It is no use to tell of the rage and imprecations of my uncle before the empty table. Explanations were given, Martha was set at liberty, ran off to the market, and did her part so well that in an hour afterwards my hunger was appeased3, and I was able to return to the contemplation of the gravity of the situation.
During all dinner time my uncle was almost merry; he indulged in some of those learned jokes which never do anybody any harm. Dessert over, he beckoned4 me into his study.
I obeyed; he sat at one end of his table, I at the other.
"Axel," said he very mildly; "you are a very ingenious young man, you have done me a splendid service, at a moment when, wearied out with the struggle, I was going to abandon the contest. Where should I have lost myself? None can tell. Never, my lad, shall I forget it; and you shall have your share in the glory to which your discovery will lead."
"Oh, come!" thought I, "he is in a good way. Now is the time for discussing that same glory."
"Before all things," my uncle resumed, "I enjoin5 you to preserve the most inviolable secrecy6: you understand? There are not a few in the scientific world who envy my success, and many would be ready to undertake this enterprise, to whom our return should be the first news of it."
"Do you really think there are many people bold enough?" said I.
"Certainly; who would hesitate to acquire such renown7? If that document were divulged8, a whole army of geologists9 would be ready to rush into the footsteps of Arne Saknussemm."
"I don't feel so very sure of that, uncle," I replied; "for we have no proof of the authenticity10 of this document."
"What! not of the book, inside which we have discovered it?"
"Granted. I admit that Saknussemm may have written these lines. But does it follow that he has really accomplished11 such a journey? And may it not be that this old parchment is intended to mislead?"
I almost regretted having uttered this last word, which dropped from me in an unguarded moment. The Professor bent12 his shaggy brows, and I feared I had seriously compromised my own safety. Happily no great harm came of it. A smile flitted across the lip of my severe companion, and he answered:
"That is what we shall see."
"Ah!" said I, rather put out. "But do let me exhaust all the possible objections against this document."
"Speak, my boy, don't be afraid. You are quite at liberty to express your opinions. You are no longer my nephew only, but my colleague. Pray go on."
"Well, in the first place, I wish to ask what are this Jokul, this
Sneffels, and this Scartaris, names which I have never heard before?"
"Nothing easier. I received not long ago a map from my friend, Augustus Petermann, at Liepzig. Nothing could be more apropos13. Take down the third atlas14 in the second shelf in the large bookcase, series Z, plate 4."
I rose, and with the help of such precise instructions could not fail to find the required atlas. My uncle opened it and said:
"Here is one of the best maps of Iceland, that of Handersen, and I believe this will solve the worst of our difficulties."
I bent over the map.
"You see this volcanic15 island," said the Professor; "observe that all the volcanoes are called jokuls, a word which means glacier16 in Icelandic, and under the high latitude17 of Iceland nearly all the active volcanoes discharge through beds of ice. Hence this term of jokul is applied18 to all the eruptive mountains in Iceland."
"Very good," said I; "but what of Sneffels?"
I was hoping that this question would be unanswerable; but I was mistaken. My uncle replied:
"Follow my finger along the west coast of Iceland. Do you see Rejkiavik, the capital? You do. Well; ascend19 the innumerable fiords that indent20 those sea-beaten shores, and stop at the sixty-fifth degree of latitude. What do you see there?"
"A very fair comparison, my lad. Now do you see anything upon that knee bone?"
"Yes; a mountain rising out of the sea."
"Right. That is Snæfell."
"That Snæfell?"
"It is. It is a mountain five thousand feet high, one of the most remarkable22 in the world, if its crater23 leads down to the centre of the earth."
"But that is impossible," I said shrugging my shoulders, and disgusted at such a ridiculous supposition.
"But suppose it is an extinct volcano?"
"Extinct?"
"Yes; the number of active volcanoes on the surface of the globe is at the present time only about three hundred. But there is a very much larger number of extinct ones. Now, Snæfell is one of these. Since historic times there has been but one eruption26 of this mountain, that of 1219; from that time it has quieted down more and more, and now it is no longer reckoned among active volcanoes."
To such positive statements I could make no reply. I therefore took refuge in other dark passages of the document.
"What is the meaning of this word Scartaris, and what have the kalends of July to do with it?"
My uncle took a few minutes to consider. For one short moment I felt a ray of hope, speedily to be extinguished. For he soon answered thus:
"What is darkness to you is light to me. This proves the ingenious care with which Saknussemm guarded and defined his discovery. Sneffels, or Snæfell, has several craters28. It was therefore necessary to point out which of these leads to the centre of the globe. What did the Icelandic sage27 do? He observed that at the approach of the kalends of July, that is to say in the last days of June, one of the peaks, called Scartaris, flung its shadow down the mouth of that particular crater, and he committed that fact to his document. Could there possibly have been a more exact guide? As soon as we have arrived at the summit of Snæfell we shall have no hesitation29 as to the proper road to take."
Decidedly, my uncle had answered every one of my objections. I saw that his position on the old parchment was impregnable. I therefore ceased to press him upon that part of the subject, and as above all things he must be convinced, I passed on to scientific objections, which in my opinion were far more serious.
"Well, then," I said, "I am forced to admit that Saknussemm's sentence is clear, and leaves no room for doubt. I will even allow that the document bears every mark and evidence of authenticity. That learned philosopher did get to the bottom of Sneffels, he has seen the shadow of Scartaris touch the edge of the crater before the kalends of July; he may even have heard the legendary30 stories told in his day about that crater reaching to the centre of the world; but as for reaching it himself, as for performing the journey, and returning, if he ever went, I say no—he never, never did that."
"Now for your reason?" said my uncle ironically.
"The theories say that, do they?" replied the Professor in the tone of a meek32 disciple33. "Oh! unpleasant theories! How the theories will hinder us, won't they?"
I saw that he was only laughing at me; but I went on all the same.
"Yes; it is perfectly34 well known that the internal temperature rises one degree for every 70 feet in depth; now, admitting this proportion to be constant, and the radius35 of the earth being fifteen hundred leagues, there must be a temperature of 360,032 degrees at the centre of the earth. Therefore, all the substances that compose the body of this earth must exist there in a state of incandescent36 gas; for the metals that most resist the action of heat, gold, and platinum37, and the hardest rocks, can never be either solid or liquid under such a temperature. I have therefore good reason for asking if it is possible to penetrate through such a medium."
"So, Axel, it is the heat that troubles you?"
"Of course it is. Were we to reach a depth of thirty miles we should have arrived at the limit of the terrestrial crust, for there the temperature will be more than 2372 degrees."
"I will leave you to decide that question," I answered rather sullenly39. "This is my decision," replied Professor Liedenbrock, putting on one of his grandest airs. "Neither you nor anybody else knows with any certainty what is going on in the interior of this globe, since not the twelve thousandth part of its radius is known; science is eminently40 perfectible; and every new theory is soon routed by a newer. Was it not always believed until Fourier that the temperature of the interplanetary spaces decreased perpetually? and is it not known at the present time that the greatest cold of the ethereal regions is never lower than 40 degrees below zero Fahr.? Why should it not be the same with the internal heat? Why should it not, at a certain depth, attain41 an impassable limit, instead of rising to such a point as to fuse the most infusible metals?"
As my uncle was now taking his stand upon hypotheses, of course, there was nothing to be said.
"Well, I will tell you that true savants, amongst them Poisson, have demonstrated that if a heat of 360,000 degrees [1] existed in the interior of the globe, the fiery42 gases arising from the fused matter would acquire an elastic43 force which the crust of the earth would be unable to resist, and that it would explode like the plates of a bursting boiler44."
"That is Poisson's opinion, my uncle, nothing more."
"Granted. But it is likewise the creed45 adopted by other distinguished46 geologists, that the interior of the globe is neither gas nor water, nor any of the heaviest minerals known, for in none of these cases would the earth weigh what it does."
"Oh, with figures you may prove anything!"
"But is it the same with facts! Is it not known that the number of volcanoes has diminished since the first days of creation? and if there is central heat may we not thence conclude that it is in process of diminution47?"
"My good uncle, if you will enter into the legion of speculation48, I can discuss the matter no longer."
"But I have to tell you that the highest names have come to the support of my views. Do you remember a visit paid to me by the celebrated49 chemist, Humphry Davy, in 1825?"
"Not at all, for I was not born until nineteen years afterwards."
"Well, Humphry Davy did call upon me on his way through Hamburg. We were long engaged in discussing, amongst other problems, the hypothesis of the liquid structure of the terrestrial nucleus50. We were agreed that it could not be in a liquid state, for a reason which science has never been able to confute."
[1] The degrees of temperature are given by Jules Verne according to the centigrade system, for which we will in each case substitute the Fahrenheit51 measurement. (Tr.)
"What is that reason?" I said, rather astonished.
"Because this liquid mass would be subject, like the ocean, to the lunar attraction, and therefore twice every day there would be internal tides, which, upheaving the terrestrial crust, would cause periodical earthquakes!"
"Yet it is evident that the surface of the globe has been subject to the action of fire," I replied, "and it is quite reasonable to suppose that the external crust cooled down first, whilst the heat took refuge down to the centre."
"Quite a mistake," my uncle answered. "The earth has been heated by combustion52 on its surface, that is all. Its surface was composed of a great number of metals, such as potassium and sodium53, which have the peculiar54 property of igniting at the mere55 contact with air and water; these metals kindled56 when the atmospheric57 vapours fell in rain upon the soil; and by and by, when the waters penetrated58 into the fissures59 of the crust of the earth, they broke out into fresh combustion with explosions and eruptions60. Such was the cause of the numerous volcanoes at the origin of the earth."
"Upon my word, this is a very clever hypothesis," I exclaimed, in spite rather of myself.
"And which Humphry Davy demonstrated to me by a simple experiment. He formed a small ball of the metals which I have named, and which was a very fair representation of our globe; whenever he caused a fine dew of rain to fall upon its surface, it heaved up into little monticules, it became oxydized and formed miniature mountains; a crater broke open at one of its summits; the eruption took place, and communicated to the whole of the ball such a heat that it could not be held in the hand."
In truth, I was beginning to be shaken by the Professor's arguments, besides which he gave additional weight to them by his usual ardour and fervent61 enthusiasm.
"You see, Axel," he added, "the condition of the terrestrial nucleus has given rise to various hypotheses among geologists; there is no proof at all for this internal heat; my opinion is that there is no such thing, it cannot be; besides we shall see for ourselves, and, like Arne Saknussemm, we shall know exactly what to hold as truth concerning this grand question."
"Very well, we shall see," I replied, feeling myself carried off by his contagious62 enthusiasm. "Yes, we shall see; that is, if it is possible to see anything there."
"And why not? May we not depend upon electric phenomena63 to give us light? May we not even expect light from the atmosphere, the pressure of which may render it luminous64 as we approach the centre?"
"Yes, yes," said I; "that is possible, too."
"It is certain," exclaimed my uncle in a tone of triumph. "But silence, do you hear me? silence upon the whole subject; and let no one get before us in this design of discovering the centre of the earth."
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1
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enjoin
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| v.命令；吩咐；禁止 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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7
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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divulged
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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geologists
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| 地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 ) | |
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authenticity
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| n.真实性 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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apropos
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| adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于 | |
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atlas
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| n.地图册，图表集 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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glacier
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| n.冰川，冰河 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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indent
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| n.订单，委托采购，国外商品订货单，代购订单 | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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29
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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32
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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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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radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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incandescent
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| adj.遇热发光的， 白炽的，感情强烈的 | |
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platinum
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| n.白金 | |
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fusion
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| n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接 | |
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sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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42
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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43
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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boiler
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| n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等) | |
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45
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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46
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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47
diminution
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| n.减少；变小 | |
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48
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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49
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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50
nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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51
Fahrenheit
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| n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的) | |
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52
combustion
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| n.燃烧；氧化；骚动 | |
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53
sodium
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| n.（化）钠 | |
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54
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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55
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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56
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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57
atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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58
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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59
fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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60
eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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61
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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62
contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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63
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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64
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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