Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII.

SERIOUS PREPARATIONS FOR VERTICAL DESCENT

Altona, which is but a suburb of Hamburg, is the terminus of the Kielrailway, which was to carry us to the Belts. In twenty minutes wewere in Holstein.

At half-past six the carriage stopped at the station; my uncle'snumerous packages, his voluminous _impedimenta,_ were unloaded,removed, labelled, weighed, put into the luggage vans, and at sevenwe were seated face to face in our compartment. The whistle sounded,the engine started, we were off.

Was I resigned? No, not yet. Yet the cool morning air and the sceneson the road, rapidly changed by the swiftness of the train, drew meaway somewhat from my sad reflections.

As for the Professor's reflections, they went far in advance of theswiftest express. We were alone in the carriage, but we sat insilence. My uncle examined all his pockets and his travelling bagwith the minutest care. I saw that he had not forgotten the smallestmatter of detail.

Amongst other documents, a sheet of paper, carefully folded, bore theheading of the Danish consulate with the signature of W.Christiensen, consul at Hamburg and the Professor's friend. With thiswe possessed the proper introductions to the Governor of Iceland.

I also observed the famous document most carefully laid up in asecret pocket in his portfolio. I bestowed a malediction upon it, andthen proceeded to examine the country.

It was a very long succession of uninteresting loamy and fertileflats, a very easy country for the construction of railways, andpropitious for the laying-down of these direct level lines so dear torailway companies.

I had no time to get tired of the monotony; for in three hours westopped at Kiel, close to the sea.

The luggage being labelled for Copenhagen, we had no occasion to lookafter it. Yet the Professor watched every article with jealousvigilance, until all were safe on board. There they disappeared inthe hold.

My uncle, notwithstanding his hurry, had so well calculated therelations between the train and the steamer that we had a whole dayto spare. The steamer _Ellenora,_ did not start until night. Thencesprang a feverish state of excitement in which the impatientirascible traveller devoted to perdition the railway directors andthe steamboat companies and the governments which allowed suchintolerable slowness. I was obliged to act chorus to him when heattacked the captain of the _Ellenora_ upon this subject. The captaindisposed of us summarily.

At Kiel, as elsewhere, we must do something to while away the time.What with walking on the verdant shores of the bay within whichnestles the little town, exploring the thick woods which make it looklike a nest embowered amongst thick foliage, admiring the villas,each provided with a little bathing house, and moving about andgrumbling, at last ten o'clock came.

The heavy coils of smoke from the