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40 - The Ape Gigans - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Daily Classic Sci Fi Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty, The Ape gagants. It is difficult for me
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  Speaker 1: to determine what was the real time, but I should suppose,
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  Speaker 1: by after calculation, that it must have been ten. At night,
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  Speaker 1: I lay in a stupor, a half dream, during which
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  Speaker 1: I saw visions of astounding character monsters of the deeper
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  Speaker 1: side by side with the mighty elephantine shepherd, Gigantic fish
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  Speaker 1: and animals seemed to form strange conjunctions. The raft took
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  Speaker 1: a sudden turn world round entered another tunnel, this time
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  Speaker 1: illumined in a most singular manner. The roof was formed
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  Speaker 1: of porous stalactite, through which a moonlit vapor appeared to pass,
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  Speaker 1: casting its brilliant light upon our gaunt and haggard figures.
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  Speaker 1: The light increased as we advanced, while the roof ascended,
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  Speaker 1: until at last we were once more in a kind
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  Speaker 1: of water cap, the lofty dome of which disappeared in
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  Speaker 1: a luminous cloud. A rugged cavern of small extent appeared
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  Speaker 1: to offer a halting place to our weary bodies. My
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  Speaker 1: uncle and the guide moved as men in a dream.
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  Speaker 1: I was afraid to waken them, knowing the danger of
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  Speaker 1: such a sudden start. I seated myself beside them to watch.
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  Speaker 1: As I did so, I became aware of something moving
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  Speaker 1: in the distance, which at once fascinated my eyes. It
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  Speaker 1: was floating, apparently upon the surface of the water, advancing
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  Speaker 1: by means of what at first appeared paddles. I looked
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  Speaker 1: with glaring eyes. One glance told me that it was
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  Speaker 1: something monstrous. But what it was the great sharp crocodile
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  Speaker 1: of the early Writereous on geology, about the size of
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  Speaker 1: an ordinary wail, with hideous jaws and two gigantic eyes.
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  Speaker 1: It advanced, eyes fixed on me with terrible sternness. Some
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  Speaker 1: indefinite warning told me that it had marked me for
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  Speaker 1: its own. I attempted to rise, to escape no matter where,
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  Speaker 1: but my knees shook under me, my limbs trembled violently.
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  Speaker 1: I almost lost my senses, and still the mighty monster advanced.
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  Speaker 1: My uncle and the guide made no effort to save themselves.
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  Speaker 1: With a strange noise like none other I had ever heard,
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  Speaker 1: the beast came on. His jaws were at least seven
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  Speaker 1: feet apart, and his distended mouth looked large enough to
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  Speaker 1: have swallowed a boatful of men. We were about ten
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  Speaker 1: feet distant when I discovered that much as his body
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  Speaker 1: resembled that of a crocodile, his mouth was fully that
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  Speaker 1: of a shark. His twofold nature now became apparent. To
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  Speaker 1: snatch us up at a mouthful. It was necess for
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  Speaker 1: him to turn on his back, which motion necessarily caused
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  Speaker 1: his legs to kick up helplessly in the air. I
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  Speaker 1: actually laughed, even in the very jaws of death. But
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  Speaker 1: next minute, with a wild cry, I darted away into
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  Speaker 1: the interior of the cave, leaving my unhappy comrades to
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  Speaker 1: their fate. This cavern was deep and dreary. After about
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  Speaker 1: a hundred yards, I paused and looked around. The whole floor,
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  Speaker 1: composed of sand and malachite, was strewn with bones, freshly
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  Speaker 1: ignored bones of reptiles and fish, with the mixture of mammalia.
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  Speaker 1: My very soul grew sick as my body shuddered with horror.
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  Speaker 1: I had, truly, according to the old proverb, fallen out
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  Speaker 1: of the frying pan into the fire. Some beast, larger
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  Speaker 1: and more ferocious even than the sharp crocodile, inhabited this sten.
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  Speaker 1: What could I do? The mouth of the cave was
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  Speaker 1: guarded by one ferocious monster, the interior was inhabited by
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  Speaker 1: something too hideous to contemplate. Flight was impossible. Only one
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  Speaker 1: resource remained, and that was to find some small hiding
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  Speaker 1: place to which the fearful denizens of the cavern could
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  Speaker 1: not penetrate. I gazed wildly around, and at last discovered
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  Speaker 1: a fissure in the rock, to which I rushed in
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  Speaker 1: the hope of recovering my scattered senses. Crouching down, I waited,
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  Speaker 1: shivering as in an egg fit. No man is brave
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  Speaker 1: in presence of an earthquake, or a bursting boiler, or
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  Speaker 1: an exploding torpedo. I could not be expected to feel
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  Speaker 1: much courage in presence of the fearful fate that appeared
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  Speaker 1: to await me. An hour passed, I heard all the
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  Speaker 1: time strange rumbling outside the cave. What was the fate
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  Speaker 1: of my unhappy companion? It was impossible for me to
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  Speaker 1: pause to inquire. My own wretched existence was all I
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  Speaker 1: could think of. Suddenly, a groaning, as of fifty bears
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  Speaker 1: in a fight fell upon my ears, hisses, spitting, moaning,
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  Speaker 1: hideous to hair, And then I saw never were ages
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  Speaker 1: to pass over my head? Shall I forget the horrible apparition.
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  Speaker 1: It was the ape Gagans, fourteen feet high, covered with
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  Speaker 1: coarse hair of a blackish brown. The hair on the
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  Speaker 1: arms from the shoulder to the elbow joints pointing downwards,
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  Speaker 1: while that from the wrist to the elbow pointed upwards.
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  Speaker 1: It advanced. Its arms were as long as its body,
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  Speaker 1: while its legs were prodigious. It had thick, long and
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  Speaker 1: sharply pointed teeth like a mammoth. Sol It struck its
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  Speaker 1: breast as it came on, smelling and sniffing, reminding me
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  Speaker 1: of the stories we read in our early childhood of
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  Speaker 1: giants who ate the flesh of men and little boys.
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  Speaker 1: Suddenly it stopped my heart beat wildly, for I was
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  Speaker 1: conscious that somehow or other, the fearful monster had smelled
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  Speaker 1: me out and was peering about with his hideous eyes
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  Speaker 1: to try and discover my whereabouts. My reading, which as
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  Speaker 1: a rule is a blessing, but which on this occasion
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  Speaker 1: seemed momentarily to prove a curse, told me the real truth.
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  Speaker 1: It was the ape Gagands, the Auntedeluvian gorilla. Yes, this
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  Speaker 1: awful monster, confined by good fortune to the interior of
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  Speaker 1: the earth, was the progenitor of the hideous monster of Africa.
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  Speaker 1: He glared wildly about seeking something, doubtless myself. I gave
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  Speaker 1: myself up for lost. No hope of safety or escape
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  Speaker 1: seemed to remain at this moment. Just as my eyes
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  Speaker 1: appeared to close in death, there came a strange noise
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  Speaker 1: from the entrance of the cave, and turning, the gorilla
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  Speaker 1: evidently recognized some enemy more worthy of his prodigious size
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  Speaker 1: and strength. It was the huge, sharp crocodile, which, perhaps
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  Speaker 1: having disposed of my friends, was coming in search of
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  Speaker 1: further prey. The gorilla placed himself on the defensive, and,
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  Speaker 1: clutching a bone some seven or eight feet in length,
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  Speaker 1: a perfect club, aimed a deadly blow at the hideous beast,
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  Speaker 1: which reared upwards and fell with all its weight upon
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  Speaker 1: its adversary. A terrible combat, the details of which it
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  Speaker 1: is impossible to give now ensued. The struggle was awful
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  Speaker 1: and ferocious. I, however, did not wait to witness the result.
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  Speaker 1: Regarding myself as the object of contention, I determined to
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  Speaker 1: remove from the presence of the victor. I slid down
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  Speaker 1: from my hiding place, reached the ground, and, gliding against
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  Speaker 1: the wall, strove to gain the open mouth of the cavern.
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  Speaker 1: But I had not taken many steps when the fearful
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  Speaker 1: clamor ceased to be followed by mumbling and groaning, which
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  Speaker 1: appeared to be indicative of victory. I looked back and
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  Speaker 1: saw the huge ape, gory with blood, coming after me,
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  Speaker 1: with glaring eyes, with dilated nostrils that gave forth two
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  Speaker 1: columns of heated vapor. I could feel his hot and
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  Speaker 1: fetid breath on my neck, and with a horrid jump,
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  Speaker 1: awoke from my nightmare sleep. Yes, it was all a dream.
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  Speaker 1: I was still on thet with my uncle and the guide.
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  Speaker 1: The relief was not instantaneous, for under the influence of
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  Speaker 1: the hideous nightmare, my senses had become numbed. After a while, however,
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  Speaker 1: my feelings were tranquilized. The first of my perceptions which
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  Speaker 1: returned in full force was that of hearing. I listened
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  Speaker 1: with acute and attentive airs. All was still less death.
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  Speaker 1: All I comprehended was silence. To the roaring of waters,
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  Speaker 1: which had filled the gallery with awful reverberations, succeeded perfect peace.
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  Speaker 1: After some little time, my uncle spoke in a low
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  Speaker 1: and scarcely audible tone, harry boy, where are you? I'm here,
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  Speaker 1: was my faint rejoinder. Well, don't you see what has happened?
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  Speaker 1: We are going upwards, my dear uncle, What can you mean?
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  Speaker 1: Was my half delirious reply. Yes, I tell you, we
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  Speaker 1: are ascending rapidly. Our downward journey is quite checked. I
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  Speaker 1: held out my hand, and after some little difficulty, succeeded
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  Speaker 1: in touching the wall. My hand was in an instant
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  Speaker 1: covered with blood. The skin was torn from the flesh.
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  Speaker 1: We were ascending with extraordinary rapidity. The torch, the torch,
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  Speaker 1: cried the professor, Willy, it must be lighted. Hence the guide.
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  Speaker 1: After many vain efforts, at last succeeded in lighting it,
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  Speaker 1: and the flame, having now nothing to prevent its burning,
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  Speaker 1: shed a tolerably clear light. We were enabled to form
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  Speaker 1: an approximate idea of the truth. It is just as
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  Speaker 1: I thought, said my uncle, after a moment or two
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  Speaker 1: of silent attention. We are in a narrow well, about
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  Speaker 1: four fathomed square. The waters of the Great Indancy, having
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  Speaker 1: reached the bottom of the gulf, are now forcing themselves
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  Speaker 1: up the mighty shaft. As a natural consequence, we are
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  Speaker 1: being cast upon the summit of the waters that I
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  Speaker 1: can see, was my lugubrious reply. But where will this
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  Speaker 1: shaft end? And to what fall are we likely to
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  Speaker 1: be exposed? Oh that I am as ignorant as yourself.
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  Speaker 1: All I know is that we should be prepared for
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  Speaker 1: the worst. We are going up at a fearfully rapid rate.
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  Speaker 1: As far as I can judge, we are ascending at
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  Speaker 1: the rate of two fathoms a second, of a hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty fathoms a minute, or rather more than three
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  Speaker 1: and a half leagues an hour. At this rate, our
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  Speaker 1: fate will soon be a matter of certainty, no doubt
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  Speaker 1: of it, was my reply. The great concern I have, now, however,
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  Speaker 1: is to know whether this shaft has any issue. It
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  Speaker 1: may end in a granite roof, in which case we
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  Speaker 1: shall be suffocated by compressed air, or dashed to atoms
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  Speaker 1: against the top. I fancy already that the air is
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  Speaker 1: beginning to be close and condensed. I have a difficulty
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  Speaker 1: in breathing. This might be fancy, or it might be
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  Speaker 1: the effect of our rapid motion, but I certainly felt
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  Speaker 1: the great oppression of the chest. Henry, said the professor.
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  Speaker 1: I do believe that the situation is to a certain
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  Speaker 1: extent desperate. There remain, however, many chances of ultimate safety,
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  Speaker 1: and I have in my own mind been revolving them
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  Speaker 1: over during your heavy but agitated sleep. I have come
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  Speaker 1: to this logical conclusion. Whereas we may at any moment perish,
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  Speaker 1: so at any moment we may be saved. We need
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  Speaker 1: therefore prepare ourselves for whatever may turn up in the
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  Speaker 1: great chapter of accidents. But what would you have us do,
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  Speaker 1: I cried, Are we not utterly helpless? No, while there
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  Speaker 1: is life, there is hope at all events. There is
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  Speaker 1: one thing we can do, eat and thus obtain strength
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  Speaker 1: to face victory or death. As he spoke, I looked
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  Speaker 1: at my uncle with a haggard glance. I had put
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  Speaker 1: off the fatal communication as long as possible. It was
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  Speaker 1: now forced upon me, and I must tell him the truth.
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  Speaker 1: Still I hesitated, Eat, I said, in a deprecating tone,
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  Speaker 1: as if there were no hurry. Yes, and at once
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  Speaker 1: I feel like a starving prisoner, he said, rubbing his
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  Speaker 1: yellow and shivering hands together and turning round to the guide.
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  Speaker 1: He spoke some hearty, cheering words. As I judged from
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  Speaker 1: his tone in Danish, Hans shook his head in a
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  Speaker 1: terribly significant manner. I tried to look unconcerned. What, cried
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  Speaker 1: the professor, You do not mean to say that all
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  Speaker 1: our provisions are lost? Yes, was my lowly spoken reply,
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  Speaker 1: as I held out something in my hand. This morsel
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  Speaker 1: of dried meat is all that remains for us. Three.
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  Speaker 1: My uncle gazed at me as if he could not
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  Speaker 1: fully appreciate the meaning of my words. The blow seemed
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  Speaker 1: to stun him by its severity. I allowed him to
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  Speaker 1: reflect for some moments, well, said I, after a short pause,
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  Speaker 1: what do you think now? Is there any chance of
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  Speaker 1: our escaping from our horrible subterranean dangers? Are we not
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  Speaker 1: doomed to perish in the great hollows of the center
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  Speaker 1: of the earth. But my pertinent questions brought no answer.
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  Speaker 1: My uncle either heard me not or appeared not to
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  Speaker 1: do so. And in this way a whole hour passed.
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  Speaker 1: Neither of us care to speak. For myself, I began
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  Speaker 1: to feel the most fearful and devouring hunger. My companions
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  Speaker 1: doubtless felt the same horrible tortures, but neither of them
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  Speaker 1: would touch the wretched morsel or meat that remained. It
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  Speaker 1: lay there, a last remnant of all our great preparations
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  Speaker 1: for the mad and senseless journey. I looked back with
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  Speaker 1: wonderment to my own folly. Fully was I aware that,
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  Speaker 1: despite his enthusiasm and the ever to be hated scrawl
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  Speaker 1: of Sacknusom, my uncle should never have started on his
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  Speaker 1: perilous voyage. What memories of the happy past, what provisions
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  Speaker 1: of the horrible future, now filled my brain? End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty