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06 - Our Voyage to Iceland - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter six, our voyage to Iceland. The hour of departure
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  Speaker 1: came at last the night before the worthy mister Thompson
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  Speaker 1: brought us the most cordial letters of introduction for Baron Tramp,
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  Speaker 1: Governor of Iceland, for mister Picterson, coadjutor to the Bishop,
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  Speaker 1: and for Monsieur Finsen, mayor of the town of Rekyevich.
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  Speaker 1: In return, my uncle nearly crushed his hands so warmly
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  Speaker 1: did he shake them. On the second of the month,
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  Speaker 1: at two in the morning, our precious cargo of luggage
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  Speaker 1: was taken on board the good ship Valkyrie. We followed
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  Speaker 1: and were politely introduced by the captain to a small
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  Speaker 1: cabin with two standing bed places, neither very well ventilated
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  Speaker 1: nor very comfortable. But in the cause of science, men
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  Speaker 1: are expected to suffer well. And have we a fair wind,
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  Speaker 1: cried my uncle in his most malifluous accents. An excellent wind,
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  Speaker 1: cried Captain Jarn. We shall leave the sound going free
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  Speaker 1: with all sales. A few minutes afterwards, the schooners started
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  Speaker 1: before the wind, under all the canvas she could carry,
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  Speaker 1: and enter the channel. An hour later, the capital of
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  Speaker 1: Denmark seemed to sink into the waves, and we were
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  Speaker 1: at no great distance from the coast of Elsinore. My
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  Speaker 1: uncle was delighted, for myself, moody and dissatisfied. I appeared
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  Speaker 1: almost to expect a glimpse of the ghost of Hamlet
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  Speaker 1: sublime madman, thought I, you doubtless would approve our proceedings.
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  Speaker 1: You might perhaps even follow us to the center of
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  Speaker 1: the earth, there to resolve your eternal doubts. But no
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  Speaker 1: ghost or anything else appeared upon the ancient walls. The
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  Speaker 1: fact is the castle is much later than the time
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  Speaker 1: of the heroic Prince of Denmark. It is now the
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  Speaker 1: residence of the keeper of the Strait of the Sound,
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  Speaker 1: and through that sound more than fifteen thousand vessels of
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  Speaker 1: all nations pass every year. The castle of Kronborg soon
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  Speaker 1: disappeared in the murky atmosphere, as well as the tower
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  Speaker 1: of Helsenborg, which raises its head on the Swedish bank.
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  Speaker 1: And here the schooner began to feel in earnest the
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  Speaker 1: breezes of the Kattagot. The valkyy was swift enough, but
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  Speaker 1: with all sailing boats there is the same uncertainty. Her
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  Speaker 1: cargo was coal, furniture, pottery, woolen clothing and a load
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  Speaker 1: of corn. As usual, the crew was small, five Danes
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  Speaker 1: doing the whole of the work. How long will the
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  Speaker 1: voyage last, asked my uncle. Well, I think about ten days,
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  Speaker 1: replied the skipper, unless indeed we meet with some northeast
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  Speaker 1: gales from the Faroe Islands. At all events, there will
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  Speaker 1: be no very considerable delay, cried the impatient professor. No,
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  Speaker 1: mister Hardwig, said the captain, No fear of that. At
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  Speaker 1: all events, we shall get there someday. Towards evening, the
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  Speaker 1: schooner doubled Cape skagin the northernmost part of Denmark, crossed
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  Speaker 1: the Skagarat during the night, skirted the extreme point of Norway,
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  Speaker 1: through the gut of Cape Lendissness, and then reached the
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  Speaker 1: northern seas. Two days later. We were not far from
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  Speaker 1: the coast of Scotland, somewhere near what the Danish sailors
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  Speaker 1: called Peterhead. And then the Valkyrie stretched out for the
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  Speaker 1: Farou Islands, between Orkney and Shetland. Our vessel now felt
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  Speaker 1: the full force of the ocean waves and the wind shifting.
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  Speaker 1: We with great difficulty, made the Farau Islands. On the
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  Speaker 1: eighth day, the captain made out mc ginnis. The westernmost
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  Speaker 1: of the Isles, and from that moment had direct for Portland,
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  Speaker 1: a cape on the southern shores of the singular island
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  Speaker 1: for which we were bound. The voyage offered no incident
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  Speaker 1: worthy of record. I bore it very well, but my uncle,
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  Speaker 1: to his great annoyance and even shame, was remarkably sea sick.
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  Speaker 1: This mal de mer troubled him the more that it
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  Speaker 1: prevented him from questioning Captain Bjarne as to the subject
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  Speaker 1: of Sneffels, as to the means of communication and the
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  Speaker 1: facilities of transport. All these explanations he had to adjourn
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  Speaker 1: to the period of his arrival. His time, meanwhile, was
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  Speaker 1: spent lying in bed, groaning and dwelling anxiously on the
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  Speaker 1: hoped for termination of the voyage. I didn't pity him.
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  Speaker 1: On the eleventh day we sighted Cape Portland, over which
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  Speaker 1: towered Mount Midril's yokel which, the weather being clear, we
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  Speaker 1: made out very readily. The cape itself is nothing but
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  Speaker 1: a huge amount of granite, standing naked and alone to
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  Speaker 1: meet the Atlantic waves. The Valkyrie kept off the coast,
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  Speaker 1: steering to the westward. On all sides were to be
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  Speaker 1: seen whole schools of whales and sharks. After some hours
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  Speaker 1: we came in sight of a solitary rock in the ocean,
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  Speaker 1: forming a mighty vault through which the foaming waves poured
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  Speaker 1: with intense fury. The islets of Westman appeared to leap
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  Speaker 1: from the ocean, being so low in the water as
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  Speaker 1: scarcely to be seen until you were right upon them.
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  Speaker 1: From that moment, the schooner was steered to the westward
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  Speaker 1: in order to round Cape Wrekyons, the western point of Iceland.
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  Speaker 1: My uncle, to his great disgust, was unable even to
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  Speaker 1: crawl on deck so heavy a sea was on and
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  Speaker 1: thus lost the first view of the land of Promise.
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  Speaker 1: Forty eight hours later, after a storm which drove us
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  Speaker 1: far to sea under bare poles, we came once more
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  Speaker 1: in sight of land and were boarded by a pilot, who,
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  Speaker 1: after three hours of dangerous navigation, brought the schooner safely
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  Speaker 1: to an anchor in the Bay of Foxha. Before Rekievik,
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  Speaker 1: my uncle came out of his cabin, pale, haggard, thin,
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  Speaker 1: but full of enthusiasm, his eyes dilated with pleasure and satisfaction.
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  Speaker 1: Nearly the whole population of the town was on foot
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  Speaker 1: to see us land. The fact was that scarcely any
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  Speaker 1: one of them, but expected some goods by the periodical vessel.
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  Speaker 1: Professor Hardwig was in haste to leave his prison, or, rather,
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  Speaker 1: as he called it, his hospital. But before he attempted
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  Speaker 1: to do so, he caught hold of my hand, led
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  Speaker 1: me to the quarter deck of the schooner, took my
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  Speaker 1: arm with his left hand, and pointed inland with his right,
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  Speaker 1: over the northern part of the bay, to where rose
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  Speaker 1: a high, two peaked mountain, a double cone covered with
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  Speaker 1: eternal snow. Behold, he whispered, in an awe stricken voice,
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  Speaker 1: Behold Mount Sneffels. Then was without further remark. He put
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  Speaker 1: his finger to his lips, frowned darkly, and descended into
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  Speaker 1: the small boat which awaited us. I followed, and in
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  Speaker 1: a few minutes we stood upon the soil of mysterious Iceland.
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  Speaker 1: Scarcely were we fairly on shore, when there appeared before
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  Speaker 1: us a man of excellent appearance, wearing the costume of
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  Speaker 1: a military officer. He was, however, but a civil servant,
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  Speaker 1: a magistrate, the governor of the island Baron Tramp. The
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  Speaker 1: Professor knew whom he had to deal with. He therefore
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  Speaker 1: handed him the letters from Copenhagen, and a brief conversation
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  Speaker 1: in Danish followed, to which I, of course was a stranger,
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  Speaker 1: and for a very good reason, for I did not
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  Speaker 1: know the language in which they conversed. I afterwards heard, however,
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  Speaker 1: that Baron Tramp placed himself entirely at the beck and
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  Speaker 1: call of Professor Hardwig. My uncle was most graciously received
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  Speaker 1: by mister Finson, the Mayor, who, as far as costume went,
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  Speaker 1: was quite as military as the Governor, but also from
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  Speaker 1: character and occupation quite as pacific. As for his coadjutor,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Picterson, he was absent on an episcopal visit to
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  Speaker 1: the northern portion of the diocese. We were therefore compelled
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  Speaker 1: to defer the pleasure of being presented to him. His
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  Speaker 1: absence was, however, more than compensated by the presence of
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Friedrichsen, Professor of natural Science in the College of Rekuevic,
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  Speaker 1: a man of invaluable ability. This modest scholar spoke no
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  Speaker 1: languages save Icelandic and Latin. When therefore he addressed himself
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  Speaker 1: to me in the language of Horace, we at once
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  Speaker 1: came to understand one another. He was in fact, the
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  Speaker 1: only person that I did thoroughly understand during the whole
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  Speaker 1: period of my residence in this benighted island. Out of
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  Speaker 1: three rooms of which his house was composed, two were
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  Speaker 1: placed at our service, and in a few hours we
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  Speaker 1: were installed with all our baggage, the amount of which
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  Speaker 1: rather astonished the simple inhabitants of Rekuevic. Now, Harry, said,
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  Speaker 1: my uncle, rubbing his hands on goes, well, the worst
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  Speaker 1: difficulty is now over. How the worst difficulty over, I cried,
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  Speaker 1: in fresh amazement. Doubtless, here we are in Iceland. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: more remains but to descend into the bowels of the earth. Well, Sir,
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  Speaker 1: to a certain extent, you are right. We have only
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  Speaker 1: to go down. But as far as I am concerned,
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  Speaker 1: that is not the question. I want to know how
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  Speaker 1: we are to get up again. That is the least
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  Speaker 1: part of the business, and does not in any way
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  Speaker 1: trouble me. In the meantime, there is not an hour
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  Speaker 1: to lose. I am about to visit the public library.
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  Speaker 1: Very likely I may find there some manuscripts from the
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  Speaker 1: hand of suck newsom I shall be glad to consult them.
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  Speaker 1: In the meanwhile, I replied, I will take a walk
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  Speaker 1: through the town, Will you not likewise do so? I
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  Speaker 1: feel no interest in the subject, said my uncle. What
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  Speaker 1: for me is curiousness. Island is not what is above
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  Speaker 1: the surface, but what is below. I bowed by way
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  Speaker 1: of reply, put on my hat and furred cloak, and
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  Speaker 1: went out. It was it was not an easy matter
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  Speaker 1: to lose one's self from the two streets of Rekuevic.
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  Speaker 1: I had therefore no need to ask my way. The
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  Speaker 1: town lies on a flat and marshy plain between two hills,
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  Speaker 1: A vast field of lava skirted on one side, falling
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  Speaker 1: away in terraces toward the sea. On the other hand,
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  Speaker 1: is the large bay of Foxa, bordered on the north
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  Speaker 1: by the enormous glacier of Sneffels, and in which bay
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  Speaker 1: the Valkyrie was then the only vessel at anchor. Generally
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  Speaker 1: there was one or two English or French gunboats to
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  Speaker 1: watch and protect the fisheries in the offing. They were, now, however,
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  Speaker 1: absent on duty. The longest of the streets of Rekuevic
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  Speaker 1: runs parallel to the shore. In this street, the merchants
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  Speaker 1: and traders live in wooden huts made with beams of
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  Speaker 1: wood painted red mere log huts such as you would
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  Speaker 1: find in the wilds of America. The other street, situated
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  Speaker 1: more to the west, runs toward a little lake, between
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  Speaker 1: the residences of the bishop and the other personages not
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  Speaker 1: engaged in commerce. I had soon seen all I wanted
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  Speaker 1: of these weary and dismal thoroughfares. Here and there was
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  Speaker 1: a strip of discolored turf, like an old, worn out
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  Speaker 1: bit of woolen carpet, and now and then a bit
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  Speaker 1: of kitchen garden, in which grew potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce,
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  Speaker 1: almost diminutive enough to suggest the idea of Lilliput. In
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  Speaker 1: the center of the new commercial street, I found the
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  Speaker 1: public cemetery, enclosed by an earthen wall. Though not very large,
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  Speaker 1: it appeared not likely to be filled for centuries. From
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  Speaker 1: hence I went to the house of the Governor, a
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  Speaker 1: mere hut in comparison with the mansion house of Hamburg,
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  Speaker 1: but a palace. Alongside the other Icelandic houses. Between a
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  Speaker 1: little lake and the town was the church, built in
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  Speaker 1: simple Protestant style and composed of calcined stones thrown up
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  Speaker 1: by volcanic action. I have not the slightest doubt that
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  Speaker 1: in high winds its red tiles were blown out, to
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  Speaker 1: the great annoyance of the pastor and congregation upon an eminence.
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  Speaker 1: Close at hand was the National School, and which were
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  Speaker 1: taught Hebrew, English, French and Danish, which in three hours
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  Speaker 1: my tour was complete. The general impression upon my mind
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  Speaker 1: was sadness. No trees, no vegetation, so to speak. On
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  Speaker 1: all sides volcanic peaks, the huts of turf and earth
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  Speaker 1: more like roofs than houses. Thanks to the heat of
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  Speaker 1: these residences, grass grows on the roof which grass is
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  Speaker 1: carefully cut for hay. I saw but few inhabitants during
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  Speaker 1: my excursion, but I met a crowd on the beach drying,
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  Speaker 1: salting and loading codfish, the principal article of exportation. The
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  Speaker 1: men appeared robust but heavy, fair haired like Germans, but
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  Speaker 1: of pensive mien. Exiles of a higher scale in the
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  Speaker 1: latter of humanity than the Eskimos. But I thought much
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  Speaker 1: more unhappy, since with superior perceptions they are compelled to
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  Speaker 1: live within the limits of the polar circle. Sometimes they
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  Speaker 1: gave vent to a convulsive laugh, but by no chance
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  Speaker 1: did they smile. Their costumes consist of a coarse capodae
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  Speaker 1: of black wool, known in scanned in Avian countries as
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  Speaker 1: the vodmel, a broad brimmed hat, trousers of red serge,
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  Speaker 1: and a piece of leather tied with strings for a shoe,
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  Speaker 1: a coarse kind of moccasin. The women, though sad looking
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  Speaker 1: and mournful, had rather agreeable features without much expression. They
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  Speaker 1: wore a bodice and petticoat of somber vaudemel. When unmarried
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  Speaker 1: they wear a little brown knitted cap over a crown
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  Speaker 1: of plaited hair. But when married they cover their heads
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  Speaker 1: with a colored handkerchief, over which they tie a white scarf.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter six