第8章

"Butthatistheextremelimitallowedbyscienceforthethicknessoftheearth"scrust，"Ireplied，referringtomygeologicalstudies。

"Idonotcontravenethatassertion，"washisquietanswer。

"Andatthisstageofourjourney，accordingtoallknownlawsontheincreaseofheat，thereshouldbehereatemperatureoffifteenhundreddegreesofReaumur。"

"Thereshouldbe-yousay，myboy。"

"Inwhichcasethisgranitewouldnotexist，butbeinastateoffusion。"

"Butyouperceive，myboy，thatitisnotso，andthatfacts，asusual，areverystubbornthings，overrulingalltheories。"

"Iamforcedtoyieldtotheevidenceofmysenses，butIamneverthelessverymuchsurprised。"

"Whatheatdoesthethermometerreallyindicate?"continuedthephilosopher。

"Twenty-sevensix-tenths。"

"Sothatscienceiswrongbyfourteenhundredandseventy-fourdegreesandfour-tenths。Accordingtowhich，itisdemonstratedthattheproportionalincreaseintemperatureisanexplodederror。HumphryDavyhereshinesforthinallhisglory。Heisright，andIhaveactedwiselytobelievehim。Haveyouanyanswertomaketothisstatement?"

HadIchosentohavespoken，Imighthavesaidagreatdeal。IinnowayadmittedthetheoryofHumphryDavy-Istillheldoutforthetheoryofproportionalincreaseofheat，thoughIdidnotfeelit。

Iwasfarmorewillingtoallowthatthischimneyofanextinctvolcanowascoveredbylavaofakindrefractorytoheat-infactabadconductor-whichdidnotallowthegreatincreaseoftemperaturetopercolatethroughitssides。Thehotwaterjetsupportedmyviewofthematter。

Butwithoutenteringonalonganduselessdiscussion，orseekingfornewargumentstocontrovertmyuncle，Icontentedmyselfwithtakingupfactsastheywere。

"Well，sir，Itakeforgrantedthatallyourcalculationsarecorrect，butallowmetodrawfromthemarigorousanddefiniteconclusion。"

"Goon，myboy-haveyoursay，"criedmyunclegoodhumoredly。

"Attheplacewherewenoware，underthelatitudeofIceland，theterrestrialdepthisaboutfifteenhundredandeighty-threeleagues。"

"Fifteenhundredeighty-threeandaquarter。"

"Well，supposewesaysixteenhundredinroundnumbers。Now，outofavoyageofsixteenhundredleagueswehavecompletedsixteen。"

"Asyousay，whatthen?"

"Attheexpenseofadiagonaljourneyofnolessthaneighty-fiveleagues。"

"Exactly。"

"Wehavebeentwentydaysaboutit。"

"Exactlytwentydays。"

"Nowsixteenisthehundredthpartofourcontemplatedexpedition。

Ifwegooninthiswayweshallbetwothousanddays，thatisaboutfiveyearsandahalf，goingdown。"

TheProfessorfoldedhisarms，listened，butdidnotspeak。

"Withoutcountingthatifaverticaldescentofsixteenleaguescostsusahorizontalofeighty-five，weshallhavetogoabouteightthousandleaguestothesoutheast，andwemustthereforecomeoutsomewhereinthecircumferencelongbeforewecanhopetoreachthecenter。"

"Botheryourcalculations，"criedmyuncleinoneofhisoldrages。"Onwhatbasisdotheyrest?Howdoyouknowthatthispassagedoesnottakeusdirecttotheendwerequire?Moreover，I

haveinmyfavor，fortunately，aprecedent。WhatIhaveundertakentodo，anotherhasdone，andhehavingsucceeded，whyshouldInotbeequallysuccessful?"

"Ihope，indeed，youwill，butstill，IsupposeImaybeallowedto-"

"Youareallowedtoholdyourtongue，"criedProfessorHardwigg，"whenyoutalksounreasonablyasthis。"

IsawatoncethattheolddoctorialProfessorwasstillaliveinmyuncle-andfearfultorousehisangrypassions，Idroppedtheunpleasantsubject。

"Now，then，"heexplained，"consultthemanometer。Whatdoesthatindicate?"

"Aconsiderableamountofpressure。"

"Verygood。Yousee，then，thatbydescendingslowly，andbygraduallyaccustomingourselvestothedensityofthisloweratmosphere，weshallnotsuffer。"

"Well，Isupposenot，exceptitmaybeacertainamountofpainintheears，"wasmyrathergrimreply。

"That，mydearboy，isnothing，andyouwilleasilygetridofthatsourceofdiscomfortbybringingtheexteriorairincommunicationwiththeaircontainedinyourlungs。"

"Perfectly，"saidI，forIhadquitemadeupmymindinnowisetocontradictmyuncle。"IshouldfancyalmostthatIshouldexperienceacertainamountofsatisfactioninmakingaplungeintothisdenseatmosphere。Haveyoutakennoteofhowwonderfullysoundispropagated?"

"OfcourseIhave。Therecanbenodoubtthatajourneyintotheinterioroftheearthwouldbeanexcellentcurefordeafness。"

"Butthen，Uncle，"Iventuredmildlytoobserve，"thisdensitywillcontinuetoincrease。"

"Yes-accordingtoalawwhich，however，isscarcelydefined。Itistruethattheintensityofweightwilldiminishjustinproportiontothedepthtowhichwego。Youknowverywellthatitisonthesurfaceoftheearththatitsactionismostpowerfullyfelt，whileonthecontrary，intheverycenteroftheearthbodiesceasetohaveanyweightatall。"

"Iknowthatisthecase，butasweprogresswillnottheatmospherefinallyassumethedensityofwater?"

"Iknowit；whenplacedunderthepressureofsevenhundredandtenatmospheres，"criedmyunclewithimperturbablegravity。

"Andwhenwearestilllowerdown?"Iaskedwithnaturalanxiety。

"Well，lowerdown，thedensitywillbecomeevengreater。"

"Thenhowshallwebeabletomakeourwaythroughthisatmosphericfog?"

"Well，myworthynephew，wemustballastourselvesbyfillingourpocketswithstones，"saidProfessorHardwigg。

"Faith，Uncle，youhaveananswerforeverything，"wasmyonlyreply。

IbegantofeelthatitwasunwiseofmetogoanyfartherintothewidefieldofhypothesesforIshouldcertainlyhaverevivedsomedifficulty，orratherimpossibility，thatwouldhaveenragedtheProfessor。

Itwasevident，nevertheless，thattheairunderapressurewhichmightbemultipliedbythousandsofatmospheres，wouldendbybecomingperfectlysolid，andthatthenadmittingourbodiesresistedthepressure，weshouldhavetostop，inspiteofallthereasoningsintheworld。Factsovercomeallarguments。

ButIthoughtitbestnottourgethisargument。MyunclewouldsimplyhavequotedtheexampleofSaknussemm。SupposingthelearnedIcelander"sjourneyeverreallytohavetakenplace-therewasonesimpleanswertobemade:

Inthesixteenthcenturyneitherthebarometernorthemanometerhadbeeninvented-how，then，couldSaknussemmhavebeenabletodiscoverwhenhedidreachthecenteroftheearth?

ThisunanswerableandlearnedobjectionI，however，kepttomyselfand，bracingupmycourage，awaitedthecourseofevents-littleawareofhowadventurousyetweretobetheincidentsofourremarkablejourney。

Therestofthisdayofleisureandreposewasspentincalculationandconversation。ImadeitapointtoagreewiththeProfessorineverything；butIenviedtheperfectindifferenceofHans，who，withouttakinganysuchtroubleaboutthecauseandeffect，wentblindlyonwardswhereverdestinychosetoleadhim。

CHAPTER23

AloneITmustinalltruthbeconfessed，thingsasyethadgoneonwell，andIshouldhaveactedinbadtastetohavecomplained。Ifthetruemediumofourdifficultiesdidnotincrease，itwaswithintherangeofpossibilitythatwemightultimatelyreachtheendofourjourney。Thenwhatglorywouldbeours!IbeganinthenewlyarousedardorofmysoultospeakenthusiasticallytotheProfessor。Well，wasIserious?Thewholestateinwhichweexistedwasamystery-anditwasimpossibletoknowwhetherornotIwasinearnest。

Forseveraldaysafterourmemorablehalt，theslopesbecamemorerapid-somewereevenofamostfrightfulcharacter-almostvertical，sothatwewereforevergoingdownintothesolidinteriormass。Duringsomedays，weactuallydescendedaleagueandahalf，eventwoleaguestowardsthecenteroftheearth。Thedescentsweresufficientlyperilous，andwhilewewereengagedinthemwelearnedfullytoappreciatethemarvelouscoolnessofourguide，Hans。Withouthimweshouldhavebeenwhollylost。ThegraveandimpassibleIcelanderdevotedhimselftouswiththemostincomprehensiblesang-froidandease；and，thankstohim，manyadangerouspasswasgotover，where，butforhim，weshouldinevitablyhavestuckfast。

Hissilenceincreasedeveryday。Ithinkthatwebegantobeinfluencedbythispeculiartraitinhischaracter。Itiscertainthattheinanimateobjectsbywhichyouaresurroundedhaveadirectactiononthebrain。Itmustbethatamanwhoshutshimselfupbetweenfourwallsmustlosethefacultyofassociatingideasandwords。Howmanypersonscondemnedtothehorrorsofsolitaryconfinementhavegonemad-simplybecausethethinkingfacultieshavelaindormant!

Duringthetwoweeksthatfollowedourlastinterestingconversation，thereoccurrednothingworthyofbeingespeciallyrecorded。

Ihave，whilewritingthesememoirs，taxedmymemoryinvainforoneincidentoftravelduringthisparticularperiod。

Butthenexteventtoberelatedisterribleindeed。Itsverymemory，evennow，makesmysoulshudder，andmybloodruncold。

ItwasontheseventhofAugust。Ourconstantandsuccessivedescentshadtakenusquitethirtyleaguesintotheinterioroftheearth，thatistosaythattherewereaboveusthirtyleagues，nearlyahundredmiles，ofrocks，andoceans，andcontinents，andtowns，tosaynothingoflivinginhabitants。Wewereinasoutheasterlydirection，abouttwohundredleaguesfromIceland。

Onthatmemorabledaythetunnelhadbeguntoassumeanalmosthorizontalcourse。

Iwasonthisoccasionwalkingoninfront。MyunclehadchargeofoneoftheRuhmkorffcoils，Ihadpossessionoftheother。BymeansofitslightIwasbusyexaminingthedifferentlayersofgranite。I

wascompletelyabsorbedinmywork。

Suddenlyhaltingandturninground，IfoundthatIwasalone!

"Well，"thoughtItomyself，"Ihavecertainlybeenwalkingtoofast-orelseHansandmyunclehavestoppedtorest。ThebestthingI

candoistogobackandfindthem。Luckily，thereisverylittleascenttotireme。"

Iaccordinglyretracedmystepsand，whiledoingso，walkedforatleastaquarterofanhour。Ratheruneasy，Ipausedandlookedeagerlyaround。Notalivingsoul。Icalledaloud。Noreply。Myvoicewaslostamidthemyriadcavernousechoesitaroused!

Ibeganforthefirsttimetofeelseriouslyuneasy。Acoldshivershookmywholebody，andperspiration，chillandterrible，burstuponmyskin。

"Imustbecalm，"Isaid，speakingaloud，asboyswhistletodriveawayfear。"TherecanbenodoubtthatIshallfindmycompanions。

Therecannotbetworoads。ItiscertainthatIwasconsiderablyahead；allIhavetodoistogoback。"

HavingcometothisdeterminationIascendedthetunnelforatleasthalfanhour，unabletodecideifIhadeverseencertainlandmarksbefore。EverynowandthenIpausedtodiscoverifanyloudappealwasmadetome，wellknowingthatinthatdenseandintensifiedatmosphereIshouldhearitalongwayoff。Butno。Themostextraordinarysilencereignedinthisimmensegallery。Onlytheechoesofmyownfootstepscouldbeheard。

AtlastIstopped。Icouldscarcelyrealizethefactofmyisolation。IwasquitewillingtothinkthatIhadmadeamistake，butnotthatIwaslost。IfIhadmadeamistake，Imightfindmyway；

iflost-Ishudderedtothinkofit。

"Come，come，"saidItomyself，"sincethereisonlyoneroad，andtheymustcomebyit，weshallatlastmeet。AllIhavetodoisstilltogoupwards。Perhaps，however，notseeingme，andforgettingIwasahead，theymayhavegonebackinsearchofme。Still，eveninthiscase，ifImakehaste，Ishallgetuptothem。Therecanbenodoubtaboutthematter。"

ButasIspoketheselastwordsaloud，itwouldhavebeenquitecleartoanylistener-hadtherebeenone-thatIwasbynomeansconvincedofthefact。Moreoverinordertoassociatetogetherthesesimpleideasandtoreunitethemundertheformofreasoning，requiredsometime。Icouldnotallatoncebringmybraintothink。

Thenanotherdreaddoubtfelluponmysoul。Afterall，wasI

ahead?OfcourseIwas。Hanswasnodoubtfollowingbehindprecededbymyuncle。Iperfectlyrecollectedhishavingstoppedforamomenttostraphisbaggageonhisshoulder。Inowrememberedthistriflingdetail。Itwas，Ibelieve，justatthatverymomentthatIhaddeterminedtocontinueMyroute。

"Again，"thoughtI，reasoningascalmlyaswaspossible，"thereisanothersuremeansofnotlosingmyway，athreadtoguidemethroughthelabyrinthinesubterraneousretreat-onewhichIhadforgotten-myfaithfulriver。"

Thiscourseofreasoningrousedmydroopingspirits，andI

resolvedtoresumemyjourneywithoutfurtherdelay。Notimewastobelost。

ItwasatthismomentthatIhadreasontoblessthethoughtfulnessofmyuncle，whenherefusedtoallowtheeiderhuntertoclosetheorificesofthehotspring-thatsmallfissureinthegreatmassofgranite。Thisbeneficentspringafterhavingsavedusfromthirstduringsomanydayswouldnowenablemetoregaintherightroad。

Havingcometothismentaldecision，Imadeupmymind，beforeI

startedupwards，thatablutionwouldcertainlydomeagreatdealofgood。

IstoppedtoplungemyhandsandforeheadinthepleasantwateroftheHansbachstream，blessingitspresenceasacertainconsolation。

Conceivemyhorrorandstupefaction!-Iwastreadingahard，dusty，shinglyroadofgranite。ThestreamonwhichIreckonedhadwhollydisappeared!

CHAPTER24

Lost!

NOwordsinanyhumanlanguagecandepictmyutterdespair。Iwasliterallyburiedalive；withnootherexpectationbeforemebuttodieinalltheslowhorribletortureofhungerandthirst。

MechanicallyIcrawledabout，feelingthedryandaridrock。NevertomyfancyhadIeverfeltanythingsodry。

But，Ifranticallyaskedmyself，howhadIlostthecourseoftheflowingstream?TherecouldbenodoubtithadceasedtoflowinthegalleryinwhichInowwas。NowIbegantounderstandthecauseofthestrangesilencewhichprevailedwhenlastItriedifanyappealfrommycompanionsmightperchancereachmyear。

ItsohappenedthatwhenIfirsttookanimprudentstepinthewrongdirection，Ididnotperceivetheabsenceoftheall-importantstream。

Itwasnowquiteevidentthatwhenwehalted，anothertunnelmusthavereceivedthewatersofthelittletorrent，andthatIhadunconsciouslyenteredadifferentgallery。Towhatunknowndepthshadmycompanionsgone?WherewasI?

Howtogetback!Clueorlandmarktherewasabsolutelynone!Myfeetleftnosignsonthegraniteandshingle。MybrainthrobbedwithagonyasItriedtodiscoverthesolutionofthisterribleproblem。Mysituation，afterallsophistryandreflection，hadfinallytobesummedupinthreeawfulwords-

Lost!Lost!!LOST!!!

Lostatadepthwhich，tomyfiniteunderstanding，appearedtobeimmeasurable。

ThesethirtyleaguesofthecrustoftheearthweigheduponmyshouldersliketheglobeontheshouldersofAtlas。Ifeltmyselfcrushedbytheawfulweight。Itwasindeedapositiontodrivethesanestmantomadness!

Itriedtobringmythoughtsbacktothethingsoftheworldsolongforgotten。ItwaswiththegreatestdifficultythatIsucceededindoingso。Hamburg，thehouseontheKonigstrasse，mydearcousinGretchen-allthatworldwhichhadbeforevanishedlikeashadowfloatedbeforemynowvividimagination。

Theretheywerebeforeme，buthowunreal。UndertheinfluenceofaterriblehallucinationIsawalltheincidentsofourjourneypassbeforemelikethescenesofapanorama。Theshipanditsinmates，Iceland，M。Fridriksson，andthegreatsummitofMountSneffels!I

saidtomyselfthat，ifinmypositionIretainedthemostfaintandshadowyoutlineofahope，itwouldbeasuresignofapproachingdelirium。Itwerebettertogivewaywhollytodespair!

Infact，didIbutreasonwithcalmnessandphilosophy，whathumanpowerwasthereinexistenceabletotakemebacktothesurfaceoftheearth，andready，too，tosplitasunder，torendintwainthosehugeandmightyvaultswhichstandabovemyhead?Whocouldenablemetofindmyroad-andregainmycompanions?

Insensatefollyandmadnesstoentertainevenashadowofhope!

"Oh，Uncle!"wasmydespairingcry。

Thiswastheonlywordofreproachwhichcametomylips；forI

thoroughlyunderstoodhowdeeplyandsorrowfullytheworthyProfessorwouldregretmyloss，andhowinhisturnhewouldpatientlyseekforme。

WhenIatlastbegantoresignmyselftothefactthatnofurtheraidwastobeexpectedfromman，andknowingthatIwasutterlypowerlesstodoanythingformyownsalvation，IkneeledwithearnestfervorandaskedassistancefromHeaven。Theremembranceofmyinnocentchildhood，thememoryofmymother，knownonlyinmyinfancy，camewellingforthfrommyheart。Ihadrecoursetoprayer。AndlittleasIhadarighttoberememberedbyHimwhomIhadforgotteninthehourofprosperity，andwhomIsotardilyinvoked，Iprayedearnestlyandsincerely。

Thisrenewalofmyyouthfulfaithbroughtaboutamuchgreateramountofcalm，andIwasenabledtoconcentrateallmystrengthandintelligenceontheterriblerealitiesofmyunprecedentedsituation。

IhadaboutmethatwhichIhadatfirstwhollyforgotten-threedays"provisions。Moreover，mywaterbottlewasquitefull。

Nevertheless，theonethingwhichitwasimpossibletodowastoremainalone。TrytofindmycompanionsImust，atanyprice。ButwhichcourseshouldItake?ShouldIgoupwards，oragaindescend?

Doubtlessitwasrighttoretracemystepsinanupwarddirection。

Bydoingthiswithcareandcoolness，ImustreachthepointwhereI

hadturnedawayfromtheripplingstream。Imustfindthefatalbifurcationorfork。Onceatthisspot，oncetheriveratmyfeet，I

could，atallevents，regaintheawfulcraterofMountSneffels。WhyhadInotthoughtofthisbefore?This，atlast，wasareasonablehopeofsafety。Themostimportantthing，then，tobedonewastodiscoverthebedoftheHansbach。

Afteraslightmealandadraughtofwater，Iroselikeagiantrefreshed。Leaningheavilyonmypole，Ibegantheascentofthegallery。Theslopewasveryrapidandratherdifficult。ButIadvancedhopefullyandcarefully，likeamanwhoatlastismakinghiswayoutofaforest，andknowsthereisonlyoneroadtofollow。

Duringonewholehournothinghappenedtocheckmyprogress。AsI

advanced，Itriedtorecollecttheshapeofthetunnel-torecalltomymemorycertainprojectionsofrocks-topersuademyselfthatI

hadfollowedcertainwindingroutesbefore。ButnooneparticularsigncouldIbringtomind，andIwassoonforcedtoallowthatthisgallerywouldnevertakemebacktothepointatwhichIhadseparatedmyselffrommycompanions。Itwasabsolutelywithoutissue-amereblindalleyintheearth。

Themomentatlengthcamewhen，facingthesolidrock，Iknewmyfate，andfellinanimateonthearidfloor!

TodescribethehorriblestateofdespairandfearintowhichIthenfellwouldnowbevainandimpossible。Mylasthope，thecouragewhichhadsustainedme，droopedbeforethesightofthispitilessgraniterock!

Lostinavastlabyrinth，thesinuositiesofwhichspreadineverydirection，withoutguide，clueorcompass，Iknewitwasavainanduselesstasktoattemptflight。Allthatremainedtomewastoliedownanddie。Toliedownanddiethemostcruelandhorribleofdeaths!

Inmystateofmind，theideacameintomyheadthatonedayperhaps，whenmyfossilboneswerefound，theirdiscoverysofarbelowtheleveloftheearthmightgiverisetosolemnandinterestingscientificdiscussions。

Itriedtocryaloud，buthoarse，hollow，andinarticulatesoundsalonecouldmakethemselvesheardthroughmyparchedlips。Iliterallypantedforbreath。

Inthemidstofallthesehorriblesourcesofanguishanddespair，anewhorrortookpossessionofmysoul。Mylamp，byfallingdown，hadgotoutoforder。Ihadnomeansofrepairingit。Itslightwasalreadybecomingpalerandpaler，andsoonwouldexpire。

Withastrangesenseofresignationanddespair，Iwatchedtheluminouscurrentinthecoilgettinglessandless。Aprocessionofshadowsmovedflashingalongthegranitewall。Iscarcelydaredtolowermyeyelids，fearingtolosethelastsparkofthisfugitivelight。Everyinstantitseemedtomethatitwasabouttovanishandtoleavemeforever-inutterdarkness!

Atlast，onefinaltremblingflameremainedinthelamp；I

followeditwithallmypowerofvision；Igaspedforbreath；I

concentrateduponitallthepowerofmysoul，asuponthelastscintillationoflightIwaseverdestinedtosee:andthenIwastobelostforeverinCimmerianandtenebrousshades。

Awildandplaintivecryescapedmylips。Onearthduringthemostprofoundandcomparativelycompletedarkness，lightneverallowsacompletedestructionandextinctionofitspower。Lightissodiffuse，sosubtle，thatitpermeateseverywhere，andwhateverlittlemayremain，theretinaoftheeyewillsucceedinfindingit。Inthisplacenothing-theabsoluteobscuritymademeblindineverysense。

Myheadwasnowwhollylost。Iraisedmyarms，tryingtheeffectsofthefeelingingettingagainstthecoldstonewall。Itwaspainfulintheextreme。Madnessmusthavetakenpossessionofme。IknewnotwhatIdid。Ibegantorun，tofly，rushingathaphazardinthisinextricablelabyrinth，alwaysgoingdownwards，runningwildlyunderneaththeterrestrialcrust，likeaninhabitantofthesubterraneanfurnaces，screaming，roaring，howling，untilbruisedbythepointedrocks，fallingandpickingmyselfupallcoveredwithblood，seekingmadlytodrinkthebloodwhichdrippedfrommytornfeatures，madbecausethisbloodonlytrickledovermyface，andwatchingalwaysforthishorridwallwhicheverpresentedtomethefearfulobstacleagainstwhichIcouldnotdashmyhead。

WherewasIgoing?Itwasimpossibletosay。Iwasperfectlyignorantofthematter。

Severalhourspassedinthisway。Afteralongtime，havingutterlyexhaustedmystrength，Ifellaheavyinertmassalongthesideofthetunnel，andlostconsciousness。

CHAPTER25

TheWhisperingGalleryWHENatlastIcamebacktoasenseoflifeandbeing，myfacewaswet，butwet，asIsoonknew，withtears。Howlongthisstateofinsensibilitylasted，itisquiteimpossibleformenowtosay。I

hadnomeanslefttomeoftakinganyaccountoftime。Neversincethecreationoftheworldhadsuchasolitudeasmineexisted。Iwascompletelyabandoned。

AftermyfallIlostmuchblood。Ifeltmyselffloodedwiththelife-givingliquid。Myfirstsensationwasperhapsanaturalone。

WhywasInotdead?BecauseIwasalive，therewassomethinglefttodo。Itriedtomakeupmymindtothinknolonger。AsfarasIwasable，Idroveawayallideas，andutterlyovercomebypainandgrief，Icrouchedagainstthegranitewall。

Ijustcommencedtofeelthefaintingcomingonagain，andthesensationthatthiswasthelaststrugglebeforecompleteannihilation-when，onasudden，aviolentuproarreachedmyears。

Ithadsomeresemblancetotheprolongedrumblingvoiceofthunder，andIclearlydistinguishedsonorousvoices，lostoneaftertheother，inthedistantdepthsofthegulf。

Whencecamethisnoise?Naturally，itwastobesupposedfromnewphenomenawhichweretakingplaceinthebosomofthesolidmassofMotherEarth!Theexplosionofsomegaseousvapors，orthefallofsomesolid，ofthegraniticorotherrock。

AgainIlistenedwithdeepattention。Iwasextremelyanxioustohearifthisstrangeandinexplicablesoundwaslikelytoberenewed!Awholequarterofanhourelapsedinpainfulexpectation。

Deepandsolemnsilencereignedinthetunnel。SostillthatIcouldhearthebeatingsofmyownheart!Iwaited，waitedwithastrangekindofhopefulness。

Suddenlymyear，whichleanedaccidentallyagainstthewall，appearedtocatch，asitwere，thefaintestechoofasound。IthoughtthatIheardvague，incoherentanddistantvoices。Iquiveredalloverwithexcitementandhope!

"Itmustbehallucination，"Icried。"Itcannotbe!itisnottrue!"

Butno!Bylisteningmoreattentively，IreallydidconvincemyselfthatwhatIheardwastrulythesoundofhumanvoices。Tomakeanymeaningoutofthesound，however，wasbeyondmypower。Iwastooweakeventoheardistinctly。Stillitwasapositivefactthatsomeonewasspeaking。OfthatIwasquitecertain。

Therewasamomentoffear。Adreadfelluponmysoulthatitmightbemyownwordsbroughtbacktomebyadistantecho。Perhapswithoutknowingit，Imighthavebeencryingaloud。Iresolutelyclosedmylips，andoncemoreplacedmyeartothehugegranitewall。

Yes，forcertain。Itwasintruththesoundofhumanvoices。

Inowbytheexerciseofgreatdeterminationdraggedmyselfalongthesidesofthecavern，untilIreachedapointwhereIcouldhearmoredistinctly。ButthoughIcoulddetectthesound，Icouldonlymakeoutuncertain，strange，andincomprehensiblewords。Theyreachedmyearasiftheyhadbeenspokeninalowtone-murmured，asitwere，afaroff。

Atlast，Imadeoutthewordforloradrepeatedseveraltimesinatonebetokeninggreatmentalanguishandsorrow。

Whatcouldthiswordmean，andwhowasspeakingit?ItmustbeeithermyuncleortheguideHans!If，therefore，Icouldhearthem，theymustsurelybeabletohearme。

"Help，"Icriedatthetopofmyvoice；"help，Iamdying!"

Ithenlistenedwithscarcelyabreath；Ipantedfortheslightestsoundinthedarkness-acry，asigh，aquestion!Butsilencereignedsupreme。Noanswercame!Inthiswaysomeminutespassed。A

wholefloodofideasflashedthroughmymind。Ibegantofearthatmyvoice，weakenedbysicknessandsuffering，couldnotreachmycompanionswhowereinsearchofme。

"Itmustbethey，"Icried；"whoelsecouldbyanypossibilitybeburiedahundredmilesbelowtheleveloftheearth?"Themeresuppositionwaspreposterous。

Ibegan，therefore，tolistenagainwiththemostbreathlessattention。AsImovedmyearsalongthesideoftheplaceIwasin，Ifoundamathematicalpointasitwere，wherethevoicesappearedtoattaintheirmaximumofintensity。Thewordforloradagaindistinctlyreachedmyear。Thencameagainthatrollingnoiselikethunderwhichhadawakenedmeoutoftorpor。

"Ibegintounderstand，"Isaidtomyselfaftersomelittletimedevotedtoreflection；"itisnotthroughthesolidmassthatthesoundreachesmyears。Thewallsofmycavernousretreatareofsolidgranite，andthemostfearfulexplosionwouldnotmakeuproarenoughtopenetratethem。Thesoundmustcomealongthegalleryitself。TheplaceIwasinmustpossesssomepeculiaracousticpropertiesofitsown。"

AgainIlistened；andthistime-yes，thistime-Iheardmynamedistinctlypronounced:castasitwereintospace。

Itwasmyuncle，theProfessor，whowasspeaking。Hewasinconversationwiththeguide，andthewordwhichhadsooftenreachedmyears，forlorad，wasaDanishexpression。

ThenIunderstooditall。Inordertomakemyselfheard，Itoomustspeakasitwerealongthesideofthegallery，whichwouldcarrythesoundofmyvoicejustasthewirecarriestheelectricfluidfrompointtopoint。

Buttherewasnotimetolose。Ifmycompanionswereonlytoremoveafewfeetfromwheretheystood，theacousticeffectwouldbeover，myWhisperingGallerywouldbedestroyed。Iagainthereforecrawledtowardsthewall，andsaidasclearlyanddistinctlyasI

could:

"UncleHardwigg。"

Ithenawaitedareply。

Sounddoesnotpossessthepropertyoftravelingwithsuchextremerapidity。Besidesthedensityoftheairatthatdepthfromlightandmotionwasveryfarfromaddingtotherapidityofcirculation。

Severalsecondselapsed，whichtomyexcitedimagination，appearedages；andthesewordsreachedmyeagerears，andmovedmywildlybeatingheart:

"Harry，myboy，isthatyou?"

Ashortdelaybetweenquestionandanswer。

"Yes-yes。"

"Whereareyou?"

"Lost!"

"Andyourlamp?"

"Out。"

"Buttheguidingstream?"

"Islost!"

"Keepyourcourage，Harry。Wewilldoourbest。"

"Onemoment，myuncle，"Icried；"Ihavenolongerstrengthtoansweryourquestions。But-forheaven"ssake-doyou-continue-tospeak-tome!"Absolutesilence，Ifelt，wouldbeannihilation。

"Keepupyourcourage，"saidmyuncle。"Asyouaresoweak，donotspeak。Wehavebeensearchingforyouinalldirections，bothbygoingupwardsanddownwardsinthegallery。Mydearboy，Ihadbeguntogiveoverallhope-andyoucanneverknowwhatbittertearsofsorrowandregretIhaveshed。Atlast，supposingyoutobestillontheroadbesidetheHansbach，weagaindescended，firingoffgunsassignals。

Now，however，thatwehavefoundyou，andthatourvoicesreacheachother，itmaybealongtimebeforeweactuallymeet。Weareconversingbymeansofsomeextraordinaryacousticarrangementofthelabyrinth。Butdonotdespair，mydearboy。Itissomethinggainedeventoheareachother。"

Whilehewasspeaking，mybrainwasatworkreflecting。Acertainundefinedhope，vagueandshapelessasyet，mademyheartbeatwildly。

Inthefirstplace，itwasabsolutelynecessaryformetoknowonething。Ioncemore，therefore，leanedmyheadagainstthewall，whichIalmosttouchedwithmylips，andagainspoke。

"Uncle。"

"Myboy?"washisanswerafterafewmoments。

"Itisoftheutmostconsequencethatweshouldknowhowfarweareasunder。"

"Thatisnotdifficult。"

"Youhaveyourchronometerathand?"Iasked。

"Certainly。"

"Well，takeitintoyourhand。Pronouncemyname，notingexactlythesecondatwhichyouspeak。IwillreplyassoonasIhearyourwords-andyouwillthennoteexactlythemomentatwhichmyreplyreachesyou。"

"Verygood；andthemeantimebetweenmyquestionandyouranswerwillbethetimeoccupiedbymyvoiceinreachingyou。"

"ThatisexactlywhatImean，Uncle，"wasmyeagerreply。

"Areyouready?"