October 31, 2025 • 10 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twenty three alone. It must in all truth be
confessed things as yet had gone well, and I should
have acted in bad tastes to have complained if the
true medium of our difficulties did not increase, it was
(00:23):
within the range of possibility that we might ultimately reach
the end of our journey. Then what glory would be ours?
I began, in the newly aroused our door of my
soul to speak enthusiastically to the Professor. Well, was I serious?
(00:47):
The whole state in which we existed was a mystery,
and it was impossible to know whether or not I
was earnest. For several days after our memorial halt, the
slopes became more rapid, Some were even of a most
frightful character, almost vertical, so that we were forever going
(01:11):
down into the solid interior mass. During some days we
actually descended a league and a half, even two leagues
towards the center of the earth. The descents were sufficiently perilous,
and while we were engaged in them, we learned fully
(01:31):
to appreciate the marvelous coolness of our guide hands. Without
him we should have been wholly lost. The grave and
impassable icelander devoted himself to us with the most incomprehensible
sang fluid and ease, and thanks to him many a
(01:56):
dangerous pass was got over where But for him we
should inevitably have stuck fast. His silence increased every day.
I think that we began to be influenced by this
peculiar trait in his character. It is certain that the
(02:17):
inanimate objects by which you are surrounded have a direct
action on the brain. It must be that a man
who shuts himself up between four walls must lose the
faculty of associating ideas and words. How many persons condemned
(02:39):
to the horrors of solitary confinement have gone mad simply
because the thinking faculties have lain dormant. During the two
weeks that followed our last interesting conversation, there occurred nothing
worthy of being especially recorded. I have, while writing these
(03:02):
memoirs taxed my memory in vain for one incident of
travel during this peculiar period. But the next event to
be related is terrible. Indeed, its very memory even now
makes my soul shudder and my blood run cold. It
(03:26):
was on the seventh of August our constant and successive
descents had taken us quite thirty leagues into the interior
of the earth. That is to say that there were
above us thirty leagues nearly one hundred miles of rocks
(03:48):
and oceans and continents and towns, to say nothing of
living inhabitants. We were in a southeasterly direction, about two
hundred leagues from Iceland. Now the Memorial Day, the tunnel
had begun to assume an almost horizontal course. I was,
(04:12):
on this occasion walking in front. My uncle had charge
of one of Rumakhoff's coils. I had possession of the
other by means of its light. I was busy examining
the different layers of granite. I was completely absorbed in
(04:35):
my work. Suddenly halting and turning round, I found that
I was alone. Well thought I to myself, I have
certainly been walking too fast, or else Hans and my
uncle have stopped to rest. The best thing I can
do is to go back and find them. Luckily, there
(04:59):
is very little assent to tire me. I accordingly retraced
my steps, and while doing so, walked for at least
a quarter of an hour. Rather uneasy, I paused and
looked eagerly around. Not a living soul, I called aloud.
(05:20):
No reply, My voice was lost amid the myriad cavernous
echoes it aroused. I began for the first time to
feel seriously uneasy. A cold shivers shook my whole body,
and perspiration chill and terrible burst upon my skin. I
(05:45):
must be calm, I said, speaking aloud, as boys whistled
to drive away fear. There can be no doubt that
I shall find my companions. There cannot be two roads.
It is certain that I was considerably ahead. All I
have to do is to go back. Having come to
(06:07):
this determination, I ascended the tunnel for at least half
an hour, unable to decide if I had ever seen
certain landmarks before. Every now and then I paused to
discover if any loud appeal was made to me, well,
knowing that in that dense and intensified atmosphere, I should
(06:31):
hear it a long way off. But no, The most
extraordinary silence reigned in this immense gallery. Only the echoes
of my own footsteps could be heard. At last, I stopped.
I could scarcely realize the fact of my isolation. I
was quite willing to think that I had made a mistake,
(06:55):
but not that I was lost. If I had made
a mistake, I find my way. If lost, I shuddered
to think of it. Come come, said I to myself.
Since there is only one road, and they must come
by it, we shall at last meet. All I have
(07:18):
to do is still go upwards. Perhaps, however, not seeing me,
and forgetting I was ahead, they may have gone back
in search of me. Still, even in this case, if
I make haste, I shall get up to them. There
can be no doubt about the matter. But as I
(07:41):
spoke these last words aloud, it would have been quite
clear to any listener had there been one, that I was,
by no means convinced of the fact. Moreover, in order
to associate together these simple eyes DEAs, and to reunite
(08:02):
them under the form of reasoning, required some time. I
could not at all once bring my brain to think.
Then another dread doubt fell upon my soul. After all
was I had. Of course I was Hans was no
(08:22):
doubt following behind, preceded by my uncle, I perfectly recollected his,
having stopped for a moment to strap his baggage to
his shoulder, I now remembered this trifling detail. It was
I believe just at that very moment that I had
determined to continue my route again, thought I, reasoning as
(08:48):
calmly as possible, there is another sure means of not
losing my way, a thread to guide me through the labyrinth,
subterraneous retreat, one which I had forgotten, my faithful river.
This course of reasoning roused my drooping spirits, and I
(09:10):
resolved to resume my journey without further delay. No time
was to be lost. It was at this moment that
I had reason to bless the thoughtfulness of my uncle
when he refused to allow the ider hunter to close
the orifices of the hot spring, that small fissure in
(09:34):
the great mass of granite. This beneficent spring, after having
saved us from thirst during so many days, would now
enable me to regain the right road. Having come to
this mental decision, I made up my mind before I
started upwards that abolition would certainly do me a great
(10:01):
deal of good. I stopped to plunge my hands and
forehead in the pleasant water of the hans Box Stream,
blessing its presence as a certain consolation. Conceive my horror
and stupefication. I was treading a hard, dusty shingly road
(10:23):
of Granite. The stream on which I reckoned had wholly disappeared.
End of Chapter twenty three,
Chapter twenty three alone. It must in all truth be
confessed things as yet had gone well, and I should
have acted in bad tastes to have complained if the
true medium of our difficulties did not increase, it was
(00:23):
within the range of possibility that we might ultimately reach
the end of our journey. Then what glory would be ours?
I began, in the newly aroused our door of my
soul to speak enthusiastically to the Professor. Well, was I serious?
(00:47):
The whole state in which we existed was a mystery,
and it was impossible to know whether or not I
was earnest. For several days after our memorial halt, the
slopes became more rapid, Some were even of a most
frightful character, almost vertical, so that we were forever going
(01:11):
down into the solid interior mass. During some days we
actually descended a league and a half, even two leagues
towards the center of the earth. The descents were sufficiently perilous,
and while we were engaged in them, we learned fully
(01:31):
to appreciate the marvelous coolness of our guide hands. Without
him we should have been wholly lost. The grave and
impassable icelander devoted himself to us with the most incomprehensible
sang fluid and ease, and thanks to him many a
(01:56):
dangerous pass was got over where But for him we
should inevitably have stuck fast. His silence increased every day.
I think that we began to be influenced by this
peculiar trait in his character. It is certain that the
(02:17):
inanimate objects by which you are surrounded have a direct
action on the brain. It must be that a man
who shuts himself up between four walls must lose the
faculty of associating ideas and words. How many persons condemned
(02:39):
to the horrors of solitary confinement have gone mad simply
because the thinking faculties have lain dormant. During the two
weeks that followed our last interesting conversation, there occurred nothing
worthy of being especially recorded. I have, while writing these
(03:02):
memoirs taxed my memory in vain for one incident of
travel during this peculiar period. But the next event to
be related is terrible. Indeed, its very memory even now
makes my soul shudder and my blood run cold. It
(03:26):
was on the seventh of August our constant and successive
descents had taken us quite thirty leagues into the interior
of the earth. That is to say that there were
above us thirty leagues nearly one hundred miles of rocks
(03:48):
and oceans and continents and towns, to say nothing of
living inhabitants. We were in a southeasterly direction, about two
hundred leagues from Iceland. Now the Memorial Day, the tunnel
had begun to assume an almost horizontal course. I was,
(04:12):
on this occasion walking in front. My uncle had charge
of one of Rumakhoff's coils. I had possession of the
other by means of its light. I was busy examining
the different layers of granite. I was completely absorbed in
(04:35):
my work. Suddenly halting and turning round, I found that
I was alone. Well thought I to myself, I have
certainly been walking too fast, or else Hans and my
uncle have stopped to rest. The best thing I can
do is to go back and find them. Luckily, there
(04:59):
is very little assent to tire me. I accordingly retraced
my steps, and while doing so, walked for at least
a quarter of an hour. Rather uneasy, I paused and
looked eagerly around. Not a living soul, I called aloud.
(05:20):
No reply, My voice was lost amid the myriad cavernous
echoes it aroused. I began for the first time to
feel seriously uneasy. A cold shivers shook my whole body,
and perspiration chill and terrible burst upon my skin. I
(05:45):
must be calm, I said, speaking aloud, as boys whistled
to drive away fear. There can be no doubt that
I shall find my companions. There cannot be two roads.
It is certain that I was considerably ahead. All I
have to do is to go back. Having come to
(06:07):
this determination, I ascended the tunnel for at least half
an hour, unable to decide if I had ever seen
certain landmarks before. Every now and then I paused to
discover if any loud appeal was made to me, well,
knowing that in that dense and intensified atmosphere, I should
(06:31):
hear it a long way off. But no, The most
extraordinary silence reigned in this immense gallery. Only the echoes
of my own footsteps could be heard. At last, I stopped.
I could scarcely realize the fact of my isolation. I
was quite willing to think that I had made a mistake,
(06:55):
but not that I was lost. If I had made
a mistake, I find my way. If lost, I shuddered
to think of it. Come come, said I to myself.
Since there is only one road, and they must come
by it, we shall at last meet. All I have
(07:18):
to do is still go upwards. Perhaps, however, not seeing me,
and forgetting I was ahead, they may have gone back
in search of me. Still, even in this case, if
I make haste, I shall get up to them. There
can be no doubt about the matter. But as I
(07:41):
spoke these last words aloud, it would have been quite
clear to any listener had there been one, that I was,
by no means convinced of the fact. Moreover, in order
to associate together these simple eyes DEAs, and to reunite
(08:02):
them under the form of reasoning, required some time. I
could not at all once bring my brain to think.
Then another dread doubt fell upon my soul. After all
was I had. Of course I was Hans was no
(08:22):
doubt following behind, preceded by my uncle, I perfectly recollected his,
having stopped for a moment to strap his baggage to
his shoulder, I now remembered this trifling detail. It was
I believe just at that very moment that I had
determined to continue my route again, thought I, reasoning as
(08:48):
calmly as possible, there is another sure means of not
losing my way, a thread to guide me through the labyrinth,
subterraneous retreat, one which I had forgotten, my faithful river.
This course of reasoning roused my drooping spirits, and I
(09:10):
resolved to resume my journey without further delay. No time
was to be lost. It was at this moment that
I had reason to bless the thoughtfulness of my uncle
when he refused to allow the ider hunter to close
the orifices of the hot spring, that small fissure in
(09:34):
the great mass of granite. This beneficent spring, after having
saved us from thirst during so many days, would now
enable me to regain the right road. Having come to
this mental decision, I made up my mind before I
started upwards that abolition would certainly do me a great
(10:01):
deal of good. I stopped to plunge my hands and
forehead in the pleasant water of the hans Box Stream,
blessing its presence as a certain consolation. Conceive my horror
and stupefication. I was treading a hard, dusty shingly road
(10:23):
of Granite. The stream on which I reckoned had wholly disappeared.
End of Chapter twenty three,
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