Chapter 40

CHAPTER XL.

PREPARATIONS FOR BLASTING A PASSAGE TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

Since the start upon this marvellous pilgrimage I had been through somany astonishments that I might well be excused for thinking myselfwell hardened against any further surprise. Yet at the sight of thesetwo letters, engraved on this spot three hundred years ago, I stoodaghast in dumb amazement. Not only were the initials of the learnedalchemist visible upon the living rock, but there lay the iron pointwith which the letters had been engraved. I could no longer doubt ofthe existence of that wonderful traveller and of the fact of hisunparalleled journey, without the most glaring incredulity.

Whilst these reflections were occupying me, Professor Liedenbrock hadlaunched into a somewhat rhapsodical eulogium, of which ArneSaknussemm was, of course, the hero.

"Thou marvellous genius!" he cried, "thou hast not forgotten oneindication which might serve to lay open to mortals the road throughthe terrestrial crust; and thy fellow-creatures may even now, afterthe lapse of three centuries, again trace thy footsteps through thesedeep and darksome ways. You reserved the contemplation of thesewonders for other eyes besides your own. Your name, graven from stageto stage, leads the bold follower of your footsteps to the verycentre of our planet's core, and there again we shall find your ownname written with your own hand. I too will inscribe my name uponthis dark granite page. But for ever henceforth let this cape thatadvances into the sea discovered by yourself be known by your ownillustrious name - Cape Saknussemm."

Such were the glowing words of panegyric which fell upon my attentiveear, and I could not resist the sentiment of enthusiasm with which Itoo was infected. The fire of zeal kindled afresh in me. I forgoteverything. I dismissed from my mind the past perils of the journey,the future danger of our return. That which another had done Isupposed we might also do, and nothing that was not superhumanappeared impossible to me.

"Forward! forward!" I cried.

I was already darting down the gloomy tunnel when the Professorstopped me; he, the man of impulse, counselled patience and coolness.

"Let us first return to Hans," he said, "and bring the raft to thisspot."

I obeyed, not without dissatisfaction, and passed out rapidly amongthe rocks on the shore.

I said: "Uncle, do you know it seems to me that circumstances havewonderfully befriended us hitherto?"

"You think so, Axel?"

"No doubt; even the tempest has put us on the right way. Blessings onthat storm! It has brought us back to this coast from which fineweather would have carried us far away. Suppose we had touched withour prow (the prow of a rudder!) the southern shore of theLiedenbrock sea, what would have become of us? We should never haveseen the name of Saknussemm, and we should at this moment