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03 - An Astounding Discovery - Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter three, an astounding discovery. What is the matter, cried
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: the cook, entering the room. When will master have his dinner?
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Never and his supper? I don't know. He says he
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  Speaker 1: will eat no more, neither shall I. My uncle has
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  Speaker 1: determined to fast and make me fast until he makes
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  Speaker 1: out this abominable inscription. I replied, you will be starved
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  Speaker 1: to death, she said. I was very much of the
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  Speaker 1: same opinion, but not liking to say so, sent her
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  Speaker 1: away and began some of my usual work of classification.
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  Speaker 1: But try as I might, nothing could keep me from thinking,
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  Speaker 1: alternately of the stupid manuscript and of the pretty Gretchen.
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  Speaker 1: Several times I thought of going out, but my uncle
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  Speaker 1: would have been angry at my absence. At the end
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  Speaker 1: of an hour, my allotted task was done. How to
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  Speaker 1: pass the time, I began by lightning my pipe Like
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  Speaker 1: all other students, I delighted in tobacco, and seating myself
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  Speaker 1: in the great arm chair. I began to think where
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  Speaker 1: was my uncle? I could easily imagine him tearing along
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  Speaker 1: some solitary road, testiculating, talking to himself, cutting the air
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  Speaker 1: with his cane, and still thinking of the absurd bit
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  Speaker 1: of hieroglyphics. Would he heat upon some clue? Would he
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  Speaker 1: come home in better humor? While these thoughts were passing
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  Speaker 1: through my brain, I mechanically took up the execreable puzzle
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  Speaker 1: and tried every imaginable way of grouping the letters. I
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  Speaker 1: put them together by twos, by threes, fours, and fives
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  Speaker 1: in vain. Nothing intelligible came out, except that the fourteenth, fifteenth,
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  Speaker 1: and sixteenth made eyes in English, the eighth, fourth, eighty, fifth,
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  Speaker 1: and eighty six the words sir. Then at last I
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  Speaker 1: seemed to find the Latin words rota, mutabile era neck
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  Speaker 1: atra a. There seems to be some truth in my
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  Speaker 1: uncle's notion, thought I. Then again I seem to find
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  Speaker 1: the word luco, which means sacred wood. Then in the
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  Speaker 1: third line I appeared to make out labeled, a perfect
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  Speaker 1: Hebrew word, and at the last the syllables mare r mere,
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  Speaker 1: which were French. It was enough to drive one mad.
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  Speaker 1: Four different idioms in this absurd phrase. What connection could
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  Speaker 1: there be between ice, sir, anger, cruel, sacred wood, changing
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  Speaker 1: mother r and sea. The first and the last might,
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  Speaker 1: in a sentence connected with iceland mean sea of ice.
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  Speaker 1: But what of the rest of this monstrous cryptograph. I was,
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  Speaker 1: in fact fighting against an insurmountable difficulty. My brain was
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  Speaker 1: almost on fire. My eyes were strained. When staring at
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  Speaker 1: the parchment, the whole absurd collection of letters appeared to
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  Speaker 1: dance before my vision in a number of black little groups.
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  Speaker 1: My mind was possessed with temporary hallucination. I was stifling.
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  Speaker 1: I wanted air. Mechanically, I found myself with the document,
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  Speaker 1: of which now I saw the back and then the front.
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  Speaker 1: Imagine my surprise when glancing at the back of the
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  Speaker 1: wearisome puzzle, the ink having gone through, I clearly made
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  Speaker 1: out Latin words, and among others, Caratrem and terrestre. I
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  Speaker 1: had discovered the secret. It came upon me like a
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  Speaker 1: flash of lightning. I had got the clue. All you
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  Speaker 1: had to do to understand the document was to read
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  Speaker 1: it backwards. All the ingenious ideas of the professor were realized.
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  Speaker 1: He had dictated it rightly to me. By a mere accident,
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  Speaker 1: I had discovered what he so much desired. My delight,
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  Speaker 1: my emotion may be imagined. My eyes were dazzled, and
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  Speaker 1: I trembled, so that at first I could make nothing
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  Speaker 1: of it. One look however, would tell me all I
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  Speaker 1: wished to know. Let me read, I said to myself,
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  Speaker 1: after drawing a long breath. I spread it before me
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  Speaker 1: on the table. I passed my finger over each letter.
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  Speaker 1: I spelled it through. In my excitement I read it out.
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  Speaker 1: What horror and stupefaction took possession of my soul. I
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  Speaker 1: was like a man who had received a knockdown blow.
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  Speaker 1: Was it possible that I really read the terrible secret?
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  Speaker 1: And it had really been accomplished? A man had dared
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  Speaker 1: to do what no living being should ever know? Never,
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  Speaker 1: cried I, jumping up. Never shall my uncle be made
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  Speaker 1: aware of the dreed secret. He would be quite capable
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  Speaker 1: of undertaking the terrible journey. Nothing would check him, nothing
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  Speaker 1: stop him. Worse, he would compel me to accompany him,
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  Speaker 1: and we should be lost forever. But no such folly
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  Speaker 1: and madness cannot be allowed. I was almost beside myself
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  Speaker 1: with rage and fury. My worthy uncle is already nearly mad,
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  Speaker 1: I cried aloud. This would finish him. By some accident,
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  Speaker 1: he may make the discovery, in which case we are
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  Speaker 1: both lost. Perry the fearful secret. Let the flames forever
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  Speaker 1: bury it in oblivion. I snatched up book and parchment,
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  Speaker 1: and was about to cast them into the fire when
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  Speaker 1: the door opened and my uncle entered. I had scarcely
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  Speaker 1: time to put down the wretched documents before my uncle
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  Speaker 1: was by my side. He was profoundly absorbed. His thoughts
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  Speaker 1: were evidently bent on the terrible parchment. Some new combination
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  Speaker 1: had probably struck him while taking his walk. He seated
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  Speaker 1: himself in his arm chair, and with a pen, began
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  Speaker 1: to make an algebraical calculation. I watched him with anxious eyes.
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  Speaker 1: My flesh crawled as it became probable that he would
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  Speaker 1: discover the secret. His combinations, I knew now were useless,
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  Speaker 1: I having discovered the one only clue. For three mortal hours,
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  Speaker 1: he continued without speaking a word, without raising his head, scratching, rewriting,
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  Speaker 1: calculating over and over again. I knew that in time
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  Speaker 1: he must hit upon the right frace. The letters of
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  Speaker 1: every alphabet have only a certain number of combinations. But
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  Speaker 1: then years might elapse before he would arrive at the
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  Speaker 1: correct solution. Still time went on, night came, the sounds
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  Speaker 1: in the streets ceased, and still my uncle went on,
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  Speaker 1: not even answering our worthy cook when she called us
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  Speaker 1: to supper. I did not dare to leave him, so
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  Speaker 1: waved her away, and at last fell asleep on the
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  Speaker 1: sofam When I awoke, my uncle was still at work.
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  Speaker 1: His red eyes, his pallid countenance, his matted hair, his
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  Speaker 1: feverish hands, his hectically flushed cheeks showed how terrible had
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  Speaker 1: been he struggle with the impossible, and what fearful fatigue
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  Speaker 1: he had undergone during that long sleepless night. It made
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  Speaker 1: me quite ill to look at him. Though he was
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  Speaker 1: rather severe with me, I loved him, and my heart
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  Speaker 1: ached at his sufferings. He was so overcome by one
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  Speaker 1: idea that he could not even get in a passion.
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  Speaker 1: All his energies were focused on one point, and I
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  Speaker 1: knew that by speaking one little word, all this suffering
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  Speaker 1: would cease. I could not speak it. My heart was
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  Speaker 1: nevertheless inclining towards him. Why then, did I remain silent
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  Speaker 1: in the interest of my uncle himself? Nothing shall make
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  Speaker 1: me speak, I muttered. He will want to follow in
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  Speaker 1: the footsteps of the other. I know him well. His
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  Speaker 1: imagination is a perfect volcanal, and to make discoveries in
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  Speaker 1: the interests of geology, he would sacrifice his life. I
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  Speaker 1: will therefore be silent and strictly keep the secret I
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  Speaker 1: have discover'd. To reveal it would be suicidal. He would
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  Speaker 1: not only rush himself to destruction, but drag me with him.
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  Speaker 1: I crossed my arms, looked another way, and smoked, resolved
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  Speaker 1: never to speak. When our cook wanted to go out
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  Speaker 1: to market or any other errand she found the front
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  Speaker 1: door locked and the key taken away. Was this done
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  Speaker 1: purposely or not? Surely Professor Hartwick did not intend the
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  Speaker 1: old woman and myself to become martyrs to his obstinate will.
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  Speaker 1: Were we to be starved to death? A frightful recollection
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  Speaker 1: came to my mind once we had fed on bits
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  Speaker 1: and scraps for a week, while he sought it some curiosities.
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  Speaker 1: It gave me the cramp even to think of it.
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  Speaker 1: Are you wanted my breakfast? And I saw no way
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  Speaker 1: of getting it? Still my resolution held good. I would
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  Speaker 1: starve rather than yield. But the cook began to take
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  Speaker 1: me seriously to task what was to be done? She
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  Speaker 1: could not go out, and I dared not. My uncle
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  Speaker 1: continued counting and writing. His imagination seemed to have translated
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  Speaker 1: him into the skies. He neither thought of eating nor
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  Speaker 1: drinking in this way. Twelve o'clock came round. I was hungry,
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  Speaker 1: and there was nothing in the house. The cook had
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  Speaker 1: eaten the last bit of bread. This could not go on.
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  Speaker 1: It did, however, until two, when my sensations were terrible.
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  Speaker 1: After all, I began to think the document very absurd.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps it might only be a gigantic hoax. Besides, some
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  Speaker 1: means would surely be found to keep my uncle back
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  Speaker 1: from attempting any such absurd expedition. On the other hand,
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  Speaker 1: if it did attempt anything so quixotic, I should not
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  Speaker 1: be compelled to accompany him. Another line of reasoning partially
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  Speaker 1: decided me very likely he would make the discover himself
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  Speaker 1: when I should have suffered starvation for nothing under the
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  Speaker 1: influence of hunger. This reasoning appeared admirable. I determined to
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  Speaker 1: tell all. The question now arose as to how it
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  Speaker 1: was to be done. I was still dwelling on the
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  Speaker 1: thought when he rose and put on his hat, What
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  Speaker 1: go out and lock us in? Never Uncle, I began.
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  Speaker 1: He did not appear even to hear me. Professor Hartwig,
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  Speaker 1: I cried, what he retorted? Did you speak? How about
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  Speaker 1: the key? What key? The key of the door. No
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  Speaker 1: of these horrible hieroglyphics. He looked at me from under
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  Speaker 1: his spectacles and started at the odd expression of my face.
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  Speaker 1: Rushing forward, he clutched me by the arm and keenly
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  Speaker 1: examined my countenance. His very look was an interrogation. I
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  Speaker 1: simply nodded with an incredulous shrug of the shoulders. He
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  Speaker 1: turned upon his heel. Undoubtedly he thought I had gone mad.
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  Speaker 1: I have made a very important discovery. His eyes flashed
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  Speaker 1: with excitement, his hand was lifted in a menacing attitude.
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  Speaker 1: For a moment, neither of us spoke. It is hard
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  Speaker 1: to say which was most excited. You don't mean to
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  Speaker 1: say that you have any idea of the meaning of
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  Speaker 1: the scrawl I do, was my desperate reply. Look at
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  Speaker 1: the sentence as dictated by you. Well, but it means nothing,
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  Speaker 1: was the angry answer. Nothing if you read from left
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  Speaker 1: to right, but mark if from right to left backwards,
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  Speaker 1: cried my uncle in wild amazement. Oh, most cunning SAGNOSEM
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  Speaker 1: and I to be such a blockhead. He snatched up
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  Speaker 1: the document, gazed at it with haggard eye, and read
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  Speaker 1: it out as I had done. It read as follows
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  Speaker 1: in Snephel's Yoculis kratrem kem delibat umbra scartaris Julie intra
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  Speaker 1: kalendas descende audas viator it terestresentrum attings card feki arne sagnussem,
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  Speaker 1: which dog Latin, being translated, reads as follows. Descend into
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  Speaker 1: the crater of jocul of Snepheos, which the shade of
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  Speaker 1: Scartaris caresses before the canons of July Ordashu's traveler, and
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  Speaker 1: you will reach the seer of the earth. I did it,
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  Speaker 1: Arnes sagnussem, my uncle leaped three feet from the ground
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  Speaker 1: with joy. He looked ragant and handsome. He rushed about
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  Speaker 1: the room, wild with delight and satisfaction. He knocked over
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  Speaker 1: tables and chairs. He threw his books about, until at last,
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  Speaker 1: utterly exhausted, he fell into his aunt chair. What's o'clock?
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  Speaker 1: He asked, about three. My dinner does not seem to
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  Speaker 1: have done me much good, he observed, Let me have
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  Speaker 1: something to eat. We can then start at once. Get
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  Speaker 1: my portmanteau ready. What for and your own, he continued,
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  Speaker 1: We start at once. My horror may be conceived. I resolved, however,
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  Speaker 1: to show no fear. Scientific reasons were the only ones
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  Speaker 1: likely to influence my uncle. Now there were many against
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  Speaker 1: this terrible journey. The very idea of going down to
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  Speaker 1: the center of the earth was simply absurd. I determined,
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  Speaker 1: therefore to argue the point. After dinner. My uncle's rage
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  Speaker 1: was now directed against the cook for having no dinner ready.
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  Speaker 1: My explanation, however, satisfied him, and having gotten the key,
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  Speaker 1: she soon contrived to get sufficient to satisfy our voracious appetites.
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  Speaker 1: During the repast, my uncle was rather gay than otherwise.
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  Speaker 1: He made some of those peculiar jokes which belonged exclusively
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  Speaker 1: to the learned. As soon, however, as dessert was over,
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  Speaker 1: he called me to his study. We each took a
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  Speaker 1: chair on opposite sides of the table. Henry, he said,
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  Speaker 1: in a soft and winning voice. I have always believed
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  Speaker 1: you ingenious, and you have rendered me a service never
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  Speaker 1: to be forgotten. Without you, this great, this wondrous discovery,
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  Speaker 1: would never have been made. It is my duty therefore
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  Speaker 1: to insist on your sharing the glory. He's in a
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  Speaker 1: good humor, thought I I'll soon let him know my
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  Speaker 1: opinion of glory. In the first place, he continued, you
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  Speaker 1: must keep the whole affair a profound secret. There is
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  Speaker 1: no more ennous race of men than scientific discoverers. Many
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  Speaker 1: would start on the same journey. At all events, we
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  Speaker 1: will be the first in the field. I doubt your
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  Speaker 1: having many competitors, was my reply. A man of real
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  Speaker 1: scientific acquirements would be delighted at the chance we should
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: find a perfect stream of pilgrims on the traces of
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: Ernest Sucknussom if this document were once made public. But
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: my dear sir, is not this paper very likely to
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  Speaker 1: be a hoax? I urged. The book in which we
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  Speaker 1: find it is sufficient proof of its authenticity. Here, replied I,
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  Speaker 1: thoroughly aloud, that the celebrated professor wrote the lines. But
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  Speaker 1: only I believe as a kind of mystification, was my answer.
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  Speaker 1: Scarcely were the words out of my mouth when I
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  Speaker 1: was sorry I had uttered them. My uncle looked at
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  Speaker 1: me with a dark and gloomy scowl, and I began
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  Speaker 1: to be alarmed for the results of our conversation. His
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  Speaker 1: mood soon changed, however, and a smile took the place
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  Speaker 1: of a frown. We shall see, he remarked, with decisive emphasis.
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  Speaker 1: But see what is all this about Jokul and Sneffels,
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  Speaker 1: and this Cartaris, I have never heard anything about them.
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  Speaker 1: The very point to which I am coming I lately
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: received from my friend Augustus Piederman of Leipzish a map
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: take down the third atlas from the second shelf series,
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  Speaker 1: set plate for I rose, went to the shelf, and
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  Speaker 1: presently returned with the volume indicated this, said, my uncle,
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  Speaker 1: is one of the best maps of Iceland. I believe
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  Speaker 1: it will settle all your doubts, difficulties and objections. With
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: a grim hope to the contrary, I stooped over the map.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter three