English
WhenIreturnedtopartiallifemyfacewaswetwithtears.
HowlongthatstateofinsensibilityhadlastedIcannotsay.
Ihadnomeansnowoftakingaccountoftime.
Neverwassolitudeequaltothis,neverhadanylivingbeingbeensoutterlyforsaken.
AftermyfallIhadlostagooddealofblood.Ifeltitflowingoverme.Ah!
howhappyIshouldhavebeencouldIhavedied,andifdeathwerenotyettobegonethrough.Iwouldthinknolonger.
Idroveawayeveryidea,and,conqueredbymygrief,Irolledmyselftothefootoftheoppositewall.
AlreadyIwasfeelingtheapproachofanotherfaint,andwashopingforcompleteannihilation,whenaloudnoisereachedme.
Itwaslikethedistantrumbleofcontinuousthunder,andIcouldhearitssoundingundulationsrollingfarawayintotheremoterecessesoftheabyss.
Whencecouldthisnoiseproceed?ItmustbefromsomephenomenonproceedinginthegreatdepthsamidstwhichIlayhelpless.Wasitanexplosionofgas?
Wasitthefallofsomemightypillaroftheglobe?
Ilistenedstill.Iwantedtoknowifthenoisewouldberepeated.Aquarterofanhourpassedaway.Silencereignedinthisgallery.Icouldnotheareventhebeatingofmyheart.
Suddenlymyear,restingbychanceagainstthewall,caught,orseemedtocatch,certainvague,indescribable,distant,articulatesounds,asofwords.
"Thisisadelusion,"Ithought.
Butitwasnot.Listeningmoreattentively,Iheardinrealityamurmuringofvoices.Butmyweaknesspreventedmefromunderstandingwhatthevoicessaid.Yetitwaslanguage,Iwassureofit.
ForamomentIfearedthewordsmightbemyown,broughtbackbytheecho.PerhapsIhadbeencryingoutunknowntomyself.Iclosedmylipsfirmly,andlaidmyearagainstthewallagain.
"Yes,truly,someoneisspeaking;thosearewords!"
EvenafewfeetfromthewallIcouldheardistinctly.
Isucceededincatchinguncertain,strange,undistinguishablewords.
Theycameasifpronouncedinlowmurmuredwhispers.
Theword'forlorad'wasseveraltimesrepeatedinatoneofsympathyandsorrow.
"Help!"Icriedwithallmymight."Help!"
Ilistened,Iwatchedinthedarknessforananswer,acry,amerebreathofsound,butnothingcame.Someminutespassed.
Awholeworldofideashadopenedinmymind.
Ithoughtthatmyweakenedvoicecouldneverpenetratetomycompanions.
"Itisthey,"Irepeated."Whatothermencanbethirtyleaguesunderground?"
Iagainbegantolisten.Passingmyearoverthewallfromoneplacetoanother,Ifoundthepointwherethevoicesseemedtobebestheard.
Theword'forlorad'againreturned;thentherollingofthunderwhichhadrousedmefrommylethargy.
"No,"Isaid,"no;itisnotthroughsuchamassthatavoicecanbeheard.
Iamsurroundedbygranitewalls,andtheloudestexplosioncouldneverbeheardhere!Thisnoisecomesalongthegallery.
Theremustbeheresomeremarkableexerciseofacousticlaws!"
Ilistenedagain,andthistime,yesthistime,Ididdistinctlyhearmynamepronouncedacrossthewideinterval.
Itwasmyuncle'sownvoice!Hewastalkingtotheguide.And'forlorad'isaDanishword.
ThenIunderstooditall.Tomakemyselfheard,Imustspeakalongthiswall,whichwouldconductthesoundofmyvoicejustaswireconductselectricity.
Buttherewasnotimetolose.Ifmycompanionsmovedbutafewstepsaway,theacousticphenomenonwouldcease.Ithereforeapproachedthewall,andpronouncedthesewordsasclearlyaspossible:
"UncleLiedenbrock!"
Iwaitedwiththedeepestanxiety.Sounddoesnottravelwithgreatvelocity.
Evenincreaseddensityairhasnoeffectuponitsrateoftravelling;itmerelyaugmentsitsintensity.
Seconds,whichseemedages,passedaway,andatlastthesewordsreachedme:
"Axel!Axel!isityou?"
....
"Yes,yes,"Ireplied.
....
"Myboy,whereareyou?"
....
"Lost,inthedeepestdarkness."
....
"Whereisyourlamp?"
....
"Itisout."
....
"Andthestream?"
....
"Disappeared."
....
"Axel,Axel,takecourage!"
....
"Wait!Iamexhausted!Ican'tanswer.Speaktome!"
....
"Courage,"resumedmyuncle."Don'tspeak.Listentome.
Wehavelookedforyouupthegalleryanddownthegallery.Couldnotfindyou.Iweptforyou,mypoorboy.
Atlast,supposingyouwerestillontheHansbach,wefiredourguns.
Ourvoicesareaudibletoeachother,butourhandscannottouch.Butdon'tdespair,Axel!
Itisagreatthingthatwecanheareachother."
....
DuringthistimeIhadbeenreflecting.Avaguehopewasreturningtomyheart.TherewasonethingImustknowtobeginwith.Iplacedmylipsclosetothewall,saying:
"Myuncle!"
....
"Myboy!"cametomeafterafewseconds.
....
"Wemustknowhowfarweareapart."
....
"Thatiseasy."
....
"Youhaveyourchronometer?"
...
"Yes."
....
"Well,takeit.Pronouncemyname,notingexactlythesecondwhenyouspeak.Iwillrepeatitassoonasitshallcometome,andyouwillobservetheexactmomentwhenyougetmyanswer."
"Yes;andhalfthetimebetweenmycallandyouranswerwillexactlyindicatethatwhichmyvoicewilltakeincomingtoyou."
....
"Justso,myuncle."
....
"Areyouready?"
....
"Yes."
......
"Now,attention.Iamgoingtocallyourname."
....
Iputmyeartothewall,andassoonasthename'Axel'cameIimmediatelyreplied"Axel,"thenwaited.
....
"Fortyseconds,"saidmyuncle."Fortysecondsbetweenthetwowords;sothesoundtakestwentysecondsincoming.
Now,attherateof1,120feetinasecond,thisis22,400feet,orfourmilesandaquarter,nearly."
....
"Fourmilesandaquarter!"Imurmured.
....
"Itwillsoonbeover,Axel."
....
"MustIgoupordown?"
....
"Down–forthisreason:Weareinavastchamber,withendlessgalleries.
Yoursmustleadintoit,foritseemsasifallthecleftsandfracturesofthegloberadiatedroundthisvastcavern.Sogetup,andbeginwalking.
Walkon,dragyourselfalong,ifnecessaryslidedownthesteepplaces,andattheendyouwillfindusreadytoreceiveyou.Nowbeginmoving."
....
Thesewordscheeredmeup.
"Goodbye,uncle."Icried."Iamgoing.TherewillbenomorevoicesheardwhenonceIhavestarted.Sogoodbye!"
....
"Goodbye,Axel,aurevoir!"
....
ThesewerethelastwordsIheard.
Thiswonderfulundergroundconversation,carriedonwithadistanceoffourmilesandaquarterbetweenus,concludedwiththesewordsofhope.
IthankedGodfrommyheart,foritwasHewhohadconductedmethroughthosevastsolitudestothepointwhere,aloneofallothersperhaps,thevoicesofmycompanionscouldhavereachedme.
Thisacousticeffectiseasilyexplainedonscientificgrounds.
Itarosefromtheconcaveformofthegalleryandtheconductingpoweroftherock.
Therearemanyexamplesofthispropagationofsoundswhichremainunheardintheintermediatespace.
Irememberthatasimilarphenomenonhasbeenobservedinmanyplaces;amongstothersontheinternalsurfaceofthegalleryofthedomeofSt.Paul'sinLondon,andespeciallyinthemidstofthecuriouscavernsamongthequarriesnearSyracuse,themostwonderfulofwhichiscalledDionysius'Ear.
Theseremembrancescameintomymind,andIclearlysawthatsincemyuncle'svoicereallyreachedme,therecouldbenoobstaclebetweenus.
Followingthedirectionbywhichthesoundcame,ofcourseIshouldarriveinhispresence,ifmystrengthdidnotfailme.
Ithereforerose;Iratherdraggedmyselfthanwalked.Theslopewasrapid,andIsliddown.
Soontheswiftnessofthedescentincreasedhorribly,andthreatenedtobecomeafall.Inolongerhadthestrengthtostopmyself.
Suddenlytherewasnogroundunderme.Ifeltmyselfrevolvinginair,strikingandreboundingagainstthecraggyprojectionsofaverticalgallery,quiteawell;myheadstruckagainstasharpcorneroftherock,andIbecameunconscious.
Share this article to
FINISH