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Thistimethedescentcommencedbythenewgallery.Hanswalkedfirstaswashiscustom.
WehadnotgoneahundredyardswhentheProfessor,movinghislanternalongthewalls,cried:
"Hereareprimitiverocks.Nowweareintherightway.Forward!"
Wheninitsearlystagestheearthwasslowlycooling,itscontractiongaveriseinitscrusttodisruptions,distortions,fissures,andchasms.
Thepassagethroughwhichweweremovingwassuchafissure,throughwhichatonetimegranitepouredoutinamoltenstate.
Itsthousandsofwindingsformedaninextricablelabyrinththroughtheprimevalmass.
Asfastaswedescended,thesuccessionofbedsformingtheprimitivefoundationcameoutwithincreasingdistinctness.
Geologistsconsiderthisprimitivemattertobethebaseofthemineralcrustoftheearth,andhaveascertainedittobecomposedofthreedifferentformations,schist,gneiss,andmicaschist,restinguponthatunchangeablefoundation,thegranite.
Neverhadmineralogistsfoundthemselvesinsomarvellousasituationtostudynatureinsitu.
Whattheboringmachine,aninsensible,inertinstrument,wasunabletobringtothesurfaceoftheinnerstructureoftheglobe,wewereabletoperusewithourowneyesandhandlewithourownhands.
Throughthebedsofschist,colouredwithdelicateshadesofgreen,raninwindingcoursethreadsofcopperandmanganese,withtracesofplatinumandgold.
Ithought,whatrichesarehereburiedatanunapproachabledepthintheearth,hiddenforeverfromthecovetouseyesofthehumanrace!
Thesetreasureshavebeenburiedatsuchaprofounddepthbytheconvulsionsofprimevaltimesthattheyrunnochanceofeverbeingmolestedbythepickaxeorthespade.
Totheschistssucceededgneiss,partiallystratified,remarkablefortheparallelismandregularityofitslamina,thenmicaschists,laidinlargeplatesorflakes,revealingtheirlamellatedstructurebythesparkleofthewhiteshiningmica.
Thelightfromourapparatus,reflectedfromthesmallfacetsofquartz,shotsparklingraysateveryangle,andIseemedtobemovingthroughadiamond,withinwhichthequicklydartingraysbrokeacrosseachotherinathousandflashingcoruscations.
Aboutsixo'clockthisbrilliantfeteofilluminationsunderwentasensibleabatementofsplendour,thenalmostceased.
Thewallsassumedacrystallisedthoughsombreappearance;micawasmorecloselymingledwiththefeldsparandquartztoformtheproperrockyfoundationsoftheearth,whichbearswithoutdistortionorcrushingtheweightofthefourterrestrialsystems.
Wewereimmuredwithinprisonwallsofgranite.
Itwaseightintheevening.Nosignsofwaterhadyetappeared.Iwassufferinghorribly.Myunclestrodeon.Herefusedtostop.
Hewaslisteninganxiouslyforthemurmurofdistantsprings.But,no,therewasdeadsilence.
Andnowmylimbswerefailingbeneathme.
Iresistedpainandtorture,thatImightnotstopmyuncle,whichwouldhavedrivenhimtodespair,forthedaywasdrawingneartoitsend,anditwashislast.
AtlastIfailedutterly;Iutteredacryandfell.
"Cometome,Iamdying."
Myuncleretracedhissteps.Hegazeduponmewithhisarmscrossed;thenthesemutteredwordspassedhislips:
"It'sallover!"
ThelastthingIsawwasafearfulgestureofrage,andmyeyesclosed.
WhenIreopenedthemIsawmytwocompanionsmotionlessandrolledupintheircoverings.Weretheyasleep?
Asforme,Icouldnotgetonemoment'ssleep.
Iwassufferingtookeenly,andwhatembitteredmythoughtswasthattherewasnoremedy.
Myuncle'slastwordsechoedpainfullyinmyears:"it'sallover!"
Forinsuchafearfulstateofdebilityitwasmadnesstothinkofeverreachingtheupperworldagain.
Wehadaboveusaleagueandahalfofterrestrialcrust.
Theweightofitseemedtobecrushingdownuponmyshoulders.
Ifeltweigheddown,andIexhaustedmyselfwithimaginaryviolentexertionstoturnrounduponmygranitecouch.
Afewhourspassedaway.Adeepsilencereignedaroundus,thesilenceofthegrave.Nosoundcouldreachusthroughwalls,thethinnestofwhichwerefivemilesthick.
YetinthemidstofmystupefactionIseemedtobeawareofanoise.Itwasdarkdownthetunnel,butIseemedtoseetheIcelandervanishingfromoursightwiththelampinhishand.
Whywasheleavingus?WasHansgoingtoforsakeus?Myunclewasfastasleep.
Iwantedtoshout,butmyvoicedieduponmyparchedandswollenlips.
Thedarknessbecamedeeper,andthelastsounddiedawayinthefardistance.
"Hanshasabandonedus,"Icried."Hans!Hans!"
Butthesewordswereonlyspokenwithinme.Theywentnofarther.
YetafterthefirstmomentofterrorIfeltashamedofsuspectingamanofsuchextraordinaryfaithfulness.
Insteadofascendinghewasdescendingthegallery.
Anevildesignwouldhavetakenhimupnotdown.
Thisreflectionrestoredmetocalmness,andIturnedtootherthoughts.
Nonebutsomeweightymotivecouldhaveinducedsoquietamantoforfeithissleep.Washeonajourneyofdiscovery?
Hadheduringthesilenceofthenightcaughtasound,amurmuringofsomethinginthedistance,whichhadfailedtoaffectmyhearing?
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