Chapter 16 - Page 2

Imagine the aspect of such a reservoir, brim fulland running over with liquid fire amid the rolling thunder. Thebottom of the funnel was about 250 feet in circuit, so that thegentle slope allowed its lower brim to be reached without muchdifficulty. Involuntarily I compared the whole crater to an enormouserected mortar, and the comparison put me in a terrible fright.

"What madness," I thought, "to go down into a mortar, perhaps aloaded mortar, to be shot up into the air at a moment's notice!"

But I did not try to back out of it. Hans with perfect coolnessresumed the lead, and I followed him without a word.

In order to facilitate the descent, Hans wound his way down the coneby a spiral path. Our route lay amidst eruptive rocks, some of which,shaken out of their loosened beds, rushed bounding down the abyss,and in their fall awoke echoes remarkable for their loud andwell-defined sharpness.

In certain parts of the cone there were glaciers. Here Hans advancedonly with extreme precaution, sounding his way with his iron-pointedpole, to discover any crevasses in it. At particularly dubiouspassages we were obliged to connect ourselves with each other by along cord, in order that any man who missed his footing might be heldup by his companions. This solid formation was prudent, but did notremove all danger.

Yet, notwithstanding the difficulties of the descent, down steepsunknown to the guide, the journey was accomplished without accidents,except the loss of a coil of rope, which escaped from the hands of anIcelander, and took the shortest way to the bottom of the abyss.

At mid-day we arrived. I raised my head and saw straight above me theupper aperture of the cone, framing a bit of sky of very smallcircumference, but almost perfectly round. Just upon the edgeappeared the snowy peak of Saris, standing out sharp and clearagainst endless space.

At the bottom of the crater were three chimneys, through which, inits eruptions, Snæfell had driven forth fire and lava from itscentral furnace. Each of these chimneys was a hundred feet indiameter. They gaped before us right in our path. I had not thecourage to look down either of them. But Professor Liedenbrock hadhastily surveyed all three; he was panting, running from one to theother, gesticulating, and uttering incoherent expressions. Hans andhis comrades, seated upon loose lava rocks, looked at him with asmuchwonder as they knew how to express, and perhaps taking him for anescaped lunatic.

Suddenly my uncle uttered a cry. I thought his foot must have slippedand that he had fallen down one of the holes. But, no; I saw him,with arms outstretched and legs straddling wide apart, erect before agranite rock that stood in the centre of the crater, just like apedestal made ready to receive a statue of Pluto. He stood like a manstupefied, but the stupefaction soon gave way to delirious rapture.

"Axel, Axel," he cried.