Itmighthavebeen,asIguessed,abouttenatnight. Thefirstofmysenseswhichcameintoplayafterthislastboutwasthatofhearing. AllatonceIcouldhear;anditwasarealexerciseofthesenseofhearing. Icouldhearthesilenceinthegalleryafterthedinwhichforhourshadstunnedme. Atlastthesewordsofmyuncle'scametomelikeavaguemurmuring: Istretchedoutmyarm.Itouchedthewall,anddrewbackmyhandbleeding.Wewereascendingwithextremerapidity. "Thetorch!Thetorch!"criedtheProfessor. NotwithoutdifficultyHanssucceededinlightingthetorch;andtheflame,preservingitsupwardtendency,threwenoughlighttoshowuswhatkindofaplacewewerein. "JustasIthought,"saidtheProfessor"Weareinatunnelnotfour–and–twentyfeetindiameterThewaterhadreachedthebottomofthegulf.Itisnowrisingtoitslevel,andcarryinguswithit." "Icannottell;butwemustbereadyforanything.Wearemountingataspeedwhichseemstomeoffourteenfeetinasecond,ortenmilesanhour.Atthisrateweshallgeton." "Yes,ifnothingstopsus;ifthiswellhasanaperture.Butsupposeittobestopped.Iftheairiscondensedbythepressureofthiscolumnofwaterweshallbecrushed." "Axel,"repliedtheProfessorwithperfectcoolness,"oursituationisalmostdesperate;buttherearesomechancesofdeliverance,anditisthesethatIamconsidering. Ifateveryinstantwemayperish,soateveryinstantwemaybesaved. Letusthenbepreparedtoseizeuponthesmallestadvantage." "Recruitourstrengthbyeating." AtthesewordsIfixedahaggardeyeuponmyuncle.ThatwhichIhadbeensounwillingtoconfessatlasthadtobetold. TheProfessoraddedafewwordsinDanish,butHansshookhisheadmournfully. "What!"criedmyuncle."Havewelostourprovisions?" "Yes;hereisallwehaveleft;onebitofsaltmeatforthethree." Myunclestaredatmeasifhecouldnotunderstand. "Well,"saidI,"doyouthinkwehaveanychanceofbeingsaved?" Anhourpassedaway.Ibegantofeelthepangsofaviolenthunger.Mycompanionsweresufferingtoo,andnotoneofusdaredtouchthiswretchedremnantofourgoodlystore. Butnowweweremountingupwithexcessivespeed. Sometimestheairwouldcutourbreathshort,asisexperiencedbyaeronautsascendingtoorapidly. Butwhilsttheysufferfromcoldinproportiontotheirrise,wewerebeginningtofeelacontraryeffect. Theheatwasincreasinginamannertocauseusthemostfearfulanxiety,andcertainlythetemperaturewasatthismomentattheheightof100°Fahr. Whatcouldbethemeaningofsuchachange? UptothistimefactshadsupportedthetheoriesofDavyandofLiedenbrock;untilnowparticularconditionsofnon–conductingrocks,electricityandmagnetism,hadtemperedthelawsofnature,givingusonlyamoderatelywarmclimate,forthetheoryofacentralfireremainedinmyestimationtheonlyonethatwastrueandexplicable. Werewethenturningbacktowherethephenomenaofcentralheatruledinalltheirrigourandwouldreducethemostrefractoryrockstothestateofamoltenliquid? Ifearedthis,andsaidtotheProfessor: "Ifweareneitherdrowned,norshatteredtopieces,norstarvedtodeath,thereisstillthechancethatwemaybeburnedaliveandreducedtoashes." Atthisheshruggedhisshouldersandreturnedtohisthoughts. Anotherhourpassed,and,exceptsomeslightincreaseinthetemperature,nothingnewhadhappened. "Come,"saidhe,"wemustdetermineuponsomething." "Yes,wemustrecruitourstrengthbycarefullyrationingourselves,andsoprolongourexistencebyafewhours.Butweshallbereducedtoverygreatweaknessatlast." "Andourlasthourisnotfaroff." "Well,ifthereisachanceofsafety,ifamomentforactiveexertionpresentsitself,whereshouldwefindtherequiredstrengthifweallowedourselvestobeenfeebledbyhunger?" "Well,uncle,whenthisbitofmeathasbeendevouredwhatshallwehaveleft?" "Nothing,Axel,nothingatall.Butwillitdoyouanymoregoodtodevouritwithyoureyesthanwithyourteeth?Yourreasoninghasinitneithersensenorenergy." "Thendon'tyoudespair?"Icriedirritably. "No,certainlynot,"wastheProfessor'sfirmreply. "What!doyouthinkthereisanychanceofsafetyleft?" "Yes,Ido;aslongastheheartbeats,aslongasbodyandsoulkeeptogether,Icannotadmitthatanycreatureendowedwithawillhasneedtodespairoflife." Resolutewordsthese!Themanwhocouldspeakso,undersuchcircumstances,wasofnoordinarytype. "Finally,whatdoyoumeantodo?"Iasked. "Eatwhatislefttothelastcrumb,andrecruitourfadingstrength.Thismealwillbeourlast,perhaps:soletitbe!Butatanyrateweshalloncemorebemen,andnotexhausted,emptybags." "Well,letusconsumeitthen,"Icried. Myuncletookthepieceofmeatandthefewbiscuitswhichhadescapedfromthegeneraldestruction. Hedividedthemintothreeequalportionsandgaveonetoeach. Thismadeaboutapoundofnourishmentforeach. TheProfessoratehisgreedily,withakindoffeverishrage. Iatewithoutpleasure,almostwithdisgust;Hansquietly,moderately,masticatinghissmallmouthfulswithoutanynoise,andrelishingthemwiththecalmnessofamanaboveallanxietyaboutthefuture. BydiligentsearchhehadfoundaflaskofHollands;heofferedittouseachinturn,andthisgenerousbeveragecheeredusupslightly. "Forträfflig,"saidHans,drinkinginhisturn. "Excellent,"repliedmyuncle. Aglimpseofhopehadreturned,althoughwithoutcause.Butourlastmealwasover,anditwasnowfiveinthemorning. Manissoconstitutedthathealthisapurelynegativestate.Hungeroncesatisfied,itisdifficultforamantoimaginethehorrorsofstarvation;theycannotbeunderstoodwithoutbeingfelt. Thereforeitwasthatafterourlongfastthesefewmouthfulsofmeatandbiscuitmadeustriumphoverourpastagonies. Butassoonasthemealwasdone,weeachofusfelldeepintothought.WhatwasHansthinkingof–thatmanofthefarWest,butwhoseemedruledbythefatalistdoctrinesoftheEast? Asforme,mythoughtsweremadeupofremembrances,andtheycarriedmeuptothesurfaceoftheglobeofwhichIoughtnevertohavetakenleave. ThehouseintheKönigstrasse,mypoordearGräuben,thatkindsoulMartha,flittedlikevisionsbeforemyeyes,andinthedismalmoaningswhichfromtimetotimereachedmyearsIthoughtIcoulddistinguishtheroarofthetrafficofthegreatcitiesuponearth. Myunclestillhadhiseyeuponhiswork. Torchinhand,hetriedtogathersomeideaofoursituationfromtheobservationofthestrata. Thiscalculationcould,atbest,bebutavagueapproximation;butalearnedmanisalwaysaphilosopherwhenhesucceedsinremainingcool,andassuredlyProfessorLiedenbrockpossessedthisqualitytoasurprisingdegree. Icouldhearhimmurmuringgeologicalterms.Icouldunderstandthem,andinspiteofmyselfIfeltinterestedinthislastgeologicalstudy. "Eruptivegranite,"hewassaying."Wearestillintheprimitiveperiod.Butwearegoingup,up,higherstill.Whocantell?" Ah!whocantell?Withhishandhewasexaminingtheperpendicularwall,andinafewmoreminuteshecontinued: "Thisisgneiss!hereismicaschist!Ah!presentlyweshallcometothetransitionperiod,andthen–" WhatdidtheProfessormean?Couldhebetryingtomeasurethethicknessofthecrustoftheearththatlaybetweenusandtheworldabove? Hadheanymeansofmakingthiscalculation? No,hehadnottheaneroid,andnoguessingcouldsupplyitsplace. Stillthetemperaturekeptrising,andIfeltmyselfsteepedinabroilingatmosphere. Icouldonlycompareittotheheatofafurnaceatthemomentwhenthemoltenmetalisrunningintothemould. Graduallywehadbeenobligedtothrowasideourcoatsandwaistcoats,the. lightestcoveringbecameuncomfortableandevenpainful. "Arewerisingintoafieryfurnace?"Icriedatonemomentwhentheheatwasredoubling. "No,"repliedmyuncle,"thatisimpossible–quiteimpossible!" "Yet,"Ianswered,feelingthewall,"thiswellisburninghot." Atthesamemoment,touchingthewater,Ihadtowithdrawmyhandinhaste. "Thewaterisscalding,"Icried. ThistimetheProfessor'sonlyanswerwasanangrygesture. Thenanunconquerableterrorseizeduponme,fromwhichIcouldnolongergetfree. Ifeltthatacatastrophewasapproachingbeforewhichtheboldestspiritmustquail. Adim,vaguenotionlaidholdofmymind,butwhichwasfasthardeningintocertainty. Itriedtorepelit,butitwouldreturn.Idarednotexpressitinplainterms. Yetafewinvoluntaryobservationsconfirmedmeinmyview. BytheflickeringlightofthetorchIcoulddistinguishcontortionsinthegranitebeds;aphenomenonwasunfoldinginwhichelectricitywouldplaytheprincipalpart;thenthisunbearableheat,thisboilingwater!Iconsultedthecompass. Thecompasshadlostitsproperties!ithadceasedtoactproperly! 
