in and out the trees like a legion of
+serpents. I could hear the sounds of the mighty tusks uprooting huge
+trees!
+
+The boughs crackled, and the whole masses of leaves and green branches
+went down the capacious throats of these terrible monsters!
+
+That wondrous dream, when I saw the antehistorical times revivified,
+when the Tertiary and Quaternary periods passed before me, was now
+realized!
+
+And there we were alone, far down in the bowels of the earth, at the
+mercy of its ferocious inhabitants!
+
+My uncle paused, full of wonder and astonishment.
+
+"Come!" he said at last, when his first surprise was over, "Come along,
+my boy, and let us see them nearer."
+
+"No," replied I, restraining his efforts to drag me forward, "we are
+wholly without arms. What should we do in the midst of that flock of
+gigantic quadrupeds? Come away, Uncle, I implore you. No human creature
+can with impunity brave the ferocious anger of these monsters."
+
+"No human creature," said my uncle, suddenly lowering his voice to a
+mysterious whisper, "you are mistaken, my dear Henry. Look! look yonder!
+It seems to me that I behold a human being--a being like ourselves--a
+man!"
+
+I looked, shrugging my shoulders, decided to push incredulity to its
+very last limits. But whatever might have been my wish, I was compelled
+to yield to the weight of ocular demonstration.
+
+Yes--not more than a quarter of a mile off, leaning against the trunk of
+an enormous tree, was a human being--a Proteus of these subterranean
+regions, a new son of Neptune keeping this innumerable herd of
+mastodons.
+
+
+     Immanis pecoris custos, immanior ipse![5]
+
+
+
+[5] The keeper of gigantic cattle, himself still more gigantic!
+
+Yes--it was no longer a fossil whose corpse we had raised from the
+ground in the great cemetery, but a giant capable of guiding and driving
+these prodigious monsters. His height was above twelve feet. His head,
+as big as the head of a buffalo, was lost in a mane of matted hair. It
+was indeed a huge mane, like those which belonged to the elephants of
+the earlier ages of the world.
+
+In his hand was a branch of a tree, which served as a crook for this
+antediluvian shepherd.
+
+We remained profoundly still, speechless with surprise.
+
+But we might at any moment be seen by him. Nothing remained for us but
+instant flight.
+
+"Come, come!" I cried, dragging my uncle along; and, for the first time,
+he made no resistance to my wishes.
+
+A quarter of an hour later we were far away from that terrible monster!
+
+Now that I think of the matter calmly, and that I reflect upon it
+dispassionately; now that months, years, have passed since this strange
+and unnatural adventure befell us--what am I to think, what am I to
+believe?
+
+No, it is utterly impossible! Our ears must have deceived us, and our
+eyes have cheated us! we have not seen what we believed we had seen. No
+human being could by any possibility have existed in that subterranean
+world! No generation of men could inhabit the lower caverns of the globe
+without taking note of those who peopled the surface, without
+communication with them. It was folly, folly, folly! nothing else!
+
+I am rather inclined to admit the existence of some animal resembling in
+structure the human race--of some monkey of the first geological epochs,
+like that discovered by M. Lartet in the ossiferous deposit of Sansan.
+
+But this animal, or being, whichsoever it was, surpassed in height all
+things known to modern science. Never mind. However unlikely it may be,
+it might have been a monkey--but a man, a living man, and with him a
+whole generation of gigantic animals, buried in the entrails of the
+earth--it was too monstrous to be believed!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 37
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS DAGGER
+
+
+During this time, we had left the bright and transparent forest far
+behind us. We were mute with astonishment, overcome by a kind of feeling
+which was next door to apathy. We kept running in spite of ourselves. It
+was a perfect Right, which resembled one of those horrible sensations we
+sometimes meet with in our dreams.
+
+Instinctively we made our way towards the Central Sea, and I cannot now
+tell what wild thoughts passed through my mind, nor of what follies I
+might have been guilty, but for a very serious preoccupation which
+brought me back to practical life.
+
+Though I was aware that we were treading on a soil quite new to us, I,
+however, every now and then noticed certain aggregations of rock, the
+shape of which forcibly reminded me of those near Port Gretchen.
+
+This confirmed, moreover, the indications of the compass and our
+extraordinary and unlooked-for, as well as involuntary, return to the
+north of this great Central Sea. It was so like our starting point, that
+I could scarcely doubt the reality of our position. Streams and cascades
+fell in hundreds over the numerous projections of the rocks.
+
+I actually thought I could see our faithful and monotonous Hans and the
+wonderful grotto in which I had come back to life after my tremendous
+fall.
+
+Then, as we advanced still farther, the position of the cliffs, the
+appearance of a stream, the unexpected profile of a rock, threw me again
+into a state of bewildering doubt.
+
+After some time, I explained my state of mental indecision to my uncle.
+He confessed to a similar feeling of hesitation. He was totally unable
+to make up his mind in the midst of this extraordinary but uniform
+panorama.
+
+"There can be no doubt," I insisted, "that we have not landed exactly at
+the place whence we first took our departure; but the tempest has
+brought us above our starting point. I think, therefore, that if we
+follow the coast we shall once more find Port Gretchen."
+
+"In that case," cried my uncle, "it is useless to continue our
+exploration. The very best thing we can do is to make our way back to
+the raft. Are you quite sure, Harry, that you are not mistaken?"
+
+"It is difficult," was my reply, "to come to any decision, for all these
+rocks are exactly alike. There is no marked difference between them. At
+the same time, the impression on my mind is that I recognize the
+promontory at the foot of which our worthy Hans constructed the raft. We
+are, I am nearly convinced, near the little port: if this be not it," I
+added, carefully examining a creek which appeared singularly familiar to
+my mind.
+
+"My dear Harry--if this were the case, we should find traces of our own
+footsteps, some signs of our passage; and I can really see nothing to
+indicate our having passed this way."
+
+"But I see something," I cried, in an impetuous tone of voice, as I
+rushed forward and eagerly picked up something which shone in the sand
+under my feet.
+
+"What is it?" cried the astonished and bewildered Professor.
+
+"This," was my reply.
+
+And I handed to my startled relative a rusty dagger, of singular shape.
+
+"What made you bring with you so useless a weapon?" he exclaimed. "It
+was needlessly hampering yourself."
+
+"I bring it? It is quite new to me. I never saw it before--are you sure
+it is not out of your collection?"
+
+"Not that I know of," said the Professor, puzzled. "I have no
+recollection of the circumstance. It was never my property."
+
+"This is very extraordinary," I said, musing over the novel and singular
+incident.
+
+"Not at all. There is a very simple explanation, Harry. The Icelanders
+are known to keep up the use of these antiquated weapons, and this must
+have belonged to Hans, who has let it fall without knowing it."
+
+I shook my head. That dagger had never been in the possession of the
+pacific and taciturn Hans. I knew him and his habits too well.
+
+"Then what can it be--unless it be the weapon of some antediluvian
+warrior," I continued, "of some living man, a contemporary of that
+mighty shepherd from whom we have just escaped? But no--mystery upon
+mystery--this is no weapon of the stony epoch, nor even of the bronze
+period. It is made of excellent steel--"
+
+Ere I could finish my sentence, my uncle stopped me short from entering
+upon a whole train of theories, and spoke in his most cold and decided
+tone of voice.
+
+"Calm yourself, my dear boy, and endeavor to use your reason. This
+weapon, upon which we have fallen so unexpectedly, is a true <i>dague</i>,
+one of those worn by gentlemen in their belts during the sixteenth
+century. Its use was to give the <i>coup de grace</i>, the final blow, to the
+foe who would not surrender. It is clearly of Spanish workmanship. It
+belongs neither to you, nor to me, nor the eider-down hunter, nor to any
+of the living beings who may still exist so marvelously in the interior
+of the earth."
+
+"What can you mean, Uncle?" I said, now lost in a host of surmises.
+
+"Look closely at it," he continued; "these jagged edges were never made
+by the resistance of human blood and bone. The blade is covered with a
+regular coating of iron mold and rust, which is not a day old, not a
+year old, not a century old, but much more--"
+
+The Professor began to get quite excited, according to custom, and was
+allowing himself to be carried away by his fertile imagination. I could
+have said something. He stopped me.
+
+"Harry," he cried, "we are now on the verge of a great discovery. This
+blade of a dagger you have so marvelously discovered, after being
+abandoned upon the sand for more than a hundred, two hundred, even three
+hundred years, has been indented by someone endeavoring to carve an
+inscription on these rocks."
+
+"But this poniard never got here of itself," I exclaimed, "it could not
+have twisted itself. Someone, therefore, must have preceded us upon the
+shores of this extraordinary sea."
+
+"Yes, a man."
+
+"But what man has been sufficiently desperate to do such a thing?"
+
+"A man who has somewhere written his name with this very dagger--a man
+who has endeavored once more to indicate the right road to the interior
+of the earth. Let us look around, my boy. You know not the importance of
+your singular and happy discovery."
+
+Prodigiously interested, we walked along the wall of rock, examining the
+smallest fissures, which might finally expand into the much wished--for
+gully or shaft.
+
+We at last reached a spot where the shore became extremely narrow. The
+sea almost bathed the foot of the rocks, which were here very lofty and
+steep. There was scarcely a path wider than two yards at any point. At
+last, under a huge over-hanging rock, we discovered the entrance of a
+dark and gloomy tunnel.
+
+There, on a square tablet of granite, which had been smoothed by rubbing
+it with another stone, we could see two mysterious, and much worn
+letters, the two initials of the bold and extraordinary traveler who had
+preceded us on our adventurous journey.
+
+[Illustration: Runic Glyph]
+
+"A. S.!" cried my uncle. "You see, I was right. Arne Saknussemm, always
+Arne Saknussemm!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 38
+
+NO OUTLET--BLASTING THE ROCK
+
+
+Ever since the commencement of our marvelous journey, I had experienced
+many surprises, had suffered from many illusions. I thought that I was
+case-hardened against all surprises and could neither see nor hear
+anything to amaze me again.
+
+I was like a many who, having been round the world, finds himself wholly
+blase and proof against the marvelous.
+
+When, however, I saw these two letters, which had been engraven three
+hundred years before, I stood fixed in an attitude of mute surprise.
+
+Not only was there the signature of the learned and enterprising
+alchemist written in the rock, but I held in my hand the very identical
+instrument with which he had laboriously engraved it.
+
+It was impossible, without showing an amount of incredulity scarcely
+becoming a sane man, to deny the existence of the traveler, and the
+reality of that voyage which I believed all along to have been a
+myth--the mystification of some fertile brain.
+
+While these reflections were passing through my mind, my uncle, the
+Professor, gave way to an access of feverish and poetical excitement.
+
+"Wonderful and glorious genius, great Saknussemm," he cried, "you have
+left no stone unturned, no resource omitted, to show to other mortals
+the way into the interior of our mighty globe, and your fellow creatures
+can find the trail left by your illustrious footsteps, three hundred
+years ago, at the bottom of these obscure subterranean abodes. You have
+been careful to secure for others the contemplation of these wonders and
+marvels of creation. Your name engraved at every important stage of your
+glorious journey leads the hopeful traveler direct to the great and
+mighty discovery to which you devoted such energy and courage. The
+audacious traveler, who shall follow your footsteps to the last, will
+doubtless find your initials engraved with your own hand upon the centre
+of the earth. I will be that audacious traveler--I, too, will sign my
+name upon the very same spot, upon the central granite stone of this
+wondrous work of the Creator. But in justice to your devotion, to your
+courage, and to your being the first to indicate the road, let this
+cape, seen by you upon the shores of this sea discovered by you, be
+called, of all time, Cape Saknussemm."
+
+This is what I heard, and I began to be roused to the pitch of
+enthusiasm indicated by those words. A fierce excitement roused me. I
+forgot everything. The dangers of the voyage and the perils of the
+return journey were now as nothing!
+
+What another man had done in ages past could, I felt, be done again; I
+was determined to do it myself, and now nothing that man had
+accomplished appeared to me impossible.
+
+"Forward--forward," I cried in a burst of genuine and hearty enthusiasm.
+
+I had already started in the direction of the somber and gloomy gallery
+when the Professor stopped me; he, the man so rash and hasty, he, the
+man so easily roused to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, checked me, and
+asked me to be patient and show more calm.
+
+"Let us return to our good friend, Hans," he said; "we will then bring
+the raft down to this place."
+
+I must say that though I at once yielded to my uncle's request, it was
+not without dissatisfaction, and I hastened along the rocks of that
+wonderful coast.
+
+"Do you know, my dear uncle," I said, as we walked along, "that we have
+been singularly helped by a concurrence of circumstances, right up to
+this very moment."
+
+"So you begin to see it, do you, Harry?" said the Professor with a
+smile.
+
+"Doubtless," I responded, "and strangely enough, even the tempest has
+been the means of putting us on the right road. Blessings on the
+tempest! It brought us safely back to the very spot from which fine
+weather would have driven us forever. Supposing we had succeeded in
+reaching the southern and distant shores of this extraordinary sea, what
+would have become of us? The name of Saknussemm would never have
+appeared to us, and at this moment we should have been cast away upon an
+inhospitable coast, probably without an outlet."
+
+"Yes, Harry, my boy, there is certainly something providential in that
+wandering at the mercy of wind and waves towards the south: we have come
+back exactly north; and what is better still, we fall upon this great
+discovery of Cape Saknussemm. I mean to say, that it is more than
+surprising; there is something in it which is far beyond my
+comprehension. The coincidence is unheard of, marvelous!"
+
+"What matter! It is not our duty to explain facts, but to make the best
+possible use of them."
+
+"Doubtless, my boy; but if you will allow me--" said the really
+delighted Professor.
+
+"Excuse me, sir, but I see exactly how it will be; we shall take the
+northern route; we shall pass under the northern regions of Europe,
+under Sweden, under Russia, under Siberia, and who knows where--instead
+of burying ourselves under the burning plains and deserts of Africa, or
+beneath the mighty waves of the ocean; and that is all, at this stage of
+our journey, that I care to know. Let us advance, and Heaven will be our
+guide!"
+
+"Yes, Harry, you are right, quite right; all is for the best. Let us
+abandon this horizontal sea, which could never have led to anything
+satisfactory. We shall descend, descend, and everlastingly descend. Do
+you know, my dear boy, that to reach the interior of the earth we have
+only five thousand miles to travel!"
+
+"Bah!" I cried, carried away by a burst of enthusiasm, "the distance is
+scarcely worth speaking about. The thing is to make a start."
+
+My wild, mad, and incoherent speeches continued until we rejoined our
+patient and phlegmatic guide. All was, we found, prepared for an
+immediate departure. There was not a single parcel but what was in its
+proper place. We all took up our posts on the raft, and the sail being
+hoisted, Hans received his directions, and guided the frail bark towards
+Cape Saknussemm, as we had definitely named it.
+
+The wind was very unfavorable to a craft that was unable to sail close
+to the wind. It was constructed to go before the blast. We were
+continually reduced to pushing ourselves forward by means of poles. On
+several occasions the rocks ran far out into deep water and we were
+compelled to make a long round. At last, after three long and weary
+hours of navigation, that is to say, about six o'clock in the evening,
+we found a place at which we could land.
+
+I jumped on shore first. In my present state of excitement and
+enthusiasm, I was always first. My uncle and the Icelander followed. The
+voyage from the port to this point of the sea had by no means calmed me.
+It had rather produced the opposite effect. I even proposed to burn our
+vessel, that is, to destroy our raft, in order to completely cut off our
+retreat. But my uncle sternly opposed this wild project. I began to
+think him particularly lukewarm and unenthusiastic.
+
+"At any rate, my dear uncle," I said, "let us start without delay."
+
+"Yes, my boy, I am quite as eager to do so as you can be. But, in the
+first place, let us examine this mysterious gallery, in order to find if
+we shall need to prepare and mend our ladders."
+
+My uncle now began to see to the efficiency of our Ruhmkorff coil, which
+would doubtless soon be needed; the raft, securely fastened to a rock,
+was left alone. Moreover, the opening into the new gallery was not
+twenty paces distant from the spot. Our little troop, with myself at the
+head, advanced.
+
+The orifice, which was almost circular, presented a diameter of about
+five feet; the somber tunnel was cut in the living rock, and coated on
+the inside by the different material which had once passed through it in
+a state of fusion. The lower part was about level with the water, so
+that we were able to penetrate to the interior without difficulty.
+
+We followed an almost horizontal direction; when, at the end of about a
+dozen paces, our further advance was checked by the interposition of an
+enormous block of granite rock.
+
+"Accursed stone!" I cried furiously, on perceiving that we were stopped
+by what seemed an insurmountable obstacle.
+
+In vain we looked to the right, in vain we looked to the left; in vain
+examined it above and below. There existed no passage, no sign of any
+other tunnel. I experienced the most bitter and painful disappointment.
+So enraged was I that I would not admit the reality of any obstacle. I
+stooped to my knees; I looked under the mass of stone. No hole, no
+interstice. I then looked above. The same barrier of granite! Hans, with
+the lamp, examined the sides of the tunnel in every direction.
+
+But all in vain! It was necessary to renounce all hope of passing
+through.
+
+I had seated myself upon the ground. My uncle walked angrily and
+hopelessly up and down. He was evidently desperate.
+
+"But," I cried, after some moments' thought, "what about Arne
+Saknussemm?"
+
+"You are right," replied my uncle, "he can never have been checked by a
+lump of rock."
+
+"No--ten thousand times no," I cried, with extreme vivacity. "This huge
+lump of rock, in consequence of some singular concussion, or process,
+one of those magnetic phenomena which have so often shaken the
+terrestrial crust, has in some unexpected way closed up the passage.
+Many and many years have passed away since the return of Saknussemm, and
+the fall of this huge block of granite. Is it not quite evident that
+this gallery was formerly the outlet for the pent-up lava in the
+interior of the earth, and that these eruptive matters then circulated
+freely? Look at these recent fissures in the granite roof; it is
+evidently formed of pieces of enormous stone, placed here as if by the
+hand of a giant, who had worked to make a strong and substantial arch.
+One day, after an unusually strong shock, the vast rock which stands in
+our way, and which was doubtless the key of a kind of arch, fell through
+to a level with the soil and has barred our further progress. We are
+right, then, in thinking that this is an unexpected obstacle, with which
+Saknussemm did not meet; and if we do not upset it in some way, we are
+unworthy of following in the footsteps of the great discoverer; and
+incapable of finding our way to the centre of the earth!"
+
+In this wild way I addressed my uncle. The zeal of the Professor, his
+earnest longing for success, had become part and parcel of my being. I
+wholly forgot the past; I utterly despised the future. Nothing existed
+for me upon the surface of this spheroid in the bosom of which I was
+engulfed, no towns, no country, no Hamburg, no Koenigstrasse, not even
+my poor Gretchen, who by this time would believe me utterly lost in the
+interior of the earth!
+
+"Well," cried my uncle, roused to enthusiasm by my words, "Let us go to
+work with pickaxes, with crowbars, with anything that comes to hand--but
+down with these terrible walls."
+
+"It is far too tough and too big to be destroyed by a pickax or
+crowbar," I replied.
+
+"What then?"
+
+"As I said, it is useless to think of overcoming such a difficulty by
+means of ordinary tools."
+
+"What then?"
+
+"What else but gunpowder, a subterranean mine? Let us blow up the
+obstacle that stands in our way."
+
+"Gunpowder!"
+
+"Yes; all we have to do is to get rid of this paltry obstacle."
+
+"To work, Hans, to work!" cried the Professor.
+
+The Icelander went back to the raft, and soon returned with a huge
+crowbar, with which he began to dig a hole in the rock, which was to
+serve as a mine. It was by no means a slight task. It was necessary for
+our purpose to make a cavity large enough to hold fifty pounds of
+fulminating gun cotton, the expansive power of which is four times as
+great as that of ordinary gunpowder.
+
+I had now roused myself to an almost miraculous state of excitement.
+While Hans was at work, I actively assisted my uncle to prepare a long
+wick, made from damp gunpowder, the mass of which we finally enclosed in
+a bag of linen.
+
+"We are bound to go through," I cried, enthusiastically.
+
+"We are bound to go through," responded the Professor, tapping me on the
+back.
+
+At midnight, our work as miners was completely finished; the charge of
+fulminating cotton was thrust into the hollow, and the match, which we
+had made of considerable length, was ready.
+
+A spark was now sufficient to ignite this formidable engine, and to blow
+the rock to atoms!
+
+"We will now rest until tomorrow."
+
+It was absolutely necessary to resign myself to my fate, and to consent
+to wait for the explosion for six weary hours!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 39
+
+THE EXPLOSION AND ITS RESULTS
+
+
+The next day, which was the twenty-seventh of August, was a date
+celebrated in our wondrous subterranean journey. I never think of it
+even now, but I shudder with horror. My heart beats wildly at the very
+memory of that awful day.
+
+From this time forward, our reason, our judgment, our human ingenuity,
+have nothing to do with the course of events. We are about to become the
+plaything of the great phenomena of the earth!
+
+At six o'clock we were all up and ready. The dreaded moment was arriving
+when we were about to seek an opening into the interior of the earth by
+means of gunpowder. What would be the consequences of breaking through
+the crust of the earth?
+
+I begged that it might be my duty to set fire to the mine. I looked upon
+it as an honor. This task once performed, I could rejoin my friends upon
+the raft, which had not been unloaded. As soon as we were all ready, we
+were to sail away to some distance to avoid the consequences of the
+explosion, the effects of which would certainly not be concentrated in
+the interior of the earth.
+
+The slow match we calculated to burn for about ten minutes, more or
+less, before it reached the chamber in which the great body of powder
+was confined. I should therefore have plenty of time to reach the raft
+and put off to a safe distance.
+
+I prepared to execute my self-allotted task--not, it must be confessed,
+without considerable emotion.
+
+After a hearty repast, my uncle and the hunter-guide embarked on board
+the raft, while I remained alone upon the desolate shore.
+
+I was provided with a lantern which was to enable me to set fire to the
+wick of the infernal machine.
+
+"Go, my boy," said my uncle, "and Heaven be with you. But come back as
+soon as you can. I shall be all impatience."
+
+"Be easy on that matter," I replied, "there is no fear of my delaying on
+the road."
+
+Having said this, I advanced toward the opening of the somber gallery.
+My heart beat wildly. I opened my lantern and seized the extremity of
+the wick.
+
+The Professor, who was looking on, held his chronometer in his hand.
+
+"Are you ready?" cried he.
+
+"Quite ready."
+
+"Well, then, fire away!"
+
+I hastened to put the light to the wick, which crackled and sparkled,
+hissing and spitting like a serpent; then, running as fast as I could, I
+returned to the shore.
+
+"Get on board, my lad, and you, Hans, shove off," cried my uncle.
+
+By a vigorous application of his pole Hans sent us flying over the
+water. The raft was quite twenty fathoms distant.
+
+It was a moment of palpitating interest, of deep anxiety. My uncle, the
+Professor, never took his eyes off the chronometer.
+
+"Only five minutes more," he said in a low tone, "only four, only
+three."
+
+My pulse went a hundred to the minute. I could hear my heart beating.
+
+"Only two, one! Now, then, mountains of granite, crumble beneath the
+power of man!"
+
+What happened after that? As to the terrific roar of the explosion, I do
+not think I heard it. But the form of the rocks completely changed in my
+eyes--they seemed to be drawn aside like a curtain. I saw a fathomless,
+a bottomless abyss, which yawned beneath the turgid waves. The sea,
+which seemed suddenly to have gone mad, then became one great
+mountainous mass, upon the top of which the raft rose perpendicularly.
+
+We were all thrown down. In less than a second the light gave place to
+the most profound obscurity. Then I felt all solid support give way not
+to my feet, but to the raft itself. I thought it was going bodily down a
+tremendous well. I tried to speak, to question my uncle. Nothing could
+be heard but the roaring of the mighty waves. We clung together in utter
+silence.
+
+Despite the awful darkness, despite the noise, the surprise, the
+emotion, I thoroughly understood what had happened.
+
+Beyond the rock which had been blown up, there existed a mighty abyss.
+The explosion had caused a kind of earthquake in this soil, broken by
+fissures and rents. The gulf, thus suddenly thrown open, was about to
+swallow the inland sea which, transformed into a mighty torrent, was
+dragging us with it.
+
+Only one idea filled my mind. We were utterly and completely lost!
+
+One hour, two hours--what more I cannot say, passed in this manner. We
+sat close together, elbow touching elbow, knee touching knee! We held
+one another's hands not to be thrown off the raft. We were subjected to
+the most violent shocks, whenever our sole dependence, a frail wooden
+raft, struck against the rocky sides of the channel. Fortunately for us,
+these concussions became less and less frequent, which made me fancy
+that the gallery was getting wider and wider. There could be now no
+doubt that we had chanced upon the road once followed by Saknussemm, but
+instead of going down in a proper manner, we had, through our own
+imprudence, drawn a whole sea with us!
+
+These ideas presented themselves to my mind in a very vague and obscure
+manner. I felt rather than reasoned. I put my ideas together only
+confusedly, while spinning along like a man going down a waterfall. To
+judge by the air which, as it were, whipped my face, we must have been
+rushing at a perfectly lightning rate.
+
+To attempt under these circumstances to light a torch was simply
+impossible, and the last remains of our electric machine, of our
+Ruhmkorff coil, had been destroyed during the fearful explosion.
+
+I was therefore very much confused to see at last a bright light shining
+close to me. The calm countenance of the guide seemed to gleam upon me.
+The clever and patient hunter had succeeded in lighting the lantern; and
+though, in the keen and thorough draft, the flame flickered and
+vacillated and was nearly put out, it served partially to dissipate the
+awful obscurity.
+
+The gallery into which we had entered was very wide. I was, therefore,
+quite right in that part of my conjecture. The insufficient light did
+not allow us to see both of the walls at the same time. The slope of
+waters, which was carrying us away, was far greater than that of the
+most rapid river of America. The whole surface of the stream seemed to
+be composed of liquid arrows, darted forward with extreme violence and
+power. I can give no idea of the impression it made upon me.
+
+The raft, at times, caught in certain whirlpools, and rushed forward,
+yet turned on itself all the time. How it did not upset I shall never be
+able to understand. When it approached the sides of the gallery, I took
+care to throw upon them the light of the lantern, and I was able to
+judge of the rapidity of motion by looking at the projecting masses of
+rock, which as soon as seen were again invisible. So rapid was our
+progress that points of rock at a considerable distance one from the
+other appeared like portions of transverse lines, which enclosed us in a
+kind of net, like that of a line of telegraphic wires.
+
+I believe we were now going at a rate of not less than a hundred miles
+an hour.
+
+My uncle and I looked at one another with wild and haggard eyes; we
+clung convulsively to the stump of the mast, which, at the moment when
+the catastrophe took place, had snapped short off. We turned our backs
+as much as possible to the wind, in order not to be stifled by a
+rapidity of motion which nothing human could face and live.
+
+And still the long monotonous hours went on. The situation did not
+change in the least, though a discovery I suddenly made seemed to
+complicate it very much.
+
+When we had slightly recovered our equilibrium, I proceeded to examine
+our cargo. I then made the unsatisfactory discovery that the greater
+part of it had utterly disappeared.
+
+I became alarmed, and determined to discover what were our resources. My
+heart beat at the idea, but it was absolutely necessary to know on what
+we had to depend. With this view, I took the lantern and looked around.
+
+Of all our former collection of nautical and philosophical instruments,
+there remained only the chronometer and the compass. The ladders and
+ropes were reduced to a small piece of rope fastened to the stump of the
+mast. Not a pickax, not a crowbar, not a hammer, and, far worse than
+all, no food--not enough for one day!
+
+This discovery was a prelude to a certain and horrible death.
+
+Seated gloomily on the raft, clasping the stump of the mast
+mechanically, I thought of all I had read as to sufferings from
+starvation.
+
+I remembered everything that history had taught me on the subject, and I
+shuddered at the remembrance of the agonies to be endured.
+
+Maddened at the prospects of enduring the miseries of starvation, I
+persuaded myself that I must be mistaken. I examined the cracks in the
+raft; I poked between the joints and beams; I examined every possible
+hole and corner. The result was--simply nothing!
+
+Our stock of provisions consisted of nothing but a piece of dry meat and
+some soaked and half-moldy biscuits.
+
+I gazed around me scared and frightened. I could not understand the
+awful truth. And yet of what consequence was it in regard to any new
+danger? Supposing that we had had provisions for months, and even for
+years, how could we ever get out of the awful abyss into which we were
+being hurled by the irresistible torrent we had let loose?
+
+Why should we trouble ourselves about the sufferings and tortures to be
+endured from hunger when death stared us in the face under so many other
+swifter and perhaps even more horrid forms?
+
+It was very doubtful, under the circumstances in which we were placed,
+if we should have time to die of inanition.
+
+But the human frame is singularly constituted.
+
+I know not how it was; but, from some singular hallucination of the
+mind, I forgot the real, serious, and immediate danger to which we were
+exposed, to think of the menaces of the future, which appeared before us
+in all their naked terror. Besides, after all, suggested Hope, perhaps
+we might finally escape the fury of the raging torrent, and once more
+revisit the glimpses of the moon, on the surface of our beautiful Mother
+Earth.
+
+How was it to be done? I had not the remotest idea. Where were we to
+come out? No matter, so that we did.
+
+One chance in a thousand is always a chance, while death from hunger
+gave us not even the faintest glimpse of hope. It left to the
+imagination nothing but blank horror, without the faintest chance of
+escape!
+
+I had the greatest mind to reveal all to my uncle, to explain to him the
+extraordinary and wretched position to which we were reduced, in order
+that, between the two, we might make a calculation as to the exact space
+of time which remained for us to live.
+
+It was, it appeared to me, the only thing to be done. But I had the
+courage to hold my tongue, to gnaw at my entrails like the Spartan boy.
+I wished to leave him all his coolness.
+
+At this moment, the light of the lantern slowly fell, and at last went
+out!
+
+The wick had wholly burnt to an end. The obscurity became absolute. It
+was no longer possible to see through the impenetrable darkness! There
+was one torch left, but it was impossible to keep it alight. Then, like
+a child, I shut my eyes, that I might not see the darkness.
+
+After a great lapse of time, the rapidity of our journey increased. I
+could feel it by the rush of air upon my face. The slope of the waters
+was excessive. I began to feel that we were no longer going down a
+slope; we were falling. I felt as one does in a dream, going down
+bodily--falling; falling; falling!
+
+I felt that the hands of my uncle and Hans were vigorously clasping my
+arms.
+
+Suddenly, after a lapse of time scarcely appreciable, I felt something
+like a shock. The raft had not struck a hard body, but had suddenly been
+checked in its course. A waterspout, a liquid column of water, fell upon
+us. I felt suffocating. I was being drowned.
+
+Still the sudden inundation did not last. In a few seconds I felt myself
+once more able to breathe. My uncle and Hans pressed my arms, and the
+raft carried us all three away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 40
+
+THE APE GIGANS
+
+
+It is difficult for me to determine what was the real time, but I should
+suppose, by after calculation, that it must have been ten at night.
+
+I lay in a stupor, a half dream, during which I saw visions of
+astounding character. Monsters of the deep were side by side with the
+mighty elephantine shepherd. Gigantic fish and animals seemed to form
+strange conjunctions.
+
+The raft took a sudden turn, whirled round, entered another tunnel--this
+time illumined in a most singular manner. The roof was formed of porous
+stalactite, through which a moonlit vapor appeared to pass, casting its
+brilliant light upon our gaunt and haggard figures. The light increased
+as we advanced, while the roof ascended; until at last, we were once
+more in a kind of water cavern, the lofty dome of which disappeared in a
+luminous cloud!
+
+A rugged cavern of small extent appeared to offer a halting place to our
+weary bodies.
+
+My uncle and the guide moved as men in a dream. I was afraid to waken
+them, knowing the danger of such a sudden start. I seated myself beside
+them to watch.
+
+As I did so, I became aware of something moving in the distance, which
+at once fascinated my eyes. It was floating, apparently, upon the
+surface of the water, advancing by means of what at first appeared
+paddles. I looked with glaring eyes. One glance told me that it was
+something monstrous.
+
+But what?
+
+It was the great "shark-crocodile" of the early writers on geology.
+About the size of an ordinary whale, with hideous jaws and two gigantic
+eyes, it advanced. Its eyes fixed on me with terrible sternness. Some
+indefinite warning told me that it had marked me for its own.
+
+I attempted to rise--to escape, no matter where, but my knees shook
+under me; my limbs trembled violently; I almost lost my senses. And
+still the mighty monster advanced. My uncle and the guide made no effort
+to save themselves.
+
+With a strange noise, like none other I had ever heard, the beast came
+on. His jaws were at least seven feet apart, and his distended mouth
+looked large enough to have swallowed a boatful of men.
+
+We were about ten feet distant when I discovered that much as his body
+resembled that of a crocodile, his mouth was wholly that of a shark.
+
+His twofold nature now became apparent. To snatch us up at a mouthful it
+was necessary for him to turn on his back, which motion necessarily
+caused his legs to kick up helplessly in the air.
+
+I actually laughed even in the very jaws of death!
+
+But next minute, with a wild cry, I darted away into the interior of the
+cave, leaving my unhappy comrades to their fate! This cavern was deep
+and dreary. After about a hundred yards, I paused and looked around.
+
+The whole floor, composed of sand and malachite, was strewn with bones,
+freshly gnawed bones of reptiles and fish, with a mixture of mammalia.
+My very soul grew sick as my body shuddered with horror. I had truly,
+according to the old proverb, fallen out of the frying pan into the
+fire. Some beast larger and more ferocious even than the shark-crocodile
+inhabited this den.
+
+What could I do? The mouth of the cave was guarded by one ferocious
+monster, the interior was inhabited by something too hideous to
+contemplate. Flight was impossible!
+
+Only one resource remained, and that was to find some small hiding place
+to which the fearful denizens of the cavern could not penetrate. I gazed
+wildly around, and at last discovered a fissure in the rock, to which I
+rushed in the hope of recovering my scattered senses.
+
+Crouching down, I waited shivering as in an ague fit. No man is brave in
+presence of an earthquake, or a bursting boiler, or an exploding
+torpedo. I could not be expected to feel much courage in presence of the
+fearful fate that appeared to await me.
+
+An hour passed. I heard all the time a strange rumbling outside the
+cave.
+
+What was the fate of my unhappy companions? It was impossible for me to
+pause to inquire. My own wretched existence was all I could think of.
+
+Suddenly a groaning, as of fifty bears in a fight, fell upon my
+ears--hisses, spitting, moaning, hideous to hear--and then I saw--
+
+Never, were ages to pass over my head, shall I forget the horrible
+apparition.
+
+It was the Ape Gigans!
+
+Fourteen feet high, covered with coarse hair, of a blackish brown, the
+hair on the arms, from the shoulder to the elbow joints, pointing
+downwards, while that from the wrist to the elbow pointed upwards, it
+advanced. Its arms were as long as its body, while its legs were
+prodigious. It had thick, long, and sharply pointed teeth--like a
+mammoth saw.
+
+It struck its breast as it came on smelling and sniffing, reminding me
+of the stories we read in our early childhood of giants who ate the
+Flesh of men and little boys!
+
+Suddenly it stopped. My heart beat wildly, for I was conscious that,
+somehow or other, the fearful monster had smelled me out and was peering
+about with his hideous eyes to try and discover my whereabouts.
+
+My reading, which as a rule is a blessing, but which on this occasion,
+seemed momentarily to prove a curse, told me the real truth. It was the
+Ape Gigans, the antediluvian gorilla.
+
+Yes! This awful monster, confined by good fortune to the interior of the
+earth, was the progenitor of the hideous monster of Africa.
+
+He glared wildly about, seeking something--doubtless myself. I gave
+myself up for lost. No hope of safety or escape seemed to remain.
+
+At this moment, just as my eyes appeared to close in death, there came a
+strange noise from the entrance of the cave; and turning, the gorilla
+evidently recognized some enemy more worthy his prodigious size and
+strength. It was the huge shark-crocodile, which perhaps having disposed
+of my friends, was coming in search of further prey.
+
+The gorilla placed himself on the defensive, and clutching a bone some
+seven or eight feet in length, a perfect club, aimed a deadly blow at
+the hideous beast, which reared upwards and fell with all its weight
+upon its adversary.
+
+A terrible combat, the details of which it is impossible to give, now
+ensued. The struggle was awful and ferocious, I, however, did not wait
+to witness the result. Regarding myself as the object of contention, I
+determined to remove from the presence of the victor. I slid down from
+my hiding place, reached the ground, and gliding against the wall,
+strove to gain the open mouth of the cavern.
+
+But I had not taken many steps when the fearful clamor ceased, to be
+followed by a mumbling and groaning which appeared to be indicative of
+victory.
+
+I looked back and saw the huge ape, gory with blood, coming after me
+with glaring eyes, with dilated nostrils that gave forth two columns of
+heated vapor. I could feel his hot and fetid breath on my neck; and with
+a horrid jump--awoke from my nightmare sleep.
+
+Yes--it was all a dream. I was still on the raft with my uncle and the
+guide.
+
+The relief was not instantaneous, for under the influence of the hideous
+nightmare my senses had become numbed. After a while, however, my
+feelings were tranquilized. The first of my perceptions which returned
+in full force was that of hearing. I listened with acute and attentive
+ears. All was still as death. All I comprehended was silence. To the
+roaring of the waters, which had filled the gallery with awful
+reverberations, succeeded perfect peace.
+
+After some little time my uncle spoke, in a low and scarcely audible
+tone: "Harry, boy, where are you?"
+
+"I am here," was my faint rejoinder.
+
+"Well, don't you see what has happened? We are going upwards."
+
+"My dear uncle, what can you mean?" was my half-delirious reply.
+
+"Yes, I tell you we are ascending rapidly. Our downward journey is quite
+checked."
+
+I held out my hand, and, after some little difficulty, succeeded in
+touching the wall. My hand was in an instant covered with blood. The
+skin was torn from the flesh. We were ascending with extraordinary
+rapidity.
+
+"The torch--the torch!" cried the Professor, wildly; "it must be
+lighted."
+
+Hans, the guide, after many vain efforts, at last succeeded in lighting
+it, and the flame, having now nothing to prevent its burning, shed a
+tolerably clear light. We were enabled to form an approximate idea of
+the truth.
+
+"It is just as I thought," said my uncle, after a moment or two of
+silent attention. "We are in a narrow well about four fathoms square.
+The waters of the great inland sea, having reached the bottom of the
+gulf are now forcing themselves up the mighty shaft. As a natural
+consequence, we are being cast upon the summit of the waters."
+
+"That I can see," was my lugubrious reply; "but where will this shaft
+end, and to what fall are we likely to be exposed?"
+
+"Of that I am as ignorant as yourself. All I know is, that we should be
+prepared for the worst. We are going up at a fearfully rapid rate. As
+far as I can judge, we are ascending at the rate of two fathoms a
+second, of a hundred and twenty fathoms a minute, or rather more than
+three and a half leagues an hour. At this rate, our fate will soon be a
+matter of certainty."
+
+"No doubt of it," was my reply. "The great concern I have now, however,
+is to know whether this shaft has any issue. It may end in a granite
+roof--in which case we shall be suffocated by compressed air, or dashed
+to atoms against the top. I fancy, already, that the air is beginning to
+be close and condensed. I have a difficulty in breathing."
+
+This might be fancy, or it might be the effect of our rapid motion, but
+I certainly felt a great oppression of the chest.
+
+"Henry," said the Professor, "I do believe that the situation is to a
+certain extent desperate. There remain, however, many chances of
+ultimate safety, and I have, in my own mind, been revolving them over,
+during your heavy but agitated sleep. I have come to this logical
+conclusion--whereas we may at any moment perish, so at any moment we may
+be saved! We need, therefore, prepare ourselves for whatever may turn up
+in the great chapter of accidents."
+
+"But what would you have us do?" I cried. "Are we not utterly helpless?"
+
+"No! While there is life there is hope. At all events, there is one
+thing we can do--eat, and thus obtain strength to face victory or
+death."
+
+As he spoke, I looked at my uncle with a haggard glance. I had put off
+the fatal communication as long as possible. It was now forced upon me,
+and I must tell him the truth.
+
+Still I hesitated.
+
+"Eat," I said, in a deprecating tone as if there were no hurry.
+
+"Yes, and at once. I feel like a starving prisoner," he said, rubbing
+his yellow and shivering hands together.
+
+And, turning round to the guide, he spoke some hearty, cheering words,
+as I judged from his tone, in Danish. Hans shook his head in a terribly
+significant manner. I tried to look unconcerned.
+
+"What!" cried the Professor, "you do not mean to say that all our
+provisions are lost?"
+
+"Yes," was my lowly spoken reply, as I held out something in my hand,
+"this morsel of dried meat is all that remains for us three."
+
+My uncle gazed at me as if he could not fully appreciate the meaning of
+my words. The blow seemed to stun him by its severity. I allowed him to
+reflect for some moments.
+
+"Well," said I, after a short pause, "what do you think now? Is there
+any chance of our escaping from our horrible subterranean dangers? Are
+we not doomed to perish in the great hollows of the centre of the
+earth?"
+
+But my pertinent questions brought no answer. My uncle either heard me
+not, or appeared not to do so.
+
+And in this way a whole hour passed. Neither of us cared to speak. For
+myself, I began to feel the most fearful and devouring hunger. My
+companions, doubtless, felt the same horrible tortures, but neither of
+them would touch the wretched morsel of meat that remained. It lay
+there, a last remnant of all our great preparations for the mad and
+senseless journey!
+
+I looked back, with wonderment, to my own folly. Fully was I aware that,
+despite his enthusiasm, and the ever-to-be-hated scroll of Saknussemm,
+my uncle should never have started on his perilous voyage. What memories
+of the happy past, what previsions of the horrible future, now filled my
+brain!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 41
+
+HUNGER
+
+
+Hunger, prolonged, is temporary madness! The brain is at work without
+its required food, and the most fantastic notions fill the mind.
+Hitherto I had never known what hunger really meant. I was likely to
+understand it now.
+
+And yet, three months before I could tell my terrible story of
+starvation, as I thought it. As a boy I used to make frequent excursions
+in the neighborhood of the Professor's house.
+
+My uncle always acted on system, and he believed that, in addition to
+the day of rest and worship, there should be a day of recreation. In
+consequence, I was always free to do as I liked on a Wednesday.
+
+Now, as I had a notion to combine the useful and the agreeable, my
+favorite pastime was birds' nesting. I had one of the best collections
+of eggs in all the town. They were classified, and under glass cases.
+
+There was a certain wood, which, by rising at early morn, and taking the
+cheap train, I could reach at eleven in the morning. Here I would
+botanize or geologize at my will. My uncle was always glad of specimens
+for his herbarium, and stones to examine. When I had filled my wallet, I
+proceeded to search for nests.
+
+After about two hours of hard work, I, one day, sat down by a stream to
+eat my humble but copious lunch. How the remembrance of the spiced
+sausage, the wheaten loaf, and the beer, made my mouth water now! I
+would have given every prospect of worldly wealth for such a meal. But
+to my story.
+
+While seated thus at my leisure, I looked up at the ruins of an old
+castle, at no great distance. It was the remains of an historical
+dwelling, ivy-clad, and now falling to pieces.
+
+While looking, I saw two eagles circling about the summit of a lofty
+tower. I soon became satisfied that there was a nest. Now, in all my
+collection, I lacked eggs of the native eagle and the large owl.
+
+My mind was made up. I would reach the summit of that tower, or perish
+in the attempt. I went nearer, and surveyed the ruins. The old
+staircase, years before, had fallen in. The outer walls were, however,
+intact. There was no chance that way, unless I looked to the ivy solely
+for support. This was, as I soon found out, futile.
+
+There remained the chimney, which still went up to the top, and had once
+served to carry off the smoke from every story of the tower.
+
+Up this I determined to venture. It was narrow, rough, and therefore the
+more easily climbed. I took off my coat and crept into the chimney.
+Looking up, I saw a small, light opening, proclaiming the summit of the
+chimney.
+
+Up--up I went, for some time using my hands and knees, after the fashion
+of a chimney sweep. It was slow work, but, there being continual
+projections, the task was comparatively easy. In this way, I reached
+halfway. The chimney now became narrower. The atmosphere was close, and,
+at last, to end the matter, I stuck fast. I could ascend no higher.
+
+There could be no doubt of this, and there remained no resource but to
+descend, and give up my glorious prey in despair. I yielded to fate and
+endeavored to descend. But I could not move. Some unseen and mysterious
+obstacle intervened and stopped me. In an instant the full horror of my
+situation seized me.
+
+I was unable to move either way, and was doomed to a terrible and
+horrible death, that of starvation. In a boy's mind, however, there is
+an extraordinary amount of elasticity and hope, and I began to think of
+all sorts of plans to escape my gloomy fate.
+
+In the first place, I required no food just at present, having had an
+excellent meal, and was therefore allowed time for reflection. My first
+thought was to try and move the mortar with my hand. Had I possessed a
+knife, something might have been done, but that useful instrument I had
+left in my coat pocket.
+
+I soon found that all efforts of this kind were vain and useless, and
+that all I could hope to do was to wriggle downwards.
+
+But though I jerked and struggled, and strove to turn, it was all in
+vain. I could not move an inch, one way or the other. And time flew
+rapidly. My early rising probably contributed to the fact that I felt
+sleepy, and gradually gave way to the sensation of drowsiness.
+
+I slept, and awoke in darkness, ravenously hungry.
+
+Night had come, and still I could not move. I was tight bound, and did
+not succeed in changing my position an inch. I groaned aloud. Never
+since the days of my happy childhood, when it was a hardship to go from
+meal to meal without eating, had I really experienced hunger. The
+sensation was as novel as it was painful. I began now to lose my head
+and to scream and cry out in my agony. Something appeared, startled by
+my noise. It was a harmless lizard, but it appeared to me a loathsome
+reptile. Again I made the old ruins resound with my cries, and finally
+so exhausted myself that I fainted.
+
+How long I lay in a kind of trance or sleep I cannot say, but when again
+I recovered consciousness it was day. How ill I felt, how hunger still
+gnawed at me, it would be hard to say. I was too weak to scream now, far
+too weak to struggle.
+
+Suddenly I was startled by a roar.
+
+"Are you there, Henry?" said the voice of my uncle; "are you there, my
+boy?"
+
+I could only faintly respond, but I also made a desperate effort to
+turn. Some mortar fell. To this I owed my being discovered. When the
+search took place, it was easily seen that mortar and small pieces of
+stone had recently fallen from above. Hence my uncle's cry.
+
+"Be calm," he cried, "if we pull down the whole ruin, you shall be
+saved."
+
+They were delicious words, but I had little hope.
+
+Soon however, about a quarter of an hour later I heard a voice above me,
+at one of the upper fireplaces.
+
+"Are you below or above?"
+
+"Below," was my reply.
+
+In an instant a basket was lowered with milk, a biscuit, and an egg. My
+uncle was fearful to be too ready with his supply of food. I drank the
+milk first, for thirst had nearly deadened hunger. I then, much
+refreshed, ate my bread and hard egg.
+
+They were now at work at the wall. I could hear a pickax. Wishing to
+escape all danger from this terrible weapon I made a desperate struggle,
+and the belt, which surrounded my waist and which had been hitched on a
+stone, gave way. I was free, and only escaped falling down by a rapid
+motion of my hands and knees.
+
+In ten minutes more I was in my uncle's arms, after being two days and
+nights in that horrible prison. My occasional delirium prevented me from
+counting time.
+
+I was weeks recovering from that awful starvation adventure; and yet
+what was that to the hideous sufferings I now endured?
+
+After dreaming for some time, and thinking of this and other matters, I
+once more looked around me. We were still ascending with fearful
+rapidity. Every now and then the air appeared to check our respiration
+as it does that of aeronauts when the ascension of the balloon is too
+rapid. But if they feel a degree of cold in proportion to the elevation
+they attain in the atmosphere, we experienced quite a contrary effect.
+The heat began to increase in a most threatening and exceptional manner.
+I cannot tell exactly the mean, but I think it must have reached one
+hundred twenty-two degrees Fahrenheit.
+
+What was the meaning of this extraordinary change in the temperature? As
+far as we had hitherto gone, facts had proved the theories of Davy and
+of Lidenbrock to be correct. Until now, all the peculiar conditions of
+refractory rocks, of electricity, of magnetism, had modified the general
+laws of nature, and had created for us a moderate temperature; for the
+theory of the central fire, remained, in my eyes, the only explainable
+one.
+
+Were we, then, going to reach a position in which these phenomena were
+to be carried out in all their rigor, and in which the heat would reduce
+the rocks to a state of fusion?
+
+Such was my not unnatural fear, and I did not conceal the fact from my
+uncle. My way of doing so might be cold and heartless, but I could not
+help it.
+
+"If we are not drowned, or smashed into pancakes, and if we do not die
+of starvation, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we must be
+burned alive."
+
+My uncle, in presence of this brusque attack, simply shrugged his
+shoulders, and resumed his reflections--whatever they might be.
+
+An hour passed away, and except that there was a slight increase in the
+temperature no incident modified the situation.
+
+My uncle at last, of his own accord, broke silence.
+
+"Well, Henry, my boy," he said, in a cheerful way, "we must make up our
+minds."
+
+"Make up our minds to what?" I asked, in considerable surprise.
+
+"Well--to something. We must at whatever risk recruit our physical
+strength. If we make the fatal mistake of husbanding our little remnant
+of food, we may probably prolong our wretched existence a few hours--but
+we shall remain weak to the end."
+
+"Yes," I growled, "to the end. That, however, will not keep us long
+waiting."
+
+"Well, only let a chance of safety present itself--only allow that a
+moment of action be necessary--where shall we find the means of action
+if we allow ourselves to be reduced to physical weakness by inanition?"
+
+"When this piece of meat is devoured, Uncle, what hope will there remain
+unto us?"
+
+"None, my dear Henry, none. But will it do you any good to devour it
+with your eyes? You appear to me to reason like one without will or
+decision, like a being without energy."
+
+"Then," cried I, exasperated to a degree which is scarcely to be
+explained, "you do not mean to tell me--that you--that you--have not
+lost all hope."
+
+"Certainly not," replied the Professor with consummate coolness.
+
+"You mean to tell me, Uncle, that we shall get out of this monstrous
+subterranean shaft?"
+
+"While there is life there is hope. I beg to assert, Henry, that as long
+as a man's heart beats, as long as a man's flesh quivers, I do not allow
+that a being gifted with thought and will can allow himself to despair."
+
+What a nerve! The man placed in a position like that we occupied must
+have been very brave to speak like this.
+
+"Well," I cried, "what do you mean to do?"
+
+"Eat what remains of the food we have in our hands; let us swallow the
+last crumb. It will bel Heaven willing, our last repast. Well, never
+mind--instead of being exhausted skeletons, we shall be men."
+
+"True," muttered I in a despairing tone, "let us take our fill."
+
+"We must," replied my uncle, with a deep sigh, "call it what you will."
+
+My uncle took a piece of the meat that remained, and some crusts of
+biscuit which had escaped the wreck. He divided the whole into three
+parts.
+
+Each had one pound of food to last him as long as he remained in the
+interior of the earth.
+
+Each now acted in accordance with his own private character.
+
+My uncle, the Professor, ate greedily, but evidently without appetite,
+eating simply from some mechanical motion. I put the food inside my
+lips, and hungry as I was, chewed my morsel without pleasure, and
+without satisfaction.
+
+Hans, the guide, just as if he had been eider-down hunting, swallowed
+every mouthful, as though it were a usual affair. He looked like a man
+equally prepared to enjoy superfluity or total want.
+
+Hans, in all probability, was no more used to starvation than ourselves,
+but his hardy Icelandic nature had prepared him for many sufferings. As
+long as he received his three rix-dollars every Saturday night, he was
+prepared for anything.
+
+The fact was, Hans never troubled himself about much except his money.
+He had undertaken to serve a certain man at so much per week, and no
+matter what evils befell his employer or himself, he never found fault
+or grumbled, so long as his wages were duly paid.
+
+Suddenly my uncle roused himself. He had seen a smile on the face of our
+guide. I could not make it out.
+
+"What is the matter?" said my uncle.
+
+"Schiedam," said the guide, producing a bottle of this precious fluid.
+
+We drank. My uncle and myself will own to our dying day that hence we
+derived strength to exist until the last bitter moment. That precious
+bottle of Hollands was in reality only half full; but, under the
+circumstances, it was nectar.
+
+It took some minutes for myself and my uncle to form a decided opinion
+on the subject. The worthy Professor swallowed about half a pint and did
+not seem able to drink any more.
+
+"<i>Fortrafflig</i>," said Hans, swallowing nearly all that was left.
+
+"Excellent--very good," said my uncle, with as much gusto as if he had
+just left the steps of the club at Hamburg.
+
+I had begun to feel as if there had been one gleam of hope. Now all
+thought of the future vanished!
+
+We had consumed our last ounce of food, and it was five o'clock in the
+morning!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 42
+
+THE VOLCANIC SHAFT
+
+
+Man's constitution is so peculiar that his health is purely a negative
+matter. No sooner is the rage of hunger appeased than it becomes
+difficult to comprehend the meaning of starvation. It is only when you
+suffer that you really understand.
+
+As to anyone who has not endured privation having any notion of the
+matter, it is simply absurd.
+
+With us, after a long fast, some mouthfuls of bread and meat, a little
+moldy biscuit and salt beef triumphed over all our previous gloomy and
+saturnine thoughts.
+
+Nevertheless, after this repast each gave way to his own reflections. I
+wondered what were those of Hans--the man of the extreme north, who was
+yet gifted with the fatalistic resignation of Oriental character. But
+the utmost stretch of the imagination would not allow me to realize the
+truth. As for my individual self, my thoughts had ceased to be anything
+but memories of the past, and were all connected with that upper world
+which I never should have left. I saw it all now, the beautiful house in
+the Konigstrasse, my poor Gretchen, the good Martha; they all passed
+before my mind like visions of the past. Every time any of the
+lugubrious groanings which were to be distinguished in the hollows
+around fell upon my ears, I fancied I heard the distant murmur of the
+great cities above my head.
+
+As for my uncle, always thinking of his science, he examined the nature
+of the shaft by means of a torch. He closely examined the different
+strata one above the other, in order to recognize his situation by
+geological theory. This calculation, or rather this estimation, could by
+no means be anything but approximate. But a learned man, a philosopher,
+is nothing if not a philosopher, when he keeps his ideas calm and
+collected; and certainly the Professor possessed this quality to
+perfection.
+
+I heard him, as I sat in silence, murmuring words of geological science.
+As I understood his object and his meaning, I could not but interest
+myself despite my preoccupation in that terrible hour.
+
+"Eruptive granite," he said to himself, "we are still in the primitive
+epoch. But we are going up--going up, still going up. But who knows? Who
+knows?"
+
+Then he still hoped. He felt along the vertical sides of the shaft with
+his hand, and some few minutes later, he would go on again in the
+following style:
+
+"This is gneiss. This is mica schist--siliceous mineral. Good again;
+this is the epoch of transition, at all events, we are close to
+them--and then, and then--"
+
+What could the Professor mean? Could he, by any conceivable means,
+measure the thickness of the crust of the earth suspended above our
+heads? Did he possess any possible means of making any approximation to
+this calculation? No.
+
+The manometer was wanting, and no summary estimation could take the
+place of it.
+
+And yet, as we progressed, the temperature increased in the most
+extraordinary degree, and I began to feel as if I were bathed in a hot
+and burning atmosphere. Never before had I felt anything like it. I
+could only compare it to the hot vapor from an iron foundry, when the
+liquid iron is in a state of ebullition and runs over. By degrees, and
+one after the other, Hans, my uncle, and myself had taken off our coats
+and waistcoats. They were unbearable. Even the slightest garment was not
+only uncomfortable, but the cause of extreme suffering.
+
+"Are we ascending to a living fire?" I cried; when, to my horror and
+astonishment, the heat became greater than before.
+
+"No, no," said my uncle, "it is simply impossible, quite impossible."
+
+"And yet," said I, touching the side of the shaft with my naked hand,
+"this wall is literally burning."
+
+At this moment, feeling as I did that the sides of this extraordinary
+wall were red hot, I plunged my hands into the water to cool them. I
+drew them back with a cry of despair.
+
+"The water is boiling!" I cried.
+
+My uncle, the Professor, made no reply other than a gesture of rage and
+despair.
+
+Something very like the truth had probably struck his imagination.
+
+But I could take no share in either what was going on, or in his
+speculations. An invincible dread had taken possession of my brain and
+soul. I could only look forward to an immediate catastrophe, such a
+catastrophe as not even the most vivid imagination could have thought
+of. An idea, at first vague and uncertain, was gradually being changed
+into certainty.
+
+I tremulously rejected it at first, but it forced itself upon me by
+degrees with extreme obstinacy. It was so terrible an idea that I
+scarcely dared to whisper it to myself.
+
+And yet all the while certain, and as it were, involuntary observations
+determined my convictions. By the doubtful glare of the torch, I could
+make out some singular changes in the granitic strata; a strange and
+terrible phenomenon was about to be produced, in which electricity
+played a part.
+
+Then this boiling water, this terrible and excessive heat? I determined
+as a last resource to examine the compass.
+
+The compass had gone mad!
+
+Yes, wholly stark staring mad. The needle jumped from pole to pole with
+sudden and surprising jerks, ran round, or as it is said, boxed the
+compass, and then ran suddenly back again as if it had the vertigo.
+
+I was aware that, according to the best acknowledged theories, it was a
+received notion that the mineral crust of the globe is never, and never
+has been, in a state of complete repose.
+
+It is perpetually undergoing the modifications caused by the
+decomposition of internal matter, the agitation consequent on the
+flowing of extensive liquid currents, the excessive action of magnetism
+which tends to shake it incessantly, at a time when even the
+multitudinous beings on its surface do not suspect the seething process
+to be going on.
+
+Still this phenomenon would not have alarmed me alone; it would not have
+aroused in my mind a terrible, an awful idea.
+
+But other facts could not allow my self-delusion to last.
+
+Terrible detonations, like Heaven's artillery, began to multiply
+themselves with fearful intensity. I could only compare them with the
+noise made by hundreds of heavily laden chariots being madly driven over
+a stone pavement. It was a continuous roll of heavy thunder.
+
+And then the mad compass, shaken by the wild electric phenomena,
+confirmed me in my rapidly formed opinion. The mineral crust was about
+to burst, the heavy granite masses were about to rejoin, the fissure was
+about to close, the void was about to be filled up, and we poor atoms to
+be crushed in its awful embrace!
+
+"Uncle, Uncle!" I cried, "we are wholly, irretrievably lost!"
+
+"What, then, my young friend, is your new cause of terror and alarm?" he
+said in his calmest manner. "What fear you now?"
+
+"What do I fear now!" I cried in fierce and angry tones. "Do you not see
+that the walls of the shaft are in motion? Do you not see that the solid
+granite masses are cracking? Do you not feel the terrible, torrid heat?
+Do you not observe the awful boiling water on which we float? Do you not
+remark this mad needle? Every sign and portent of an awful earthquake!"
+
+My uncle coolly shook his head.
+
+"An earthquake," he replied in the most calm and provoking tone.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"My nephew, I tell you that you are utterly mistaken," he continued.
+
+"Do you not, can you not, recognize all the well-known symtons--"
+
+"Of an earthquake? By no means. I am expecting something far more
+important."
+
+"My brain is strained beyond endurance--what, what do you mean?" I
+cried.
+
+"An eruption, Harry."
+
+"An eruption," I gasped. "We are, then, in the volcanic shaft of a
+crater in full action and vigor."
+
+"I have every reason to think so," said the Professor in a smiling tone,
+"and I beg to tell you that it is the most fortunate thing that could
+happen to us."
+
+The most fortunate thing! Had my uncle really and truly gone mad? What
+did he mean by these awful words--what did he mean by this terrible
+calm, this solemn smile?
+
+"What!" cried I, in the height of my exasperation, "we are on the way to
+an eruption, are we? Fatality has cast us into a well of burning and
+boiling lava, of rocks on fire, of boiling water, in a word, filled with
+every kind of eruptive matter? We are about to be expelled, thrown up,
+vomited, spit out of the interior of the earth, in common with huge
+blocks of granite, with showers of cinders and scoriae, in a wild
+whirlwind of flame, and you say--the most fortunate thing which could
+happen to us."
+
+"Yes," replied the Professor, looking at me calmly from under his
+spectacles, "it is the only chance which remains to us of ever escaping
+from the interior of the earth to the light of day."
+
+It is quite impossible that I can put on paper the thousand strange,
+wild thoughts which followed this extraordinary announcement.
+
+But my uncle was right, quite right, and never had he appeared to me so
+audacious and so convinced as when he looked me calmly in the face and
+spoke of the chances of an eruption--of our being cast upon Mother Earth
+once more through the gaping crater of a volcano!
+
+Nevertheless, while we were speaking we were still ascending; we passed
+the whole night going up, or to speak more scientifically, in an
+ascensional motion. The fearful noise redoubled; I was ready to
+suffocate. I seriously believed that my last hour was approaching, and
+yet, so strange is imagination, all I thought of was some childish
+hypothesis or other. In such circumstances you do not choose your own
+thoughts. They overcome you.
+
+It was quite evident that we were being cast upwards by eruptive matter;
+under the raft there was a mass of boiling water, and under this was a
+heavier mass of lava, and an aggregate of rocks which, on reaching the
+summit of the water, would be dispersed in every direction.
+
+That we were inside the chimney of a volcano there could no longer be
+the shadow of a doubt. Nothing more terrible could be conceived!
+
+But on this occasion, instead of Sneffels, an old and extinct volcano,
+we were inside a mountain of fire in full activity. Several times I
+found myself asking, what mountain was it, and on what part of the world
+we should be shot out. As if it were of any consequence!
+
+In the northern regions, there could be no reasonable doubt about that.
+Before it went decidedly mad, the compass had never made the slightest
+mistake. From the cape of Saknussemm, we had been swept away to the
+northward many hundreds of leagues. Now the question was, were we once
+more under Iceland--should we be belched forth on to the earth through
+the crater of Mount Hecla, or should we reappear through one of the
+other seven fire funnels of the island? Taking in my mental vision a
+radius of five hundred leagues to the westward, I could see under this
+parallel only the little-known volcanoes of the northwest coast of
+America.
+
+To the east one only existed somewhere about the eightieth degree of
+latitude, the Esk, upon the island of Jan Mayen, not far from the frozen
+regions of Spitsbergen.
+
+It was not craters that were wanting, and many of them were big enough
+to vomit a whole army; all I wished to know was the particular one
+towards which we were making with such fearful velocity.
+
+I often think now of my folly: as if I should ever have expected to
+escape!
+
+Towards morning, the ascending motion became greater and greater. If the
+degree of heat increased instead of decreasing, as we approached the
+surface of the earth, it was simply because the causes were local and
+wholly due to volcanic influence. Our very style of locomotion left in
+my mind no doubt upon the subject. An enormous force, a force of several
+hundreds of atmospheres produced by the vapors accumulated and long
+compressed in the interior of the earth, was hoisting us upwards with
+irresistible power.
+
+But though we were approaching the light of day, to what fearful dangers
+were we about to be exposed?
+
+Instant death appeared the only fate which we could expect or
+contemplate.
+
+Soon a dim, sepulchral light penetrated the vertical gallery, which
+became wider and wider. I could make out to the right and left long dark
+corridors like immense tunnels, from which awful and horrid vapors
+poured out. Tongues of fire, sparkling and crackling, appeared about to
+lick us up.
+
+The hour had come!
+
+"Look, Uncle, look!" I cried.
+
+"Well, what you see are the great sulphurous flames. Nothing more common
+in connection with an eruption."
+
+"But if they lap us round!" I angrily replied.
+
+"They will not lap us round," was his quiet and serene answer.
+
+"But it will be all the same in the end if they stifle us," I cried.
+
+"We shall not be stifled. The gallery is rapidly becoming wider and
+wider, and if it be necessary, we will presently leave the raft and take
+refuge in some fissure in the rock."
+
+"But the water, the water, which is continually ascending?" I
+despairingly replied.
+
+"There is no longer any water, Harry," he answered, "but a kind of lava
+paste, which is heaving us up, in company with itself, to the mouth of
+the crater."
+
+In truth, the liquid column of water had wholly disappeared to give
+place to dense masses of boiling eruptive matter. The temperature was
+becoming utterly insupportable, and a thermometer exposed to this
+atmosphere would have marked between one hundred and eighty-nine and one
+hundred ninety degrees Fahrenheit.
+
+Perspiration rushed from every pore. But for the extraordinary rapidity
+of our ascent we should have been stifled.
+
+Nevertheless, the Professor did not carry out his proposition of
+abandoning the raft; and he did quite wisely. Those few ill-joined beams
+offered, anyway, a solid surface--a support which elsewhere must have
+utterly failed us.
+
+Towards eight o'clock in the morning a new incident startled us. The
+ascensional movement suddenly ceased. The raft became still and
+motionless.
+
+"What is the matter now?" I said, querulously, very much startled by
+this change.
+
+"A simple halt," replied my uncle.
+
+"Is the eruption about to fail?" I asked.
+
+"I hope not."
+
+Without making any reply, I rose. I tried to look around me. Perhaps the
+raft, checked by some projecting rock, opposed a momentary resistance to
+the eruptive mass. In this case, it was absolutely necessary to release
+it as quickly as possible.
+
+Nothing of the kind had occurred. The column of cinders, of scoriae, of
+broken rocks and earth, had wholly ceased to ascend.
+
+"I tell you, Uncle, that the eruption has stopped," was my oracular
+decision.
+
+"Ah," said my uncle, "you think so, my boy. You are wrong. Do not be in
+the least alarmed; this sudden moment of calm will not last long, be
+assured. It has already endured five minutes, and before we are many
+minutes older we shall be continuing our journey to the mouth of the
+crater."
+
+All the time he was speaking the Professor continued to consult his
+chronometer, and he was probably right in his prognostics. Soon the raft
+resumed its motion, in a very rapid and disorderly way, which lasted two
+minutes or thereabout; and then again it stopped as suddenly as before.
+
+"Good," said my uncle, observing the hour, "in ten we shall start
+again."
+
+"In ten minutes?"
+
+"Yes--precisely. We have to do with a volcano, the eruption of which is
+intermittent. We are compelled to breathe just as it does."
+
+Nothing could be more true. At the exact minute he had indicated, we
+were again launched on high with extreme rapidity. Not to be cast off
+the raft, it was necessary to hold on to the beams. Then the hoist again
+ceased.
+
+Many times since have I thought of this singular phenomenon without
+being able to find for it any satisfactory explanation. Nevertheless, it
+appeared quite clear to me, that we were not in the principal chimney of
+the volcano, but in an accessory conduit, where we felt the counter
+shock of the great and principal tunnel filled by burning lava.
+
+It is impossible for me to say how many times this maneuver was
+repeated. All that I can remember is, that on every ascensional motion,
+we were hoisted up with ever increasing velocity, as if we had been
+launched from a huge projectile. During the sudden halts we were nearly
+stifled; during the moments of projection the hot air took away our
+breath.
+
+I thought for a moment of the voluptuous joy of suddenly finding myself
+in the hyperborean regions with the cold thirty degrees below zero!
+
+My exalted imagination pictured to itself the vast snowy plains of the
+arctic regions, and I was impatient to roll myself on the icy carpet of
+the North Pole.
+
+By degrees my head, utterly overcome by a series of violent emotions,
+began to give way to hallucination. I was delirious. Had it not been for
+the powerful arms of Hans, the guide, I should have broken my head
+against the granite masses of the shaft.
+
+I have, in consequence, kept no account of what followed for many hours.
+I have a vague and confused remembrance of continual detonations, of the
+shaking of the huge granitic mass, and of the raft going round like a
+spinning top. It floated on the stream of hot lava, amidst a falling
+cloud of cinders. The huge flames roaring, wrapped us around.
+
+A storm of wind which appeared to be cast forth from an immense
+ventilator roused up the interior fires of the earth. It was a hot,
+incandescent blast!
+
+At last I saw the figure of Hans as if enveloped in the huge halo of
+burning blaze, and no other sense remained to me but that sinister dread
+which the condemned victim may be supposed to feel when led to the mouth
+of a cannon, at the supreme moment when the shot is fired and his limbs
+are dispersed into empty space.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 43
+
+DAYLIGHT AT LAST
+
+
+When I opened my eyes I felt the hand of the guide clutching me firmly
+by the belt. With his other hand he supported my uncle. I was not
+grievously wounded, but bruised all over in the most remarkable manner.
+
+After a moment I looked around, and found that I was lying down on the
+slope of a mountain not two yards from a yawning gulf into which I
+should have fallen had I made the slightest false step. Hans had saved
+me from death, while I rolled insensible on the flanks of the crater.
+
+"Where are we?" dreamily asked my uncle, who literally appeared to be
+disgusted at having returned to earth.
+
+The eider-down hunter simply shrugged his shoulders as a mark of total
+ignorance.
+
+"In Iceland?" said I, not positively but interrogatively.
+
+"Nej," said Hans.
+
+"How do you mean?" cried the Professor; "no--what are your reasons?"
+
+"Hans is wrong," said I, rising.
+
+After all the innumerable surprises of this journey, a yet more singular
+one was reserved to us. I expected to see a cone covered by snow, by
+extensive and widespread glaciers, in the midst of the arid deserts of
+the extreme northern regions, beneath the full rays of a polar sky,
+beyond the highest latitudes.
+
+But contrary to all our expectations, I, my uncle, and the Icelander,
+were cast upon the slope of a mountain calcined by the burning rays of a
+sun which was literally baking us with its fires.
+
+I could not believe my eyes, but the actual heat which affected my body
+allowed me no chance of doubting. We came out of the crater half naked,
+and the radiant star from which we had asked nothing for two months, was
+good enough to be prodigal to us of light and warmth--a light and warmth
+we could easily have dispensed with.
+
+When our eyes were accustomed to the light we had lost sight of so long,
+I used them to rectify the errors of my imagination. Whatever happened,
+we should have been at Spitsbergen, and I was in no humor to yield to
+anything but the most absolute proof.
+
+After some delay, the Professor spoke.
+
+"Hem!" he said, in a hesitating kind of way, "it really does not look
+like Iceland."
+
+"But supposing it were the island of Jan Mayen?" I ventured to observe.
+
+"Not in the least, my boy. This is not one of the volcanoes of the
+north, with its hills of granite and its crown of snow."
+
+"Nevertheless--"
+
+"Look, look, my boy," said the Professor, as dogmatically as usual.
+
+Right above our heads, at a great height, opened the crater of a volcano
+from which escaped, from one quarter of an hour to the other, with a
+very loud explosion, a lofty jet of flame mingled with pumice stone,
+cinders, and lava. I could feel the convulsions of nature in the
+mountain, which breathed like a huge whale, throwing up from time to
+time fire and air through its enormous vents.
+
+Below, and floating along a slope of considerable angularity, the stream
+of eruptive matter spread away to a depth which did not give the volcano
+a height of three hundred fathoms.
+
+Its base disappeared in a perfect forest of green trees, among which I
+perceived olives, fig trees, and vines loaded with rich grapes.
+
+Certainly this was not the ordinary aspect of the arctic regions. About
+that there could not be the slightest doubt.
+
+When the eye was satisfied at its glimpse of this verdant expanse, it
+fell upon the waters of a lovely sea or beautiful lake, which made of
+this enchanted land an island of not many leagues in extent.
+
+On the side of the rising sun was to be seen a little port, crowded with
+houses, and near which the boats and vessels of peculiar build were
+floating upon azure waves.
+
+Beyond, groups of islands rose above the liquid plain, so numerous and
+close together as to resemble a vast beehive.
+
+Towards the setting sun, some distant shores were to be made out on the
+edge of the horizon. Some presented the appearance of blue mountains of
+harmonious conformation; upon others, much more distant, there appeared
+a prodigiously lofty cone, above the summit of which hung dark and heavy
+clouds.
+
+Towards the north, an immense expanse of water sparkled beneath the
+solar rays, occasionally allowing the extremity of a mast or the
+convexity of a sail bellying to the wind, to be seen.
+
+The unexpected character of such a scene added a hundredfold to its
+marvelous beauties.
+
+"Where can we be?" I asked, speaking in a low and solemn voice.
+
+Hans shut his eyes with an air of indifference, and my uncle looked on
+without clearly understanding.
+
+"Whatever this mountain may be," he said, at last, "I must confess it is
+rather warm. The explosions do not leave off, and I do not think it is
+worthwhile to have left the interior of a volcano and remain here to
+receive a huge piece of rock upon one's head. Let us carefully descend
+the mountain and discover the real state of the case. To confess the
+truth, I am dying of hunger and thirst."
+
+Decidedly the Professor was no longer a truly reflective character. For
+myself, forgetting all my necessities, ignoring my fatigues and
+sufferings, I should have remained still for several hours longer--but
+it was necessary to follow my companions.
+
+The slope of the volcano was very steep and slippery; we slid over piles
+of ashes, avoiding the streams of hot lava which glided about like fiery
+serpents. Still, while we were advancing, I spoke with extreme
+volubility, for my imagination was too full not to explode in words.
+
+"We are in Asia!" I exclaimed; "we are on the coast of India, in the
+great Malay islands, in the centre of Oceania. We have crossed the one
+half of the globe to come out right at the antipodes of Europe!"
+
+"But the compass!" exclaimed my uncle; "explain that to me!"
+
+"Yes--the compass," I said with considerable hesitation. "I grant that
+is a difficulty. According to it, we have always been going northward."
+
+"Then it lied."
+
+"Hem--to say it lied is rather a harsh word," was my answer.
+
+"Then we are at the North Pole--"
+
+"The Pole--no--well--well I give it up," was my reply.
+
+The plain truth was, that there was no explanation possible. I could
+make nothing of it.
+
+And all the while we were approaching this beautiful verdure, hunger and
+thirst tormented me fearfully. Happily, after two long hours' march, a
+beautiful country spread out before us, covered by olives, pomegranates,
+and vines, which appeared to belong to anybody and everybody. In any
+event, in the state of destitution into which we had fallen, we were not
+in a mood to ponder too scrupulously.
+
+What delight it was to press these delicious fruits to our lips, and to
+bite at grapes and pomegranates fresh from the vine.
+
+Not far off, near some fresh and mossy grass, under the delicious shade
+of some trees, I discovered a spring of fresh water, in which we
+voluptuously laved our faces, hands, and feet.
+
+While we were all giving way to the delights of new-found pleasures, a
+little child appeared between two tufted olive trees.
+
+"Ah," cried I, "an inhabitant of this happy country."
+
+The little fellow was poorly dressed, weak, and suffering, and appeared
+terribly alarmed at our appearance. Half-naked, with tangled, matted and
+ragged beards, we did look supremely ill-favored; and unless the country
+was a bandit land, we were not likely to alarm the inhabitants!
+
+Just as the boy was about to take to his heels, Hans ran after him, and
+brought him back, despite his cries and kicks.
+
+My uncle tried to look as gentle as possible, and then spoke in German.
+
+"What is the name of this mountain, my friend?"
+
+The child made no reply.
+
+"Good," said my uncle, with a very positive air of conviction, "we are
+not in Germany."
+
+He then made the same demand in English, of which language he was an
+excellent scholar.
+
+The child shook its head and made no reply. I began to be considerably
+puzzled.
+
+"Is he dumb?" cried the Professor, who was rather proud of his polyglot
+knowledge of languages, and made the same demand in French.
+
+The boy only stared in his face.
+
+"I must perforce try him in Italian," said my uncle, with a shrug.
+
+"<i>Dove noi siamo</i>?"
+
+"Yes, tell me where we are?" I added impatiently and eagerly.
+
+Again the boy remained silent.
+
+"My fine fellow, do you or do you not mean to speak?" cried my uncle,
+who began to get angry. He shook him, and spoke another dialect of the
+Italian language.
+
+"<i>Come si noma questa isola</i>?"--"What is the name of this island?"
+
+"Stromboli," replied the rickety little shepherd, dashing away from Hans
+and disappearing in the olive groves.
+
+We thought little enough about him.
+
+Stromboli! What effect on the imagination did these few words produce!
+We were in the centre of the Mediterranean, amidst the eastern
+archipelago of mythological memory, in the ancient Strongylos, where
+AEolus kept the wind and the tempest chained up. And those blue
+mountains, which rose towards the rising sun, were the mountains of
+Calabria.
+
+And that mighty volcano which rose on the southern horizon was Etna, the
+fierce and celebrated Etna!
+
+"Stromboli! Stromboli!" I repeated to myself.
+
+My uncle played a regular accompaniment to my gestures and words. We
+were singing together like an ancient chorus.
+
+Ah--what a journey--what a marvelous and extraordinary journey! Here we
+had entered the earth by one volcano, and we had come out by another.
+And this other was situated more than twelve hundred leagues from
+Sneffels from that drear country of Iceland cast away on the confines of
+the earth. The wondrous changes of this expedition had transported us to
+the most harmonious and beautiful of earthly lands. We had abandoned the
+region of eternal snows for that of infinite verdure, and had left over
+our heads the gray fog of the icy regions to come back to the azure sky
+of Sicily!
+
+After a delicious repast of fruits and fresh water, we again continued
+our journey in order to reach the port of Stromboli. To say how we had
+reached the island would scarcely have been prudent. The superstitious
+character of the Italians would have been at work, and we should have
+been called demons vomited from the infernal regions. It was therefore
+necessary to pass for humble and unfortunate shipwrecked travelers. It
+was certainly less striking and romantic, but it was decidedly safer.
+
+As we advanced, I could hear my worthy uncle muttering to himself:
+
+"But the compass. The compass most certainly marked north. This is a
+fact I cannot explain in any way."
+
+"Well, the fact is," said I, with an air of disdain, "we must not
+explain anything. It will be much more easy."
+
+"I should like to see a professor of the Johanneum Institution who is
+unable to explain a cosmic phenomenon--it would indeed be strange."
+
+And speaking thus, my uncle, half-naked, his leathern purse round his
+loins, and his spectacles upon his nose, became once more the terrible
+Professor of Mineralogy.
+
+An hour after leaving the wood of olives, we reached the fort of San
+Vicenza, where Hans demanded the price of his thirteenth week of
+service. My uncle paid him, with very many warm shakes of the hand.
+
+At that moment, if he did not indeed quite share our natural emotion, he
+allowed his feelings so far to give way as to indulge in an
+extraordinary expression for him.
+
+With the tips of two fingers he gently pressed our hands and smiled.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER 44
+
+THE JOURNEY ENDED
+
+
+This is the final conclusion of a narrative which will be probably
+disbelieved even by people who are astonished at nothing. I am, however,
+armed at all points against human incredulity.
+
+We were kindly received by the Strombolite fishermen, who treated us as
+shipwrecked travelers. They gave us clothes and food. After a delay of
+forty-eight hours, on the 30th of September a little vessel took us to
+Messina, where a few days of delightful and complete repose restored us
+to ourselves.
+
+On Friday, the 4th of October, we embarked in the Volturne, one of the
+postal packets of the Imperial Messageries of France; and three days
+later we landed at Marseilles, having no other care on our minds but
+that of our precious but erratic compass. This inexplicable circumstance
+tormented me terribly. On the 9th of October, in the evening, we reached
+Hamburg.
+
+What was the astonishment of Martha, what the joy of Gretchen! I will
+not attempt to define it.
+
+"Now then, Harry, that you really are a hero," she said, "there is no
+reason why you should ever leave me again."
+
+I looked at her. She was weeping tears of joy.
+
+I leave it to be imagined if the return of Professor Hardwigg made or
+did not make a sensation in Hamburg. Thanks to the indiscretion of
+Martha, the news of his departure for the interior of the earth had been
+spread over the whole world.
+
+No one would believe it--and when they saw him come back in safety they
+believed it all the less.
+
+But the presence of Hans and many stray scraps of information by degrees
+modified public opinion.
+
+Then my uncle became a great man and I the nephew of a great man, which,
+at all events, is something. Hamburg gave a festival in our honor. A
+public meeting of the Johanneum Institution was held, at which the
+Professor related the whole story of his adventures, omitting only the
+facts in connection with the compass.
+
+That same day he deposited in the archives of the town the document he
+had found written by Saknussemm, and he expressed his great regret that
+circumstances, stronger than his will, did not allow him to follow the
+Icelandic traveler's track into the very centre of the earth. He was
+modest in his glory, but his reputation only increased.
+
+So much honor necessarily created for him many envious enemies. Of
+course they existed, and as his theories, supported by certain facts,
+contradicted the system of science upon the question of central heat, he
+maintained his own views both with pen and speech against the learned of
+every country. Although I still believe in the theory of central heat, I
+confess that certain circumstances, hitherto very ill defined, may
+modify the laws of such natural phenomena.
+
+At the moment when these questions were being discussed with interest,
+my uncle received a rude shock--one that he felt very much. Hans,
+despite everything he could say to the contrary, quitted Hamburg; the
+man to whom we owed so much would not allow us to pay our deep debt of
+gratitude. He was taken with nostalgia; a love for his Icelandic home.
+
+"Farval," said he, one day, and with this one short word of adieu, he
+started for Reykjavik, which he soon reached in safety.
+
+We were deeply attached to our brave eider-duck hunter. His absence will
+never cause him to be forgotten by those whose lives he saved, and I
+hope, at some not distant day, to see him again.
+
+To conclude, I may say that our journey into the interior of the earth
+created an enormous sensation throughout the civilized world. It was
+translated and printed in many languages. All the leading journals
+published extracts from it, which were commentated, discussed, attacked,
+and supported with equal animation by those who believed in its
+episodes, and by those who were utterly incredulous.
+
+Wonderful! My uncle enjoyed during his lifetime all the glory he
+deserved; and he was even offered a large sum of money, by Mr. Barnum,
+to exhibit himself in the United States; while I am credibly informed by
+a traveler that he is to be seen in waxwork at Madame Tussaud's!
+
+But one care preyed upon his mind, a care which rendered him very
+unhappy. One fact remained inexplicable--that of the compass. For a
+learned man to be baffled by such an inexplicable phenomenon was very
+aggravating. But Heaven was merciful, and in the end my uncle was happy.
+
+One day, while he put some minerals belonging to his collection in
+order, I fell upon the famous compass and examined it keenly.
+
+For six months it had lain unnoticed and untouched.
+
+I looked at it with curiosity, which soon became surprise. I gave a loud
+cry. The Professor, who was at hand, soon joined me.
+
+"What is the matter?" he cried.
+
+"The compass!"
+
+"What then?"
+
+"Why its needle points to the south and not to the north."
+
+"My dear boy, you must be dreaming."
+
+"I am not dreaming. See--the poles are changed."
+
+"Changed!"
+
+My uncle put on his spectacles, examined the instrument, and leaped with
+joy, shaking the whole house.
+
+A clear light fell upon our minds.
+
+"Here it is!" he cried, as soon as he had recovered the use of his
+speech, "after we had once passed Cape Saknussemm, the needle of this
+compass pointed to the southward instead of the northward."
+
+"Evidently."
+
+"Our error is now easily explained. But to what phenomenon do we owe
+this alteration in the needle?"
+
+"Nothing more simple."
+
+"Explain yourself, my boy. I am on thorns."
+
+"During the storm, upon the Central Sea, the ball of fire which made a
+magnet of the iron in our raft, turned our compass topsy-turvy."
+
+"Ah!" cried the Professor, with a loud and ringing laugh, "it was a
+trick of that inexplicable electricity."
+
+From that hour my uncle was the happiest of learned men, and I the
+happiest of ordinary mortals. For my pretty Virland girl, abdicating her
+position as ward, took her place in the house in the Konigstrasse in the
+double quality of niece and wife.
+
+We need scarcely mention that her uncle was the illustrious Professor
+Hardwigg, corresponding member of all the scientific, geographical,
+mineralogical, and geological societies of the five parts of the globe.
+
+
+
+End of the Voyage Extraordinaire
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by
+Jules Verne
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