Chapter 31 Chapter 31 The Raft

I woke up the next day fully recovered.I figured a bath would do me good, so I just jumped into this "Mediterranean" and soaked in it for a few minutes - it really deserves the name, even better than the real underground penance on the ground. When I got back, I was craving breakfast.Hannes cooked for our small group; he had water and fire at his disposal, so he was able to vary our breakfast somewhat.He offered us a couple of cups of coffee, a delicious drink that has never been more palatable. "Now," said my uncle, "the tide is coming up, and I can't lose my chance to watch it."

"tide?" "certainly." "The power of the moon and the sun can even be displayed here!" "Why not? Don't everything obey the law of gravity in the universe? How can these sea waters be an exception to this general law? So no matter how much atmospheric pressure there is on the sea, you can see that it also rises with the same tide as the Atlantic Ocean .” At this time we were standing by the sea and saw the waves in the sea slowly approaching the shore. "The tide is starting to rise," I said. "Yes, Aksai, I judge the tide to rise about ten feet."

"What a marvel!" "Nothing; it's natural." "You can say what you like, but to me it really looked amazing, I couldn't believe my eyes. Who would have imagined that there would be an ocean in this crust, and it would have the ebb and flow of the tides, the sea surface There are still strong winds and heavy rain!" "Why not? Is there any law of nature that can prove that there will be no ocean in the cave?" "I don't know of any laws other than the idea of ​​heat in the center of the earth." "Then Darwin's theory is correct so far?"

"Of course, if that's the case, there may be other seas and lands in the interior of the earth." "Yes—of course there are no people." "I don't know—why didn't some unknown fish appear in the water?" "Ah, we haven't seen one yet." "We can make some lines and hooks and see if we can get the same results as on the ground." "Let's try, Aksai, we must find out all the secrets of these new places." "But from your instrument, where are we now, Uncle?" "We're now a thousand and fifty miles from Iceland, at ground level."

"Is it that far?" "I'm sure it won't be more than a mile off." "From the compass, is it still heading southeast?" "Yes, as for the inclination, I see some strange phenomena." "What phenomenon?" "The needle of the compass does not tilt downward as it does in the northern hemisphere, but points upward instead." "Does this mean that the magnetic poles are between the surface and the depth where we are?" "Quite accurately, if we were below the polar region, near the seventieth parallel of latitude, where James Ross found the magnetic pole, we could see the needle of the compass pointing vertically upwards, there is no doubt about it. .The center of this suction is obviously not in a very deep place."

"This, then, is a fact which science has not yet doubted." "Science itself contains many mistakes, but these mistakes are not a bad thing, because it will gradually lead to the truth." "How deep underground are we now?" "One hundred and fifty miles." "So," I said, looking at the map, "the mountains of Scotland are just above us, and the snow-capped Grampians are many miles above us." "Yes," replied my uncle, laughing, "the stratum above bears a great deal of weight, yet its structure is solid; the great architect of the universe has used very good materials. The radius of this dome is long What do the naves and arches of cathedrals above ground look like, compared with this dome, nine or ten miles long, with the ocean beneath it, and the sea rolling with it?"

"Oh, I'm not afraid of the dome falling off. Uncle, do you have any plans? Do you want to go back to the ground?" "Go back! Instead I want to keep going and I've had great results so far." "I don't know how we're going to get across this water down here." "I don't mean to jump headfirst into the water. But the inner sea is surrounded by rocks, no doubt." "Yes, of course." "In this case, I can definitely find a new way down on the opposite side." "How long do you think the sea is?" "Maybe ninety or a hundred miles."

"Oh." I said, thinking that this estimate might be completely wrong. "Then don't waste time, let's start tomorrow." I couldn't help but look around to see if there was a ship that could take us. "I know," I said, "but what about the boat?" "We've got no boat, boy, and we'll have a good, strong raft." "A raft?" I cried. "A raft is as difficult to build as a boat. I don't think—" "You don't understand, I dare say, Axel, but you can hear it if you pay attention." "Hear?"

"Yes, the sound of the ax can tell you that Hannes is already at work." "Building a raft?" "yes." "What! He's already cut down the tree?" "That's not necessary. Come and see his work." After a quarter of an hour's walk, on the other side of the promontory which forms the natural harbour, I saw Hanns at work; and in a moment I came up to him.To my astonishment, a half-finished raft, made of a peculiar wood, lay lying on the sand; and there were many beams, angled bars, and frames scattered about the sand—enough to make a row of rafts!

"Uncle," I called, "what wood?" "Pines, hemlocks, birches, and various northern trees, which are already mineralized by sea erosion." "real?" "This is surtarbrandur, or fossilized wood." "Then they must be as hard as brown charcoal, and too heavy to float?" "Sometimes it happens that these logs are sometimes turned into coals, and others, like these we see, are only partially fossilized. You see," added the uncle, throwing a precious log into the nautical mile. The log disappeared at first, then rose to the surface of the waves and floated precariously.

"Are you convinced?" asked the uncle. "I believe it's impossible!" Next evening, by the skill of the guide, the raft was completed; it was ten feet long and five wide.The beams of fossil wood were connected together by strong ropes, forming a solid large surface. Once the hastily constructed boat hit the water, it floated smoothly on the surface of the Liedenbroek Sea.