Vertical Descent

Now began our real journey. Hitherto our toil had overcome all difficulties, now difficulties would spring up at every step.

Now our real journey began. Until then, our hard work had overcome all difficulties. Now difficulties would arise at every step.

I had not yet ventured to look down the bottomless pit into which I was about to take a plunge. The supreme hour had come. I might now either share in the enterprise or refuse to move forward. But I was ashamed to recoil in the presence of the hunter. Hans accepted the enterprise with such calmness, such indifference, such perfect disregard of any possible danger that I blushed at the idea of being less brave than he. If I had been alone I might have once more tried the effect of argument; but in the presence of the guide I held my peace; my heart flew back to my sweet Virlandaise, and I approached the central chimney.

I had not yet dared to look down the bottomless pit I was about to plunge into. The decisive moment had come. I could either join the expedition or refuse to go on. But I was ashamed to back out in front of the hunter. Hans accepted the undertaking so calmly and indifferently, with such complete disregard for danger, that I blushed at the thought of being less brave than he was. If I had been alone, I might have tried to argue again. But in front of the guide, I kept quiet. My heart flew back to my sweet Virlandaise, and I approached the central chimney.

I have already mentioned that it was a hundred feet in diameter, and three hundred feet round. I bent over a projecting rock and gazed down. My hair stood on end with terror. The bewildering feeling of vacuity laid hold upon me. I felt my centre of gravity shifting its place, and giddiness mounting into my brain like drunkenness. There is nothing more treacherous than this attraction down deep abysses. I was just about to drop down, when a hand laid hold of me. It was that of Hans. I suppose I had not taken as many lessons on gulf exploration as I ought to have done in the Frelsers Kirk at Copenhagen.

I have already mentioned that it was a hundred feet across and three hundred feet around. I leaned over a projecting rock and looked down. My hair stood on end with terror. The dizzying sense of emptiness gripped me. I felt my center of gravity shifting, and dizziness rose into my head like drunkenness. Nothing is more treacherous than the pull of a deep abyss. I was just about to fall when a hand grabbed me. It was Hans. I suppose I should have taken more lessons in exploring chasms at the Frelsers Kirk in Copenhagen.

But, however short was my examination of this well, I had taken some account of its conformation. Its almost perpendicular walls were bristling with innumerable projections which would facilitate the descent. But if there was no want of steps, still there was no rail. A rope fastened to the edge of the aperture might have helped us down. But how were we to unfasten it, when arrived at the other end?

Although I examined the well only briefly, I noticed something about its shape. Its nearly vertical walls were covered with countless projections that would make the descent easier. But although there were plenty of steps, there was no railing. A rope fastened to the edge of the opening might have helped us down. But how would we unfasten the rope once we reached the bottom?

My uncle employed a very simple expedient to obviate this difficulty. He uncoiled a cord of the thickness of a finger, and four hundred feet long; first he dropped half of it down, then he passed it round a lava block that projected conveniently, and threw the other half down the chimney. Each of us could then descend by holding with the hand both halves of the rope, which would not be able to unroll itself from its hold; when two hundred feet down, it would be easy to get possession of the whole of the rope by letting one end go and pulling down by the other. Then the exercise would go on again ad infinitum.

My uncle found a very simple way around this difficulty. He uncoiled a rope as thick as a finger and four hundred feet long. First, he lowered half of it. Then he looped it around a conveniently placed block of lava and threw the other half down the chimney. Each of us could then descend by holding both halves of the rope. The rope would not come loose from the lava block. Once we were two hundred feet down, we could easily retrieve the whole rope. We only had to let go of one end and pull on the other. Then we could repeat the process indefinitely.

"Now," said my uncle, after having completed these preparations, "now let us look to our loads. I will divide them into three lots; each of us will strap one upon his back. I mean only fragile articles."

"Now," said my uncle, after finishing these preparations, "let's look at what we have to carry. I'll divide it into three loads. Each of us will strap one to his back. I mean only the fragile items."

Of course, we were not included under that head.

Of course, we were not included in that category.

"Hans," said he, "will take charge of the tools and a portion of the provisions; you, Axel, will take another third of the provisions, and the arms; and I will take the rest of the provisions and the delicate instruments."

"Hans," he said, "will carry the tools and some of the supplies. Axel, you will carry another third of the supplies and the weapons. I will carry the rest of the supplies and the delicate instruments."

"But," said I, "the clothes, and that mass of ladders and ropes, what is to become of them?"

"But," I said, "what will happen to the clothes and all those ladders and ropes?"

"They will go down by themselves."

"They will go down by themselves."

"How so?" I asked.

"How is that?" I asked.

"You will see presently."

"You'll see soon."

My uncle was always willing to employ magnificent resources. Obeying orders, Hans tied all the non-fragile articles in one bundle, corded them firmly, and sent them bodily down the gulf before us.

My uncle was always willing to use grand measures. Following his orders, Hans tied all the non-fragile items into one bundle. He secured it with rope and sent it down the chasm ahead of us.

I listened to the dull thuds of the descending bale. My uncle, leaning over the abyss, followed the descent of the luggage with a satisfied nod, and only rose erect when he had quite lost sight of it.

I listened to the dull thuds of the bale as it descended. My uncle leaned over the abyss, watching the luggage descend and nodding with satisfaction. He stood up straight only when the luggage was completely out of sight.

"Very well, now it is our turn."

"All right, now it's our turn."

Now I ask any sensible man if it was possible to hear those words without a shudder.

Now I ask any sensible man: could he hear those words without shuddering?

The Professor fastened his package of instruments upon his shoulders; Hans took the tools; I took the arms: and the descent commenced in the following order; Hans, my uncle, and myself. It was effected in profound silence, broken only by the descent of loosened stones down the dark gulf.

The Professor strapped his package of instruments to his shoulders. Hans took the tools, and I took the weapons. Then we began our descent, with Hans first, my uncle next, and me last. We descended in deep silence, broken only by loosened stones falling into the dark gulf.

I dropped as it were, frantically clutching the double cord with one hand and buttressing myself from the wall with the other by means of my stick. One idea overpowered me almost, fear lest the rock should give way from which I was hanging. This cord seemed a fragile thing for three persons to be suspended from. I made as little use of it as possible, performing wonderful feats of equilibrium upon the lava projections which my foot seemed to catch hold of like a hand.

I almost dropped, frantically gripping the double cord with one hand and using my stick to brace myself against the wall with the other. One fear nearly overwhelmed me: the rock I was hanging from might give way. The cord seemed too fragile to support three people. I used it as little as possible, balancing remarkably on the projections of lava. My foot seemed to grip them like a hand.

"Gif akt!"

"Pay attention!"

"Attention!" repeated my uncle.

"Pay attention!" my uncle repeated.

In half an hour we were standing upon the surface of a rock jammed in across the chimney from one side to the other.

Half an hour later, we were standing on a rock wedged across the chimney from one side to the other.

Hans pulled the rope by one of its ends, the other rose in the air; after passing the higher rock it came down again, bringing with it a rather dangerous shower of bits of stone and lava.

Hans pulled one end of the rope, and the other end rose into the air. After passing over the higher rock, it came down again, bringing a rather dangerous shower of stone and lava fragments with it.

Leaning over the edge of our narrow standing ground, I observed that the bottom of the hole was still invisible.

I leaned over the edge of the narrow ledge where we stood and saw that the bottom of the hole was still out of sight.

The same manoeuvre was repeated with the cord, and half an hour after we had descended another two hundred feet.

We repeated the same maneuver with the rope, and half an hour later we had descended another two hundred feet.

I don't suppose the maddest geologist under such circumstances would have studied the nature of the rocks that we were passing. I am sure I did trouble my head about them. Pliocene, miocene, eocene, cretaceous, jurassic, triassic, permian, carboniferous, devonian, silurian, or primitive was all one to me. But the Professor, no doubt, was pursuing his observations or taking notes, for in one of our halts he said to me:

I don't think even the maddest geologist would have studied the rocks we were passing under those circumstances. I'm sure I did give them some thought. Pliocene, miocene, eocene, cretaceous, jurassic, triassic, permian, carboniferous, devonian, silurian, or primitive, it was all the same to me. But the Professor was no doubt still making observations or taking notes. At one of our stops, he said to me:

"The farther I go the more confidence I feel. The order of these volcanic formations affords the strongest confirmation to the theories of Davy. We are now among the primitive rocks, upon which the chemical operations took place which are produced by the contact of elementary bases of metals with water. I repudiate the notion of central heat altogether. We shall see further proof of that very soon."

"The farther I go, the more confident I feel. The order of these volcanic formations strongly confirms Davy's theories. We are now among the primitive rocks. Chemical reactions took place on these rocks when the elemental bases of metals came into contact with water. I reject the idea of heat at the earth's center altogether. We shall soon see further proof against it."

No variation, always the same conclusion. Of course, I was not inclined to argue. My silence was taken for consent and the descent went on.

No change, always the same conclusion. Of course, I didn't feel like arguing. My silence was taken as agreement, and we continued down.

Another three hours, and I saw no bottom to the chimney yet. When I lifted my head I perceived the gradual contraction of its aperture. Its walls, by a gentle incline, were drawing closer to each other, and it was beginning to grow darker.

After another three hours, I still could not see the bottom of the chimney. When I looked up, I saw that its opening was gradually narrowing. The walls sloped gently inward, drawing closer together, and it was growing darker.

Still we kept descending. It seemed to me that the falling stones were meeting with an earlier resistance, and that the concussion gave a more abrupt and deadened sound.

Still, we kept descending. It seemed to me that the falling stones were hitting something sooner, and the impacts sounded sharper and more muffled.

As I had taken care to keep an exact account of our manoeuvres with the rope, which I knew that we had repeated fourteen times, each descent occupying half an hour, the conclusion was easy that we had been seven hours, plus fourteen quarters of rest, making ten hours and a half. We had started at one, it must therefore now be eleven o'clock; and the depth to which we had descended was fourteen times 200 feet, or 2,800 feet.

I had kept an exact record of our movements with the rope. We had repeated them fourteen times, and each descent took half an hour. It was easy to calculate that we had spent seven hours descending, plus fourteen fifteen-minute rests. That made ten and a half hours. We had started at one, so it must now be eleven o'clock. We had descended fourteen times 200 feet, or 2,800 feet.

At this moment I heard the voice of Hans.

At that moment, I heard Hans's voice.

"Halt!" he cried.

"Stop!" he cried.

I stopped short just as I was going to place my feet upon my uncle's head.

I stopped suddenly, just as I was about to put my feet on my uncle's head.

"We are there," he cried.

"We're there," he cried.

"Where?" said I, stepping near to him.

"Where?" I asked, stepping closer to him.

"At the bottom of the perpendicular chimney," he answered.

"At the bottom of the vertical chimney," he answered.

"Is there no way farther?"

"Is there no way to go farther?"

"Yes; there is a sort of passage which inclines to the right. We will see about that to-morrow. Let us have our supper, and go to sleep."

"Yes, there is a sort of passage that slopes to the right. We will look into it tomorrow. Let's have supper and go to sleep."

The darkness was not yet complete. The provision case was opened; we refreshed ourselves, and went to sleep as well as we could upon a bed of stones and lava fragments.

It was not yet completely dark. We opened the food box, refreshed ourselves, and slept as best we could on a bed of stones and lava fragments.

When lying on my back, I opened my eyes and saw a bright sparkling point of light at the extremity of the gigantic tube 3,000 feet long, now a vast telescope.

Lying on my back, I opened my eyes and saw a bright, sparkling point of light. It was at the end of the enormous 3,000-foot tube, which had become a vast telescope.

It was a star which, seen from this depth, had lost all scintillation, and which by my computation should be β, Ursa minor. Then I fell fast asleep.

It was a star that did not twinkle at all when seen from this depth. By my calculation, it should be β, Ursa minor. Then I fell fast asleep.