Nowbeganourrealjourney.Hithertoourtoilhadovercomealldifficulties,nowdifficultieswouldspringupateverystep. IhadnotyetventuredtolookdownthebottomlesspitintowhichIwasabouttotakeaplungeThesupremehourhadcome. Imightnoweithershareintheenterpriseorrefusetomoveforward. ButIwasashamedtorecoilinthepresenceofthehunter. Hansacceptedtheenterprisewithsuchcalmness,suchindifference,suchperfectdisregardofanypossibledangerthatIblushedattheideaofbeinglessbravethanhe. IfIhadbeenaloneImighthaveoncemoretriedtheeffectofargument;butinthepresenceoftheguideIheldmypeace;myheartflewbacktomysweetVirlandaise,andIapproachedthecentralchimney. Ihavealreadymentionedthatitwasahundredfeetindiameter,andthreehundredfeetround. Ibentoveraprojectingrockandgazeddown.Myhairstoodonendwithterror. Thebewilderingfeelingofvacuitylaidholduponme. Ifeltmycentreofgravityshiftingitsplace,andgiddinessmountingintomybrainlikedrunkenness. Thereisnothingmoretreacherousthanthisattractiondowndeepabysses. Iwasjustabouttodropdown,whenahandlaidholdofme.ItwasthatofHans. IsupposeIhadnottakenasmanylessonsongulfexplorationasIoughttohavedoneintheFrelsersKirkatCopenhagen. But,howevershortwasmyexaminationofthiswell,Ihadtakensomeaccountofitsconformation. Itsalmostperpendicularwallswerebristlingwithinnumerableprojectionswhichwouldfacilitatethedescent. Butiftherewasnowantofsteps,stilltherewasnorail. Aropefastenedtotheedgeoftheaperturemighthavehelpedusdown. Buthowwerewetounfastenit,whenarrivedattheotherend? Myuncleemployedaverysimpleexpedienttoobviatethisdifficulty. Heuncoiledacordofthethicknessofafinger,andfourhundredfeetlong;firsthedroppedhalfofitdown,thenhepasseditroundalavablockthatprojectedconveniently,andthrewtheotherhalfdownthechimney. Eachofuscouldthendescendbyholdingwiththehandbothhalvesoftherope,whichwouldnotbeabletounrollitselffromitshold;whentwohundredfeetdown,itwouldbeeasytogetpossessionofthewholeoftheropebylettingoneendgoandpullingdownbytheother. Thentheexercisewouldgoonagainadinfinitum. "Now,"saidmyuncle,afterhavingcompletedthesepreparations,"nowletuslooktoourloads. Iwilldividethemintothreelots;eachofuswillstraponeuponhisback.Imeanonlyfragilearticles." Ofcourse,wewerenotincludedunderthathead. "Hans,"saidhe,"willtakechargeofthetoolsandaportionoftheprovisions;you,Axel,willtakeanotherthirdoftheprovisions,andthearms;andIwilltaketherestoftheprovisionsandthedelicateinstruments." "But,"saidI,"theclothes,andthatmassofladdersandropes,whatistobecomeofthem?" "Theywillgodownbythemselves." Myunclewasalwayswillingtoemploymagnificentresources.Obeyingorders,Hanstiedallthenon–fragilearticlesinonebundle,cordedthemfirmly,andsentthembodilydownthegulfbeforeus. Ilistenedtothedullthudsofthedescendingbale.Myuncle,leaningovertheabyss,followedthedescentoftheluggagewithasatisfiednod,andonlyroseerectwhenhehadquitelostsightofit. "Verywell,nowitisourturn." NowIaskanysensiblemanifitwaspossibletohearthosewordswithoutashudder. TheProfessorfastenedhispackageofinstrumentsuponhisshoulders;Hanstookthetools;Itookthearms:andthedescentcommencedinthefollowingorder;Hans,myuncle,andmyself. Itwaseffectedinprofoundsilence,brokenonlybythedescentofloosenedstonesdownthedarkgulf. Idroppedasitwere,franticallyclutchingthedoublecordwithonehandandbuttressingmyselffromthewallwiththeotherbymeansofmystick. Oneideaoverpoweredmealmost,fearlesttherockshouldgivewayfromwhichIwashanging. Thiscordseemedafragilethingforthreepersonstobesuspendedfrom. Imadeaslittleuseofitaspossible,performingwonderfulfeatsofequilibriumuponthelavaprojectionswhichmyfootseemedtocatchholdoflikeahand. WhenoneoftheseslipperystepsshookundertheheavierformofHans,hesaidinhistranquilvoice: "Attention!"repeatedmyuncle. Inhalfanhourwewerestandinguponthesurfaceofarockjammedinacrossthechimneyfromonesidetotheother. Hanspulledtheropebyoneofitsends,theotherroseintheair;afterpassingthehigherrockitcamedownagain,bringingwithitaratherdangerousshowerofbitsofstoneandlava. Leaningovertheedgeofournarrowstandingground,Iobservedthatthebottomoftheholewasstillinvisible. ThesamemanÏuvrewasrepeatedwiththecord,andhalfanhourafterwehaddescendedanothertwohundredfeet. Idon'tsupposethemaddestgeologistundersuchcircumstanceswouldhavestudiedthenatureoftherocksthatwewerepassing. IamsureIdidtroublemyheadaboutthem. Pliocene,miocene,eocene,cretaceous,jurassic,triassic,permian,carboniferous,devonian,silurian,orprimitivewasallonetome. ButtheProfessor,nodoubt,waspursuinghisobservationsortakingnotes,forinoneofourhaltshesaidtome: "ThefartherIgothemoreconfidenceIfeel. TheorderofthesevolcanicformationsaffordsthestrongestconfirmationtothetheoriesofDavy. Wearenowamongtheprimitiverocks,uponwhichthechemicaloperationstookplacewhichareproducedbythecontactofelementarybasesofmetalswithwater. Irepudiatethenotionofcentralheataltogether. Weshallseefurtherproofofthatverysoon." Novariation,alwaysthesameconclusion.Ofcourse,Iwasnotinclinedtoargue.Mysilencewastakenforconsentandthedescentwenton. Anotherthreehours,andIsawnobottomtothechimneyyet. WhenIliftedmyheadIperceivedthegradualcontractionofitsaperture. Itswalls,byagentleincline,weredrawingclosertoeachother,anditwasbeginningtogrowdarker. Stillwekeptdescending.Itseemedtomethatthefallingstonesweremeetingwithanearlierresistance,andthattheconcussiongaveamoreabruptanddeadenedsound. AsIhadtakencaretokeepanexactaccountofourmanÏuvreswiththerope,whichIknewthatwehadrepeatedfourteentimes,eachdescentoccupyinghalfanhour,theconclusionwaseasythatwehadbeensevenhours,plusfourteenquartersofrest,makingtenhoursandahalf. Wehadstartedatone,itmustthereforenowbeeleveno'clock;andthedepthtowhichwehaddescendedwasfourteentimes200feet,or2,800feet. AtthismomentIheardthevoiceofHans. IstoppedshortjustasIwasgoingtoplacemyfeetuponmyuncle'shead. "Where?"saidI,steppingneartohim. "Atthebottomoftheperpendicularchimney,"heanswered. "Yes;thereisasortofpassagewhichinclinestotheright.Wewillseeaboutthatto–morrow.Letushaveoursupper,andgotosleep." Thedarknesswasnotyetcomplete.Theprovisioncasewasopened;werefreshedourselves,andwenttosleepaswellaswecoulduponabedofstonesandlavafragments. Whenlyingonmyback,Iopenedmyeyesandsawabrightsparklingpointoflightattheextremityofthegigantictube3,000feetlong,nowavasttelescope. Itwasastarwhich,seenfromthisdepth,hadlostallscintillation,andwhichbymycomputationshouldbe46;Ursaminor.ThenIfellfastasleep. 
