Chapter 28

The Rescue in the Whispering Gallery

7 min

When I returned to partial life my face was wet with tears. How long that state of insensibility had lasted I cannot say. I had no means now of taking account of time. Never was solitude equal to this, never had any living being been so utterly forsaken.

When I partly regained consciousness, my face was wet with tears. I could not say how long I had been unconscious. I no longer had any way to keep track of time. No one had ever been as alone as I was. No living being had ever been so completely abandoned.

After my fall I had lost a good deal of blood. I felt it flowing over me. Ah! how happy I should have been could I have died, and if death were not yet to be gone through. I would think no longer. I drove away every idea, and, conquered by my grief, I rolled myself to the foot of the opposite wall.

After my fall, I had lost a lot of blood. I could feel it flowing over me. Ah! How happy I would have been if I could have died already, instead of still having to face death. I would think no more. I pushed every thought away and, overcome by grief, rolled to the foot of the opposite wall.

Already I was feeling the approach of another faint, and was hoping for complete annihilation, when a loud noise reached me. It was like the distant rumble of continuous thunder, and I could hear its sounding undulations rolling far away into the remote recesses of the abyss.

I was already feeling faint again and hoping to be utterly destroyed when I heard a loud noise. It sounded like distant, continuous thunder. I could hear its waves of sound rolling far away into the deepest recesses of the abyss.

Whence could this noise proceed? It must be from some phenomenon proceeding in the great depths amidst which I lay helpless. Was it an explosion of gas? Was it the fall of some mighty pillar of the globe?

Where could this noise be coming from? It must be caused by something happening in the great depths where I lay helpless. Was it an explosion of gas? Was some mighty pillar of the earth collapsing?

I listened still. I wanted to know if the noise would be repeated. A quarter of an hour passed away. Silence reigned in this gallery. I could not hear even the beating of my heart.

I kept listening. I wanted to know if the noise would come again. Fifteen minutes passed. The gallery was silent. I could not even hear my heart beating.

Suddenly my ear, resting by chance against the wall, caught, or seemed to catch, certain vague, indescribable, distant, articulate sounds, as of words.

My ear happened to be against the wall. Suddenly, I heard, or thought I heard, faint, indescribable sounds in the distance. They sounded like words.

"This is a delusion," I thought.

"This is an illusion," I thought.

But it was not. Listening more attentively, I heard in reality a murmuring of voices. But my weakness prevented me from understanding what the voices said. Yet it was language, I was sure of it.

But it was not. I listened more closely and heard voices murmuring. But I was too weak to understand what they were saying. Still, I was sure they were speaking a language.

For a moment I feared the words might be my own, brought back by the echo. Perhaps I had been crying out unknown to myself. I closed my lips firmly, and laid my ear against the wall again.

For a moment, I feared the words were my own, echoed back to me. Perhaps I had been crying out without knowing it. I pressed my lips firmly together and put my ear against the wall again.

"Yes, truly, some one is speaking; those are words!"

"Yes, someone really is speaking. Those are words!"

Even a few feet from the wall I could hear distinctly. I succeeded in catching uncertain, strange, undistinguishable words. They came as if pronounced in low murmured whispers. The word 'forlorad' was several times repeated in a tone of sympathy and sorrow.

Even a few feet from the wall, I could hear clearly. I made out strange, uncertain words, but could not understand them. They sounded as if they were spoken in low whispers. The word 'forlorad' was repeated several times in a tone of sympathy and sorrow.

"Help!" I cried with all my might. "Help!"

"Help!" I shouted as loudly as I could. "Help!"

I listened, I watched in the darkness for an answer, a cry, a mere breath of sound, but nothing came. Some minutes passed. A whole world of ideas had opened in my mind. I thought that my weakened voice could never penetrate to my companions.

I listened in the darkness for an answer, a cry, even the faintest sound, but nothing came. Several minutes passed. A whole world of ideas opened up in my mind. I thought my weakened voice could never reach my companions.

"It is they," I repeated. "What other men can be thirty leagues under ground?"

"It's them," I repeated. "What other men could be thirty leagues underground?"

I again began to listen. Passing my ear over the wall from one place to another, I found the point where the voices seemed to be best heard. The word 'forlorad' again returned; then the rolling of thunder which had roused me from my lethargy.

I began to listen again. I moved my ear along the wall until I found where the voices sounded clearest. I heard the word 'forlorad' again, then the rolling thunder that had roused me from my stupor.

"No," I said, "no; it is not through such a mass that a voice can be heard. I am surrounded by granite walls, and the loudest explosion could never be heard here! This noise comes along the gallery. There must be here some remarkable exercise of acoustic laws!"

"No," I said, "no. A voice cannot be heard through such a mass of rock. I am surrounded by granite walls, and even the loudest explosion could not be heard here! The sound is coming along the passage. The laws of acoustics must be at work here in some remarkable way!"

I listened again, and this time, yes this time, I did distinctly hear my name pronounced across the wide interval.

I listened again, and this time, yes, this time, I clearly heard my name called across the great distance.

It was my uncle's own voice! He was talking to the guide. And 'forlorad' is a Danish word.

It was my uncle's voice! He was talking to the guide. And 'forlorad' is a Danish word.

Then I understood it all. To make myself heard, I must speak along this wall, which would conduct the sound of my voice just as wire conducts electricity.

Then I understood it all. To be heard, I had to speak along this wall. The wall would carry the sound of my voice just as a wire carries electricity.

But there was no time to lose. If my companions moved but a few steps away, the acoustic phenomenon would cease. I therefore approached the wall, and pronounced these words as clearly as possible:

But there was no time to lose. If my companions moved even a few steps away, the acoustic effect would stop. So I moved closer to the wall and spoke these words as clearly as I could:

"Uncle Liedenbrock!"

I waited with the deepest anxiety. Sound does not travel with great velocity. Even increased density air has no effect upon its rate of travelling; it merely augments its intensity. Seconds, which seemed ages, passed away, and at last these words reached me:

I waited with deep anxiety. Sound does not travel very fast. Even denser air does not change its speed. It only makes the sound louder. Seconds passed that seemed like ages, and at last these words reached me:

"Axel! Axel! is it you?"

"Axel! Axel! Is that you?"

. . . .

"Yes, yes," I replied.

. . . .

"My boy, where are you?"

. . . .

"Lost, in the deepest darkness."

"Lost in the deepest darkness."

. . . .

"Where is your lamp?"

. . . .

"It is out."

"It's out."

. . . .

"And the stream?"

. . . .

"Disappeared."

. . . .

"Axel, Axel, take courage!"

"Axel, Axel, be brave!"

. . . .

"Wait! I am exhausted! I can't answer. Speak to me!"

"Wait! I'm exhausted! I can't answer. Talk to me!"

. . . .

"Courage," resumed my uncle. "Don't speak. Listen to me. We have looked for you up the gallery and down the gallery. Could not find you. I wept for you, my poor boy. At last, supposing you were still on the Hansbach, we fired our guns. Our voices are audible to each other, but our hands cannot touch. But don't despair, Axel! It is a great thing that we can hear each other."

"Be brave," my uncle continued. "Don't speak. Listen to me. We searched for you up and down the gallery. We couldn't find you. I wept for you, my poor boy. Finally, we thought you might still be on the Hansbach, so we fired our guns. We can hear each other's voices, but we can't touch. But don't despair, Axel! It's a great thing that we can hear each other."

. . . .

During this time I had been reflecting. A vague hope was returning to my heart. There was one thing I must know to begin with. I placed my lips close to the wall, saying:

During this time, I had been thinking. A faint hope was returning to me. First, there was one thing I had to know. I put my lips close to the wall and said:

"My uncle!"

. . . .

"My boy!" came to me after a few seconds.

"My boy!" I heard after a few seconds.

. . . .

"We must know how far we are apart."

"We need to know how far apart we are."

. . . .

"That is easy."

. . . .

"You have your chronometer?"

"Do you have your chronometer?"

. . .

"Yes."

. . . .

"Well, take it. Pronounce my name, noting exactly the second when you speak. I will repeat it as soon as it shall come to me, and you will observe the exact moment when you get my answer."

“Well, take it. Say my name and note the exact second you speak. I’ll repeat it as soon as I hear it. Then note the exact moment you hear my answer.”

"Yes; and half the time between my call and your answer will exactly indicate that which my voice will take in coming to you."

"Yes, and half the time between my call and your answer will show exactly how long my voice takes to reach you."

. . . .

"Just so, my uncle."

"That's right, Uncle."

. . . .

"Are you ready?"

. . . .

"Yes."

. . . . . .

"Now, attention. I am going to call your name."

"Now, pay attention. I'm going to call your name."

. . . .

I put my ear to the wall, and as soon as the name 'Axel' came I immediately replied "Axel," then waited.

I put my ear to the wall. As soon as I heard the name 'Axel,' I replied "Axel" and waited.

. . . .

"Forty seconds," said my uncle. "Forty seconds between the two words; so the sound takes twenty seconds in coming. Now, at the rate of 1,120 feet in a second, this is 22,400 feet, or four miles and a quarter, nearly."

"Forty seconds," said my uncle. "Forty seconds between the two words, so the sound takes twenty seconds to travel. At 1,120 feet per second, that makes 22,400 feet, or nearly four and a quarter miles."

. . . .

"Four miles and a quarter!" I murmured.

"Four and a quarter miles!" I murmured.

. . . .

"It will soon be over, Axel."

. . . .

"Must I go up or down?"

"Should I go up or down?"

. . . .

"Down—for this reason: We are in a vast chamber, with endless galleries. Yours must lead into it, for it seems as if all the clefts and fractures of the globe radiated round this vast cavern. So get up, and begin walking. Walk on, drag yourself along, if necessary slide down the steep places, and at the end you will find us ready to receive you. Now begin moving."

"Down, for this reason: We are in a vast chamber with endless tunnels. Your tunnel must lead into it. It seems as if all the cracks and fractures in the earth spread out from this vast cavern. So get up and start walking. Keep going, drag yourself along, and slide down the steep places if necessary. At the end, you will find us ready to receive you. Now start moving."

. . . .

These words cheered me up.

"Good bye, uncle." I cried. "I am going. There will be no more voices heard when once I have started. So good bye!"

“Goodbye, uncle,” I cried. “I’m going. Once I’ve started, no more voices will be heard. So goodbye!”

. . . .

"Good bye, Axel, au revoir!"

"Goodbye, Axel, see you again!"

. . . .

These were the last words I heard.

Those were the last words I heard.

This wonderful underground conversation, carried on with a distance of four miles and a quarter between us, concluded with these words of hope. I thanked God from my heart, for it was He who had conducted me through those vast solitudes to the point where, alone of all others perhaps, the voices of my companions could have reached me.

Our wonderful underground conversation ended with these hopeful words. We had spoken from four and a quarter miles apart. I thanked God with all my heart. He had led me through those vast, lonely spaces to a particular spot. Perhaps it was the only spot where my companions’ voices could have reached me.

This acoustic effect is easily explained on scientific grounds. It arose from the concave form of the gallery and the conducting power of the rock. There are many examples of this propagation of sounds which remain unheard in the intermediate space. I remember that a similar phenomenon has been observed in many places; amongst others on the internal surface of the gallery of the dome of St. Paul's in London, and especially in the midst of the curious caverns among the quarries near Syracuse, the most wonderful of which is called Dionysius' Ear.

This acoustic effect is easy to explain scientifically. It was caused by the curved shape of the gallery and the rock’s ability to carry sound. There are many examples of sound traveling this way without being heard in the space between. I remember that a similar effect has been observed in many places. One is along the inner surface of the gallery in the dome of St. Paul's in London. Another is among the curious caverns in the quarries near Syracuse. The most wonderful of these caverns is called Dionysius' Ear.

These remembrances came into my mind, and I clearly saw that since my uncle's voice really reached me, there could be no obstacle between us. Following the direction by which the sound came, of course I should arrive in his presence, if my strength did not fail me.

These memories came back to me, and I saw clearly that my uncle's voice was reaching me. So there could be no obstacle between us. If I followed the direction of his voice, I would surely reach him, if my strength did not fail me.

I therefore rose; I rather dragged myself than walked. The slope was rapid, and I slid down.

So I got up. I dragged myself rather than walked. The slope was steep, and I slid down.

Soon the swiftness of the descent increased horribly, and threatened to become a fall. I no longer had the strength to stop myself.

Soon I was descending at a terrifying speed, almost falling. I no longer had the strength to stop myself.

Suddenly there was no ground under me. I felt myself revolving in air, striking and rebounding against the craggy projections of a vertical gallery, quite a well; my head struck against a sharp corner of the rock, and I became unconscious.

Suddenly, there was no ground beneath me. I spun through the air, hitting and bouncing off jagged rocks in a vertical shaft, like a well. My head struck a sharp corner of rock, and I lost consciousness.