Our voyage now became monotonous5 and uniform. Dull as it has become, I have no desire to have it broken by any repetition of the perils6 and adventures of yesterday.
Thursday, August 20th. The wind is now N. N. E., and blows very irregularly. It has changed to fitful gusts8. 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 mighty9 rocks.
"Far off in the distance," said the Professor dogmatically, "there is some rock or some island against which the sea lashed10 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 cataract11.
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 descending12 into the abyss may be agreeable to the Professor, because it would be something like the vertical13 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 vapors14, and I seek to penetrate16 their mighty depths. But the vault17 above is tranquil18. The clouds, which are now elevated to the very summit, appear utterly19 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 perfectly20 calm, pure, and free from all haze21. Its aspect still remains22 unchanged. But if this awful noise proceeds from a cataract—if, so to speak in plain English, this vast interior ocean is precipitated23 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 peril7 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 leeward24 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 circumference25 of the ocean. At last, his eyes remain fixed. His face expresses no astonishment26, but his eyes slightly dilate27.
"He has seen something at last," cried my uncle.
"I think so," I replied.
"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.
"Perhaps."
"Then let us steer31 more to the westward32, for we know what we have to expect from antediluvian33 animals," was my eager reply.
"Go ahead," said my uncle.
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 spurting35 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 prudence36. But we have not come into that part of the world to be prudent37. Such is my uncle's determination.
We, accordingly, continued to advance. The nearer we come, the loftier is the spouting39 water. What monster can fill himself with such huge volumes of water, and then unceasingly spout38 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 ashore40 on sleeping whales, mistaking them for land. Is it illusion, or is it fear? Its length cannot be less than a thousand fathoms41. 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 upwards42; 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, sullen43 roar.
We advance, like senseless lunatics, towards this mighty mass.
I honestly confess that I was abjectly44 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:
"Holme!"
"An island!" cried my uncle.
"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 majestically47 from its summit. Dull detonations48 are heard every now and then, and the enormous jet, taken as it were with sudden fury, shakes its plume49 of vapor15, and bounds into the first layer of the clouds. It is alone. Neither spurts50 of vapor nor hot springs surround it, and the whole volcanic51 power of that region is concentrated in one sublime52 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 founder53 in an instant. Hans, however, steers54 admirably, and brings us to the other extremity55 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 granite56 mixed with siliceous sandstone; the soil shivered under our feet like the sides of boilers57 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 plunged58 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.
"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 remarkably60 fortunate, and that this voyage is being accomplished61 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 embarkation62.
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 intensity63, and then, suddenly, it regained64 new vigor65, 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.
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1
imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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6
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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10
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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cataract
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| n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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13
vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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14
vapors
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| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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vapor
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| n.蒸汽，雾气 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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23
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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24
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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spurt
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| v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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antediluvian
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| adj.史前的，陈旧的 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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spurting
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| （液体，火焰等）喷出，（使）涌出( spurt的现在分词 )； （短暂地）加速前进，冲刺； 溅射 | |
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36
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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39
spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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40
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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41
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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42
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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43
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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44
abjectly
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| 凄惨地； 绝望地； 糟透地； 悲惨地 | |
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45
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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46
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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47
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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48
detonations
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| n.爆炸 （声）( detonation的名词复数 ) | |
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49
plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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50
spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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51
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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52
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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53
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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54
steers
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| n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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55
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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56
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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57
boilers
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| 锅炉，烧水器，水壶( boiler的名词复数 ) | |
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58
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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59
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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60
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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61
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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62
embarkation
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| n. 乘船, 搭机, 开船 | |
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63
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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64
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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