English
Dinnerwasready.ProfessorLiedenbrockdevouredhisportionvoraciously,forhiscompulsoryfastonboardhadconvertedhisstomachintoavastunfathomablegulf.
Therewasnothingremarkableinthemealitself;butthehospitalityofourhost,moreDanishthanIcelandic,remindedmeoftheheroesofold.
Itwasevidentthatweweremoreathomethanhewashimself.
Theconversationwascarriedoninthevernaculartongue,whichmyunclemixedwithGermanandM.FridrikssenwithLatinformybenefit.
Itturneduponscientificquestionsasbefitsphilosophers;butProfessorLiedenbrockwasexcessivelyreserved,andateverysentencespoketomewithhiseyes,enjoiningthemostabsolutesilenceuponourplans.
InthefirstplaceM.Fridrikssenwantedtoknowwhatsuccessmyunclehadhadatthelibrary.
"Yourlibrary!whythereisnothingbutafewtatteredbooksuponalmostdesertedshelves."
"Indeed!"repliedM.Fridrikssen,"whywepossesseightthousandvolumes,manyofthemvaluableandscarce,worksintheoldScandinavianlanguage,andwehaveallthenoveltiesthatCopenhagensendsuseveryyear."
"Wheredoyoukeepyoureightthousandvolumes?Formypart–"
"Oh,M.Liedenbrock,theyarealloverthecountry.
Inthisicyregionwearefondofstudy.
Thereisnotafarmernorafishermanthatcannotreadanddoesnotread.
Ourprincipleis,thatbooks,insteadofgrowingmouldybehindanirongrating,shouldbewornoutundertheeyesofmanyreaders.
Therefore,thesevolumesarepassedfromonetoanother,readoverandover,referredtoagainandagain;anditoftenhappensthattheyfindtheirwaybacktotheirshelvesonlyafteranabsenceofayearortwo."
"Andinthemeantime,"saidmyuncleratherspitefully,"strangers––"
"Well,whatwouldyouhave?Foreignershavetheirlibrariesathome,andthefirstessentialforlabouringpeopleisthattheyshouldbeeducated.
IrepeattoyoutheloveofreadingrunsinIcelandicblood.
In1816wefoundedaprosperousliterarysociety;learnedstrangersthinkthemselveshonouredinbecomingmembersofit.
Itpublishesbookswhicheducateourfellow–countrymen,anddothecountrygreatservice.
Ifyouwillconsenttobeacorrespondingmember,HerrLiedenbrock,youwillbegivingusgreatpleasure."
Myuncle,whohadalreadyjoinedaboutahundredlearnedsocieties,acceptedwithagracewhichevidentlytouchedM.Fridrikssen.
"Now,"saidhe,"willyoubekindenoughtotellmewhatbooksyouhopedtofindinourlibraryandImayperhapsenableyoutoconsultthem?"
Myuncle'seyesandminemet.Hehesitated.Thisdirectquestionwenttotherootofthematter.Butafteramoment'sreflectionhedecidedonspeaking.
"MonsieurFridrikssen,IwishedtoknowifamongstyourancientbooksyoupossessedanyoftheworksofArneSaknussemm?"
"ArneSaknussemm!"repliedtheRejkiavikprofessor."Youmeanthatlearnedsixteenthcenturysavant,anaturalist,achemist,andatraveller?"
"Justso!"
"OneofthegloriesofIcelandicliteratureandscience?"
"That'stheman."
"Anillustriousmananywhere!"
"Quiteso."
"Andwhosecouragewasequaltohisgenius!"
"Iseethatyouknowhimwell."
Myunclewasbathedindelightathearinghisherothusdescribed.HefeastedhiseyesuponM.Fridrikssen'sface.
"Well,"hecried,"wherearehisworks?"
"Hisworks,wehavethemnot."
"What–notinIceland?"
"TheyareneitherinIcelandnoranywhereelse."
"Whyisthat?"
"BecauseArneSaknussemmwaspersecutedforheresy,andin1573hisbookswereburnedbythehandsofthecommonhangman."
"Verygood!Excellent!"criedmyuncle,tothegreatscandaloftheprofessorofnaturalhistory.
"What!"hecried.
"Yes,yes;nowitisallclear,nowitisallunravelled;andIseewhySaknussemm,putintotheIndexExpurgatorius,andcompelledtohidethediscoveriesmadebyhisgenius,wasobligedtoburyinanincomprehensiblecryptogramthesecret–"
"Whatsecret?"askedM.Fridrikssen,starting.
"Oh,justasecretwhich–"myunclestammered.
"Haveyousomeprivatedocumentinyourpossession?"askedourhost.
"No;Iwasonlysupposingacase."
"Oh,verywell,"answeredM.Fridrikssen,whowaskindenoughnottopursuethesubjectwhenhehadnoticedtheembarrassmentofhisfriend.
"Ihopeyouwillnotleaveourislanduntilyouhaveseensomeofitsmineralogicalwealth."
"Certainly,"repliedmyuncle;"butIamratherlate;orhavenotothersbeenherebeforeme?"
"Yes,HerrLiedenbrock;thelaboursofMM.
OlafsenandPovelsen,pursuedbyorderoftheking,theresearchesofTroïlthescientificmissionofMM.
GaimardandRobertontheFrenchcorvetteLaRecherche,[1]andlatelytheobservationsofscientificmenwhocameintheReineHortense,haveaddedmateriallytoourknowledgeofIceland.ButIassureyouthereisplentyleft."
"Doyouthinkso?"saidmyuncle,pretendingtolookverymodest,andtryingtohidethecuriositywasflashingoutofhiseyes.
"Oh,yes;howmanymountains,glaciers,andvolcanoestherearetostudy,whichareasyetbutimperfectlyknown!Then,withoutgoinganyfurther,thatmountaininthehorizon.ThatisSnaefell."
"Ah!"saidmyuncle,ascoollyashewasable,"isthatSnaefell?"
"Yes;oneofthemostcuriousvolcanoes,andthecraterofwhichhasscarcelyeverbeenvisited."
"Isitextinct?"
"Oh,yes;morethanfivehundredyears."
"Well,"repliedmyuncle,whowasfranticallylockinghislegstogethertokeephimselffromjumpingupintheair,"thatiswhereImeantobeginmygeologicalstudies,thereonthatSeffel–Fessel–whatdoyoucallit?"
"Snaefell,"repliedtheexcellentM.Fridrikssen.
ThispartoftheconversationwasinLatin;Ihadunderstoodeverywordofit,andIcouldhardlyconcealmyamusementatseeingmyuncletryingtokeepdowntheexcitementandsatisfactionwhichwerebrimmingoverineverylimbandeveryfeature.
Hetriedhardtoputonaninnocentlittleexpressionofsimplicity;butitlookedlikeadiabolicalgrin.
[1]Recherchewassentoutin1835byAdmiralDuperrètolearnthefateofthelostexpeditionofM.deBlossevilleintheLilloisewhichhasneverbeenheardof.
"Yes,"saidhe,"yourwordsdecideme.WewilltrytoscalethatSnaefell;perhapsevenwemaypursueourstudiesinitscrater!"
"Iamverysorry,"saidM.Fridrikssen,"thatmyengagementswillnotallowmetoabsentmyself,orIwouldhaveaccompaniedyoumyselfwithbothpleasureandprofit."
"Oh,no,no!"repliedmyunclewithgreatanimation,"wewouldnotdisturbanyonefortheworld,M.Fridrikssen.
Still,Ithankyouwithallmyheart:thecompanyofsuchatalentedmanwouldhavebeenveryserviceable,butthedutiesofyourprofession–"
Iamgladtothinkthatourhost,intheinnocenceofhisIcelandicsoul,wasblindtothetransparentartificesofmyuncle.
"Iverymuchapproveofyourbeginningwiththatvolcano,M.Liedenbrock.Youwillgatheraharvestofinterestingobservations.But,tellme,howdoyouexpecttogettothepeninsulaofSnaefell?"
"Bysea,crossingthebay.That'sthemostdirectway."
"Nodoubt;butitisimpossible."
"Why?"
"Becausewedon'tpossessasingleboatatRejkiavik."
"Youdon'tmeantosayso?"
"Youwillhavetogobyland,followingtheshore.Itwillbelonger,butmoreinteresting."
"Verywell,then;andnowIshallhavetoseeaboutaguide."
"Ihaveonetoofferyou."
"Asafe,intelligentman."
"Yes;aninhabitantofthatpeninsulaHeisaneiderdownhunter,andveryclever.HespeaksDanishperfectly."
"WhencanIseehim?"
"To–morrow,ifyoulike."
"Whynotto–day?"
"Becausehewon'tbeheretillto–morrow."
"To–morrow,then,"addedmyunclewithasigh.
ThismomentousconversationendedinafewminuteswithwarmacknowledgmentspaidbytheGermantotheIcelandicProfessor.
Atthisdinnermyunclehadjustelicitedimportantfacts,amongstothers,thehistoryofSaknussemm,thereasonofthemysteriousdocument,thathishostwouldnotaccompanyhiminhisexpedition,andthattheverynextdayaguidewouldbewaitinguponhim.
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