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03 - An Astounding Discovery - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Classic Sci Fi Books - Daily

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  Chapter three, an astounding discovery. What is the matter, cried the cook,
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  entering the room. When will master have his dinner? Never and his
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  supper? I don't know. He says he will eat no more, neither
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  shall I. My uncle has determined to fast and make me fast until he
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  makes out this abominable inscription. I replied, you will be starved to death,
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  she said. I was very much of the same opinion, but not
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  liking to say so, sent her away and began some of my usual work
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  of classification. But try as I might, nothing could keep me from thinking,
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  alternately of the stupid manuscript and of the pretty Gretchen. Several times I
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  thought of going out, but my uncle would have been angry at my absence.
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  At the end of an hour, my allotted task was done. How
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  to pass the time, I began by lightning my pipe Like all other students,
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  I delighted in tobacco, and seating myself in the great arm chair.
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  I began to think where was my uncle? I could easily imagine him tearing
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  along some solitary road, testiculating, talking to himself, cutting the air with
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  his cane, and still thinking of the absurd bit of hieroglyphics. Would he
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  heat upon some clue? Would he come home in better humor? While these
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  thoughts were passing through my brain, I mechanically took up the execreable puzzle and
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  tried every imaginable way of grouping the letters. I put them together by twos,
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  by threes, fours, and fives in vain. Nothing intelligible came out,
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  except that the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth made eyes in English,
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  the eighth, fourth, eighty, fifth, and eighty six the words sir.
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  Then at last I seemed to find the Latin words rota, mutabile era
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  neck atra a. There seems to be some truth in my uncle's notion,
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  thought I. Then again I seem to find the word luco, which means
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  sacred wood. Then in the third line I appeared to make out labeled,
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  a perfect Hebrew word, and at the last the syllables mare r mere,
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  which were French. It was enough to drive one mad. Four different idioms
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  in this absurd phrase. What connection could there be between ice, sir,
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  anger, cruel, sacred wood, changing mother r and sea. The first
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  and the last might, in a sentence connected with iceland mean sea of ice.
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  But what of the rest of this monstrous cryptograph. I was, in
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  fact fighting against an insurmountable difficulty. My brain was almost on fire. My
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  eyes were strained. When staring at the parchment, the whole absurd collection of
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  letters appeared to dance before my vision in a number of black little groups.
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  My mind was possessed with temporary hallucination. I was stifling. I wanted air.
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  Mechanically, I found myself with the document, of which now I saw
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  the back and then the front. Imagine my surprise when glancing at the back
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  of the wearisome puzzle, the ink having gone through, I clearly made out
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  Latin words, and among others, Caratrem and terrestre. I had discovered the
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  secret. It came upon me like a flash of lightning. I had got
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  the clue. All you had to do to understand the document was to read
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  it backwards. All the ingenious ideas of the professor were realized. He had
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  dictated it rightly to me. By a mere accident, I had discovered what
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  he so much desired. My delight, my emotion may be imagined. My
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  eyes were dazzled, and I trembled, so that at first I could make
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  nothing of it. One look however, would tell me all I wished to
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  know. Let me read, I said to myself, after drawing a long
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  breath. I spread it before me on the table. I passed my finger
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  over each letter. I spelled it through. In my excitement I read it
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  out. What horror and stupefaction took possession of my soul. I was like
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  a man who had received a knockdown blow. Was it possible that I really
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  read the terrible secret? And it had really been accomplished? A man had
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  dared to do what no living being should ever know? Never, cried I,
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  jumping up. Never shall my uncle be made aware of the dreed secret.
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  He would be quite capable of undertaking the terrible journey. Nothing would check
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  him, nothing stop him. Worse, he would compel me to accompany him,
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  and we should be lost forever. But no such folly and madness cannot
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  be allowed. I was almost beside myself with rage and fury. My worthy
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  uncle is already nearly mad, I cried aloud. This would finish him.
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  By some accident, he may make the discovery, in which case we are
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  both lost. Perry the fearful secret. Let the flames forever bury it in
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  oblivion. I snatched up book and parchment, and was about to cast them
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  into the fire when the door opened and my uncle entered. I had scarcely
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  time to put down the wretched documents before my uncle was by my side.
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  He was profoundly absorbed. His thoughts were evidently bent on the terrible parchment.
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  Some new combination had probably struck him while taking his walk. He seated himself
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  in his arm chair, and with a pen, began to make an algebraical
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  calculation. I watched him with anxious eyes. My flesh crawled as it became
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  probable that he would discover the secret. His combinations, I knew now were
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  useless, I having discovered the one only clue. For three mortal hours,
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  he continued without speaking a word, without raising his head, scratching, rewriting,
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  calculating over and over again. I knew that in time he must hit
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  upon the right frace. The letters of every alphabet have only a certain number
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  of combinations. But then years might elapse before he would arrive at the correct
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  solution. Still time went on, night came, the sounds in the streets
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  ceased, and still my uncle went on, not even answering our worthy cook
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  when she called us to supper. I did not dare to leave him,
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  so waved her away, and at last fell asleep on the sofam When I
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  awoke, my uncle was still at work. His red eyes, his pallid
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  countenance, his matted hair, his feverish hands, his hectically flushed cheeks showed
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  how terrible had been he struggle with the impossible, and what fearful fatigue he
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  had undergone during that long sleepless night. It made me quite ill to look
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  at him. Though he was rather severe with me, I loved him,
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  and my heart ached at his sufferings. He was so overcome by one idea
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  that he could not even get in a passion. All his energies were focused
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  on one point, and I knew that by speaking one little word, all
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  this suffering would cease. I could not speak it. My heart was nevertheless
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  inclining towards him. Why then, did I remain silent in the interest of
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  my uncle himself? Nothing shall make me speak, I muttered. He will
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  want to follow in the footsteps of the other. I know him well.
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  His imagination is a perfect volcanal, and to make discoveries in the interests of
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  geology, he would sacrifice his life. I will therefore be silent and strictly
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  keep the secret I have discover'd. To reveal it would be suicidal. He
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  would not only rush himself to destruction, but drag me with him. I
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  crossed my arms, looked another way, and smoked, resolved never to speak.
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  When our cook wanted to go out to market or any other errand she
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  found the front door locked and the key taken away. Was this done purposely
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  or not? Surely Professor Hartwick did not intend the old woman and myself to
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  become martyrs to his obstinate will. Were we to be starved to death?
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  A frightful recollection came to my mind once we had fed on bits and scraps
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  for a week, while he sought it some curiosities. It gave me the
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  cramp even to think of it. Are you wanted my breakfast? And I
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  saw no way of getting it? Still my resolution held good. I would
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  starve rather than yield. But the cook began to take me seriously to task
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  what was to be done? She could not go out, and I dared
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  not. My uncle continued counting and writing. His imagination seemed to have translated
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  him into the skies. He neither thought of eating nor drinking in this way.
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  Twelve o'clock came round. I was hungry, and there was nothing in
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  the house. The cook had eaten the last bit of bread. This could
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  not go on. It did, however, until two, when my sensations
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  were terrible. After all, I began to think the document very absurd.
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  Perhaps it might only be a gigantic hoax. Besides, some means would surely
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  be found to keep my uncle back from attempting any such absurd expedition. On
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  the other hand, if it did attempt anything so quixotic, I should not
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  be compelled to accompany him. Another line of reasoning partially decided me very likely
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  he would make the discover himself when I should have suffered starvation for nothing under
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  the influence of hunger. This reasoning appeared admirable. I determined to tell all.
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  The question now arose as to how it was to be done. I
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  was still dwelling on the thought when he rose and put on his hat,
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  What go out and lock us in? Never Uncle, I began. He
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  did not appear even to hear me. Professor Hartwig, I cried, what
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  he retorted? Did you speak? How about the key? What key?
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  The key of the door. No of these horrible hieroglyphics. He looked at
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  me from under his spectacles and started at the odd expression of my face.
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  Rushing forward, he clutched me by the arm and keenly examined my countenance.
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  His very look was an interrogation. I simply nodded with an incredulous shrug of
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  the shoulders. He turned upon his heel. Undoubtedly he thought I had gone
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  mad. I have made a very important discovery. His eyes flashed with excitement,
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  his hand was lifted in a menacing attitude. For a moment, neither
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  of us spoke. It is hard to say which was most excited. You
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  don't mean to say that you have any idea of the meaning of the scrawl
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  I do, was my desperate reply. Look at the sentence as dictated by
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  you. Well, but it means nothing, was the angry answer. Nothing
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  if you read from left to right, but mark if from right to left
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  backwards, cried my uncle in wild amazement. Oh, most cunning SAGNOSEM and
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  I to be such a blockhead. He snatched up the document, gazed at
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  it with haggard eye, and read it out as I had done. It
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  read as follows in Snephel's Yoculis kratrem kem delibat umbra scartaris Julie intra kalendas descende
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  audas viator it terestresentrum attings card feki arne sagnussem, which dog Latin, being
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  translated, reads as follows. Descend into the crater of jocul of Snepheos,
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  which the shade of Scartaris caresses before the canons of July Ordashu's traveler, and
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  you will reach the seer of the earth. I did it, Arnes sagnussem,
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  my uncle leaped three feet from the ground with joy. He looked ragant
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  and handsome. He rushed about the room, wild with delight and satisfaction.
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  He knocked over tables and chairs. He threw his books about, until at
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  last, utterly exhausted, he fell into his aunt chair. What's o'clock?
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  He asked, about three. My dinner does not seem to have done me
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  much good, he observed, Let me have something to eat. We can
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  then start at once. Get my portmanteau ready. What for and your own,
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  he continued, We start at once. My horror may be conceived.
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  I resolved, however, to show no fear. Scientific reasons were the only
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  ones likely to influence my uncle. Now there were many against this terrible journey.
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  The very idea of going down to the center of the earth was simply
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  absurd. I determined, therefore to argue the point. After dinner. My
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  uncle's rage was now directed against the cook for having no dinner ready. My
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  explanation, however, satisfied him, and having gotten the key, she soon
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  contrived to get sufficient to satisfy our voracious appetites. During the repast, my
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  uncle was rather gay than otherwise. He made some of those peculiar jokes which
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  belonged exclusively to the learned. As soon, however, as dessert was over,
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  he called me to his study. We each took a chair on opposite
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  sides of the table. Henry, he said, in a soft and winning
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  voice. I have always believed you ingenious, and you have rendered me a
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  service never to be forgotten. Without you, this great, this wondrous discovery,
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  would never have been made. It is my duty therefore to insist on
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  your sharing the glory. He's in a good humor, thought I I'll soon
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  let him know my opinion of glory. In the first place, he continued,
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  you must keep the whole affair a profound secret. There is no more
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  ennous race of men than scientific discoverers. Many would start on the same journey.
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  At all events, we will be the first in the field. I
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  doubt your having many competitors, was my reply. A man of real scientific
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  acquirements would be delighted at the chance we should find a perfect stream of pilgrims
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  on the traces of Ernest Sucknussom if this document were once made public. But
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  my dear sir, is not this paper very likely to be a hoax?
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  I urged. The book in which we find it is sufficient proof of its
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  authenticity. Here, replied I, thoroughly aloud, that the celebrated professor wrote
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  the lines. But only I believe as a kind of mystification, was my
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  answer. Scarcely were the words out of my mouth when I was sorry I
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  had uttered them. My uncle looked at me with a dark and gloomy scowl,
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  and I began to be alarmed for the results of our conversation. His
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  mood soon changed, however, and a smile took the place of a frown.
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  We shall see, he remarked, with decisive emphasis. But see what
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  is all this about Jokul and Sneffels, and this Cartaris, I have never
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  heard anything about them. The very point to which I am coming I lately
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  received from my friend Augustus Piederman of Leipzish a map take down the third atlas
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  from the second shelf series, set plate for I rose, went to the
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  shelf, and presently returned with the volume indicated this, said, my uncle,
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  is one of the best maps of Iceland. I believe it will settle
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  all your doubts, difficulties and objections. With a grim hope to the contrary,
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  I stooped over the map. End of Chapter three