The Liedenbrock Geology Museum

How shall I describe the strange series of passions which in succession shook the breast of Professor Liedenbrock? First stupefaction, then incredulity, lastly a downright burst of rage. Never had I seen the man so put out of countenance and so disturbed. The fatigues of our passage across, the dangers met, had all to be begun over again. We had gone backwards instead of forwards!

How can I describe the strange succession of emotions that shook Professor Liedenbrock? First he was stunned, then disbelieving, and finally he burst into a rage. I had never seen him so upset and disturbed. We would have to endure all the hardships and dangers of the crossing again. We had gone backward instead of forward!

But my uncle rapidly recovered himself.

But my uncle quickly regained his composure.

"Aha! will fate play tricks upon me? Will the elements lay plots against me? Shall fire, air, and water make a combined attack against me? Well, they shall know what a determined man can do. I will not yield. I will not stir a single foot backwards, and it will be seen whether man or nature is to have the upper hand!"

“Aha! Will fate play tricks on me? Will the elements plot against me? Will fire, air, and water join forces to attack me? Well, they will see what a determined man can do. I will not give in. I will not take a single step backward. We will see whether man or nature wins!”

Erect upon the rock, angry and threatening, Otto Liedenbrock was a rather grotesque fierce parody upon the fierce Ajax defying the lightning. But I thought it my duty to interpose and attempt to lay some restraint upon this unmeasured fanaticism.

Otto Liedenbrock stood on the rock, angry and threatening. He was a rather grotesque parody of the fierce Ajax defying the lightning. But I thought it was my duty to step in and try to restrain his boundless fanaticism.

"Just listen to me," I said firmly. "Ambition must have a limit somewhere; we cannot perform impossibilities; we are not at all fit for another sea voyage; who would dream of undertaking a voyage of five hundred leagues upon a heap of rotten planks, with a blanket in rags for a sail, a stick for a mast, and fierce winds in our teeth? We cannot steer; we shall be buffeted by the tempests, and we should be fools and madmen to attempt to cross a second time."

"Just listen to me," I said firmly. "Ambition must have limits. We cannot do the impossible. We are not at all fit for another sea voyage. Who would dream of sailing five hundred leagues on a heap of rotten planks? The sail is a ragged blanket, the mast is a stick, and fierce winds are blowing against us. We cannot steer, and storms will toss us around. We would be fools and madmen to try to cross again."

I was able to develop this series of unanswerable reasons for ten minutes without interruption; not that the Professor was paying any respectful attention to his nephew's arguments, but because he was deaf to all my eloquence.

I went on making these unanswerable arguments for ten minutes without interruption. Not because the Professor was listening respectfully to his nephew’s arguments, but because he was deaf to all my eloquence.

"To the raft!" he shouted.

"To the raft!" he shouted.

Such was his only reply. It was no use for me to entreat, supplicate, get angry, or do anything else in the way of opposition; it would only have been opposing a will harder than the granite rock.

That was his only reply. It was no use begging, pleading, getting angry, or opposing him in any other way. I would only be fighting a will harder than granite.

Hans was finishing the repairs of the raft. One would have thought that this strange being was guessing at my uncle's intentions. With a few more pieces of surturbrand he had refitted our vessel. A sail already hung from the new mast, and the wind was playing in its waving folds.

Hans was finishing the repairs to the raft. It was as if this strange man could guess my uncle's intentions. He had repaired our vessel with a few more pieces of surturbrand. A sail already hung from the new mast, and the wind played in its folds.

The Professor said a few words to the guide, and immediately he put everything on board and arranged every necessary for our departure. The air was clear—and the north-west wind blew steadily.

The Professor said a few words to the guide. The guide immediately loaded everything on board and arranged everything needed for our departure. The air was clear, and the northwest wind blew steadily.

What could I do? Could I stand against the two? It was impossible? If Hans had but taken my side! But no, it was not to be. The Icelander seemed to have renounced all will of his own and made a vow to forget and deny himself. I could get nothing out of a servant so feudalised, as it were, to his master. My only course was to proceed.

What could I do? Could I stand against both of them? It was impossible. If only Hans had taken my side! But no, that was not to be. The Icelander seemed to have given up all will of his own. He seemed to have vowed to forget and deny himself. I could get nothing out of a servant so bound to his master, like a vassal to a lord. My only choice was to go on.

I was therefore going with as much resignation as I could find to resume my accustomed place on the raft, when my uncle laid his hand upon my shoulder.

So I was heading back to my usual place on the raft, as resigned as I could manage, when my uncle placed his hand on my shoulder.

"We shall not sail until to-morrow," he said.

"We won't sail until tomorrow," he said.

I made a movement intended to express resignation.

I made a gesture to show that I accepted my fate.

"I must neglect nothing," he said; "and since my fate has driven me on this part of the coast, I will not leave it until I have examined it."

"I must leave nothing unchecked," he said. "Since fate has brought me to this part of the coast, I won't leave until I've examined it."

To understand what followed, it must be borne in mind that, through circumstances hereafter to be explained, we were not really where the Professor supposed we were. In fact we were not upon the north shore of the sea.

To understand what followed, remember that we were not really where the Professor thought we were. I will explain why later. In fact, we were not on the north shore of the sea.

"Now let us start upon fresh discoveries," I said.

"Now let's set out to make new discoveries," I said.

And leaving Hans to his work we started off together. The space between the water and the foot of the cliffs was considerable. It took half an hour to bring us to the wall of rock. We trampled under our feet numberless shells of all the forms and sizes which existed in the earliest ages of the world. I also saw immense carapaces more than fifteen feet in diameter. They had been the coverings of those gigantic glyptodons or armadilloes of the pleiocene period, of which the modern tortoise is but a miniature representative.¹⁴ The soil was besides this scattered with stony fragments, boulders rounded by water action, and ridged up in successive lines. I was therefore led to the conclusion that at one time the sea must have covered the ground on which we were treading. On the loose and scattered rocks, now out of the reach of the highest tides, the waves had left manifest traces of their power to wear their way in the hardest stone.

Leaving Hans to his work, we set off together. The distance between the water and the foot of the cliffs was considerable. It took us half an hour to reach the rock wall. We walked over countless shells of every shape and size from the earliest ages of the world. I also saw enormous shells more than fifteen feet across. They had covered the gigantic glyptodons, or armadillos, of the Pliocene period. The modern tortoise is only a miniature representative of these creatures.¹⁴ The ground was also scattered with stones and boulders, rounded by water and piled in successive ridges. I therefore concluded that the sea must once have covered the ground beneath our feet. The loose, scattered rocks were now beyond the reach of the highest tides. But on them, the waves had left clear traces of their power to wear away even the hardest stone.

This might up to a certain point explain the existence of an ocean forty leagues beneath the surface of the globe. But in my opinion this liquid mass would be lost by degrees farther and farther within the interior of the earth, and it certainly had its origin in the waters of the ocean overhead, which had made their way hither through some fissure. Yet it must be believed that that fissure is now closed, and that all this cavern or immense reservoir was filled in a very short time. Perhaps even this water, subjected to the fierce action of central heat, had partly been resolved into vapour. This would explain the existence of those clouds suspended over our heads and the development of that electricity which raised such tempests within the bowels of the earth.

This might explain, to some extent, why an ocean exists forty leagues beneath the earth’s surface. But in my opinion, this body of water would gradually disappear deeper and deeper into the earth. It certainly came from the ocean above, whose waters had made their way here through a crack. Yet the crack must now be closed, and the whole cavern, or immense reservoir, must have filled very quickly. Perhaps the intense heat at the earth’s center had also turned some of the water into vapor. This would explain the clouds hanging above our heads. It would also explain the buildup of electricity that caused such storms deep within the earth.

This theory of the phenomena we had witnessed seemed satisfactory to me; for however great and stupendous the phenomena of nature, fixed physical laws will or may always explain them.

This explanation of what we had seen seemed satisfactory to me. However great and astonishing nature's phenomena are, fixed physical laws can or may always explain them.

We were therefore walking upon sedimentary soil, the deposits of the waters of former ages. The Professor was carefully examining every little fissure in the rocks. Wherever he saw a hole he always wanted to know the depth of it. To him this was important.

So we were walking on sedimentary soil, deposited by water in ages past. The Professor carefully examined every little crack in the rocks. Whenever he saw a hole, he wanted to know how deep it was. That mattered to him.

We had traversed the shores of the Liedenbrock sea for a mile when we observed a sudden change in the appearance of the soil. It seemed upset, contorted, and convulsed by a violent upheaval of the lower strata. In many places depressions or elevations gave witness to some tremendous power effecting the dislocation of strata.

We had traveled a mile along the shores of the Liedenbrock sea when we noticed a sudden change in the soil. It looked churned up and twisted by a violent upheaval of the layers beneath it. In many places, dips and rises showed that some tremendous force had displaced the layers.

We moved with difficulty across these granite fissures and chasms mingled with silex, crystals of quartz, and alluvial deposits, when a field, nay, more than a field, a vast plain, of bleached bones lay spread before us. It seemed like an immense cemetery, where the remains of twenty ages mingled their dust together. Huge mounds of bony fragments rose stage after stage in the distance. They undulated away to the limits of the horizon, and melted in the distance in a faint haze. There within three square miles were accumulated the materials for a complete history of the animal life of ages, a history scarcely outlined in the too recent strata of the inhabited world.

We struggled across granite cracks and chasms mixed with flint, quartz crystals, and alluvial deposits. Then a field of bleached bones lay before us. No, more than a field, it was a vast plain. It looked like an immense cemetery, where the remains of twenty ages had mingled their dust. Huge mounds of bone fragments rose in layers in the distance. They rolled away to the horizon and faded into a faint haze. Within three square miles lay the materials for a complete history of animal life through the ages. That history was barely outlined in the much newer layers of the inhabited world.

But an impatient curiosity impelled our steps; crackling and rattling, our feet were trampling on the remains of prehistoric animals and interesting fossils, the possession of which is a matter of rivalry and contention between the museums of great cities. A thousand Cuviers could never have reconstructed the organic remains deposited in this magnificent and unparalleled collection.

But impatient curiosity drove us onward. Our feet crunched and rattled over the remains of prehistoric animals and fascinating fossils. Museums in great cities compete and quarrel over such treasures. A thousand Cuviers could never have reconstructed the organic remains in this magnificent, unmatched collection.

I stood amazed. My uncle had uplifted his long arms to the vault which was our sky; his mouth gaping wide, his eyes flashing behind his shining spectacles, his head balancing with an up-and-down motion, his whole attitude denoted unlimited astonishment. Here he stood facing an immense collection of scattered leptotheria, mericotheria, lophiodia, anoplotheria, megatheria, mastodons, protopithecæ, pterodactyles, and all sorts of extinct monsters here assembled together for his special satisfaction. Fancy an enthusiastic bibliomaniac suddenly brought into the midst of the famous Alexandrian library burnt by Omar and restored by a miracle from its ashes! just such a crazed enthusiast was my uncle, Professor Liedenbrock.

I stood amazed. My uncle had raised his long arms toward the vaulted ceiling that served as our sky. His mouth hung open, his eyes flashed behind his shining spectacles, and his head bobbed up and down. His whole posture showed boundless astonishment. He stood facing an immense collection of scattered leptotheria, mericotheria, lophiodia, anoplotheria, megatheria, mastodons, protopithecæ, pterodactyles, and all sorts of extinct monsters. They seemed to have gathered there for his special pleasure. Imagine a passionate book collector suddenly standing in the famous library of Alexandria, burned by Omar and miraculously restored from its ashes! My uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, was just such a crazed enthusiast.

But more was to come, when, with a rush through clouds of bone dust, he laid his hand upon a bare skull, and cried with a voice trembling with excitement:

But there was more to come. He rushed through clouds of bone dust, put his hand on a bare skull, and cried out, his voice trembling with excitement:

"Axel! Axel! a human head!"

"Axel! Axel! A human head!"

"A human skull?" I cried, no less astonished.

"A human skull?" I cried, just as astonished.

"Yes, nephew. Aha! M. Milne-Edwards! Ah! M. de Quatrefages, how I wish you were standing here at the side of Otto Liedenbrock!"

"Yes, nephew. Aha! M. Milne-Edwards! Ah! M. de Quatrefages, how I wish you were standing here beside Otto Liedenbrock!"