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26 - A Rapid Recovery - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Classic Sci Fi Books - Daily

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  Chapter twenty six, A rapid recovery. When I returned to the consciousness of
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  existence, I found myself surrounded by a kind of seemi obscurity. Lying on
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  some thick and soft coverlets. My uncle was watching, his eyes fixed intently
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  on my countenance, a grave expression on his face, a tear in his
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  eye. At the first sigh which struggled from my bosom, he took hold
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  of my hand. When he saw my eyes open and fixed themselves upon his,
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  he uttered a loud cry of joy. He leaves, he leaves.
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  Yes, my good uncle, I whispered, My dear boy, continued the
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  grim professor, clasping me to his heart, yours saved. I was deeply
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  and unaffectedly touched by the tone in which these words were uttered, and even
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  more by the kindly care which accompanied them. The professor, however, was
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  one of those men who must be severely tried in order to induce any display
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  of affection or gentle emotion. At this moment, our friend Hans the Guide
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  joined us. He saw my hand in that of my uncle, and I
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  venture to say that taciturn as he was, his eyes beamed with lively satisfaction.
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  Kurd dog He said, good day, Hans, Good day, I
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  replied, in as hearty a tone as I could assume. And now,
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  uncle, that we are together, tell me where we are. I have
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  lost all idea of our position, as of everything else. To morrow,
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  hurry to morrow, he replied, to day, you are far too weak.
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  Your head is surrounded with bandages and poultices that must not be touched.
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  Sleep, my boy, sleep, and to morrow you will know all that
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  you require. But I cried, let me know what o'clock it is,
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  what day it is? It is now eleven o'clock at night, and this
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  is once more Sunday. It is now the ninth of the month of August.
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  And I distinctly prohibit you from asking any more questions until the tenth of
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  the same. I was, if the truth were told, very weak,
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  indeed, and my eyes soon closed involuntarily. I did require a good night's
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  rest, and I went off, reflecting at the last moment that my perilous
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  adventure in the interior of the earth in total darkness had lasted four days.
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  On the morning or the next day, at my awakening, I began to
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  look round me. My sleeping place, made of all our traveling bedding,
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  was in a charming rotto, adorned with magnificent stalagmites, glittering in all the
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  colors of the rainbow, the floor of soft and silvery sand. A dim
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  obscurity prevailed, no torch, no lamp was lightly and yet certain unexplained beams
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  of light penetrated from without and made their way through the opening of the beautiful
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  grotto. I moreoverheard a vague and indefinite murmur, like the ebb and flow
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  of waves upon a strand, and sometimes I verily believed I could hear the
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  sighing of the wind. I began to believe that instead of being awake,
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  I must be dreaming. Surely my brain had not been affected by my fall,
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  and all that occurred during the last twenty four hours was not the frenzied
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  visions of madness. And yet, after some reflection, a trial of my
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  faculties, I came to the conclusion that I could not be mistaken. Eyes
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  and ears could not surely both deceive me. It is a ray of the
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  blessed daylight, I said to myself, which has penetrated through some mighty ficire
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  in the rocks. But what is the meaning of this murmur of waves,
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  this unmistakable moaning of the salt sea bellows. I can hear too plainly enough
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  the whistling of the wind. But can I be altogether mistaken? If my
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  uncle, during my illness, has but carried me back to the service of
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  the earth, has he, on my account given up his wondrous expedition,
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  or in some strange manner, has it come to an end. I was
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  puzzling my brain over these and other questions when the professor joined me. Good
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  day, hurry, he cried, in a joyous tone. I fancy you
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  are quite well. I'm very much better, I replied, actually sitting up
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  in my bed. I knew that would be the end of it. As
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  you slept both soundly and tranquility. Hans and I have each taken turn to
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  watch, and every hour we have seen visible signs of amelioration. You must
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  be right, uncle, was my reply, For I feel as if I
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  could do justice to any meal you could put before me. You shall eat,
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  my boy, you shall eat. The fever has left you. Our
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  excellent friend Hans has rubbed your wounds and bruises with I know not what ointment
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  of which the Icelanders alone possesses the secret and they have healed your bruises in
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  the most marvelous manner. Ah. He is a wise fellow, is Master
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  Hans. While he was speaking, my uncle was placing before me several articles
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  of food, which, despite his earnest injunctions, I readily devoured. As
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  soon as the first rage of hunger was appeast, I overwhelmed him with questions
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  to which he now no longer hesitated to give answers. I then learned for
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  the first time that my providential fall had brought me to the bottom of an
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  almost perpendicular gallery. As I came down amidst the perfect shower of stones,
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  the least of which, falling on me, would have crushed me to death,
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  they came to the conclusion that I had carried with me an entire dislocated
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  rock. Riding as it were, on this terrible chariot, I was cast
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  headlong into my uncle's arms and into them. I felt insensible and covered with
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  blood. It is, indeed a miracle, was the professor's final remark,
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  that you were not killed a thousand times over. But let us take care
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  never to separate, for surely we should risk never meeting again. Let us
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  take care never again to separate. These words fell with a sort of chill
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  upon my heart. The journey, then was not over. I looked at
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  my uncle with surprise and astonishment. My uncle, after an instant's examination of
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  my countenance, said, what is the matter? Hurry? I want to
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  ask you a very serious question. You say that I am all right in
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  health, certainly you are, And all my limbs are sound and capable of
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  new exertion, I asked, most undoubtedly. But what about my head?
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  Was my next anxious question. Well, your head, except that you have
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  one or two contusions, is exactly where it ought to be on your shoulders,
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  said my uncle, laughing. Well, my own opinion is that my
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  head is not exactly right. In fact, I believe myself slightly delirious.
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  What makes you think? So? I will explain why I fancy I have
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  lost my senses, I cried. Have we not returned to the surface of
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  mother Earth? Certainly not? Then truly I must be mad, For do
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  I not see the light of day? Do I not hear the whistling of
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  the wind? And can I not distinguish the wash of a great sea?
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  And that is all that makes you uneasy? Said my uncle with a smile.
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  Can you explain. I will not make any attempt to explain, for
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  the whole matter is utterly inexplicable. But you shall see and judge for yourself.
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  You will then find that geological silence is as yet in its infancy,
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  and that we are doomed to enlighten the world. Let us advance, then,
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  I cried eagerly, no longer able to restrain my curiosity. Wait a
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  moment, my dear arie, he responded, you must take precautions after your
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  illness before going into the open air. The open air. Yes, my
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  boy, I have to warn you that the wind is rather violent, and
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  I have no wish for you to expose yourself without necessary precautions. But I
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  beg to show you that I am perfectly recovered from my illness. I have
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  just a little patience, my boy. A relapse would be inconvenient to all
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  parties. We have no time to lose, as our prorouching sea voyage may
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  be of long duration sea voyage, I cried, more bewildered than ever.
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  Yes, you must take another day's rest, and we shall be ready to
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  go on board by to morrow, replied my uncle, with a peculiar smile.
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  Go on board. The words utterly astonished me. Go on board?
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  And what and how had we come upon a river? A lake? Had
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  we discovered some inlancy was a vessel line at anchor in some part of the
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  interior of the earth. My curiosity was worked up to the very highest pitch.
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  My uncle made vain attempts to restrain me. When at last, however,
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  he discovered that my feverish impatience would do more harm than good, and
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  that the satisfaction of my wishes could alone restore me to a calm state of
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  mind, he gave way. I dressed myself rapidly, and then, taking
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  the precaution to please my uncle, of wrapping myself in one of the coverlets,
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  I rushed out of the grotto. End of Chapter twenty six.