Journey To The Center Of The Earth

The following day, the group continues the journey. Based on the barometer, the adventurers realize that the bottom of the chimney is at sea level, so the next stage of the journey is the beginning of their real descent below the surface of the Earth.

They collect their things and light up two Ruhmkorff lanterns, which use electricity rather than gas and fire and will be safe in any environment. The group begins walking along the lava tube that opens up to the side of the chimney. They walk for a long time and pass through chambers of stalactites and other minerals that beautifully reflect the lantern light. At eight o’clock that evening, Hans calls a halt, and they have dinner. Axel is worried about their water supply as they have enough to last them only five more days. The professor is sure they will find water as soon as they go past the lava layer.

After conducting various calculations, the professor establishes that they are 10,000 feet below sea level, the deepest that any human has ever been. However, the temperature is only 15 degrees Celsius, which contradicts the most popular theory at the time, according to which the temperature should have been a boiling 81 degrees. 

The group arrives at a fork in the road. Without much hesitation, Otto chooses the one leading east, and they continue their journey. However, Axel notices that they are gradually ascending, not descending. Otto does not want to admit this, and they eventually have to stop for the night. Axel finds it difficult to walk uphill but is encouraged by the thought of getting back to the surface. He is also afraid that the volcano might erupt once again and they will be caught by lava in the tunnels.

The following day, the tunnel ends, and the walls and floor become soil. Axel believes they have reached the Silurian strata, attested by the fossils of sea flora and fauna. Faced with such proof, Otto has to admit that he might have made a mistake, but he is adamant about reaching the end of the tunnel. Because the water supply is running out, Otto decides to begin rationing.

The group runs out of water the following day, but the journey back to the crossroad takes five days. All three men suffer from thirst, but Otto and Hans are stoic about it. Axel, however, keeps complaining and often stops in his tracks and needs to be revived. They make it to the fork in the tunnel crawling on hands and knees and half-alive.

Axel collapses, moaning through swollen lips, and his uncle embraces him, feeling pity for the younger man. Unused to such tenderness, Axel feels moved. It turns out that Otto has saved one last swallow of water just for this occasion and gives it to Axel. Revived, the younger man wants the group to go back to the surface. Otto, however, refuses and tells him to go back if he wants, but that, he, Otto, will continue the journey down the second tunnel. Axel is dismayed but unwilling to leave his uncle behind. The professor asks for one more day to find water, the way Columbus asked of his sailors three more days to discover the New World. Axel agrees, and the journey continues.

The three men go into the new tunnel. Otto is convinced that this is the route taken by Saknussemm and that there must be water ahead of them. However, they still have not found any after several hours, and Axel is physically unable to keep walking. Otto is disappointed but decides to take a break and sleep.

Axel is unable to sleep and falls into a stupor. He registers that Hans leaves and is afraid that the guide is abandoning them.

Axel keeps wondering where Hans has gone but reasons that the Icelander is going further down the corridor, so he must be searching for water rather than making his escape. After some time, Hans comes back and tells them he has found water. The Professor and Axel follow the guide and soon hear the sounds of a stream behind one of the tunnel walls. Before they can despair again, Hans picks up a pickaxe and begins breaking away the rock. He eventually creates a hole, and water spurts out. However, the men are very surprised because it is boiling. They wait for a while for it to cool down before they can drink it. Axel and Hans want to close up the hole, but Otto tells them to leave it open. This way, there will be a steady supply of water as it will flow down the tunnel. The Professor names the new stream in honor of Hans. 

No longer suffering from thirst, the group continues the journey with renewed energy. They walk mostly horizontally for a few of days, but on July 10, they finally reach an abyss. The chasm’s walls form a sort of a spiral staircase that the travelers can use to descend, stopping every quarter of an hour for a break. The stream of water follows them down the abyss in the form of a small waterfall and pools up again at the bottom.

After descending and walking for a few more days, Axel calculates that the group has gone past Iceland’s coast and is now beneath the open ocean. On Saturday, July 18, the three men reach a large grotto, where they decide to rest the following day. Otto pays Hans his weekly wage.

On Sunday, the group remains in the grotto to rest. Otto decides to arrange his notes. According to his measurements, they are now 85 leagues away from their starting point, having walked consistently southeast. They are also 16 leagues beneath the surface of the Earth. Axel is surprised at Otto’s revelation as the current theory is that the Earth’s outer crust is about 16 leagues thick, meaning the temperature should be 1,500 degrees Celsius. However, according to their measurements, it is only 27 degrees.

Axel begins making other calculations and hypothesizes that at their speed, it would take them around five years to reach the center of the Earth. Otto is incensed by Axel’s suggestion and argues that if Saknussemm did it, then there is a way to succeed. The young man decides not to voice his theories about distance or air pressure so as not to argue with his uncle.

The group continues on the journey for two more weeks without any major problems. They descend several steep inclines, which bring them to a depth of 30 leagues. Eventually, on August 7, they reach a relatively horizontal part of the tunnel, and Axel, wearing one of the electric lanterns, wanders ahead. Suddenly, he finds himself all alone. He turns back, thinking that Otto and Hans must have fallen behind, but after walking for a long time, he panics. At that moment, Axel remembers the stream of water—it will guide him back. However, when he looks down, the young man realizes that there is no stream, meaning that he has somehow wandered into a side gallery.

In his panic, Axel has a flashback to his childhood before his parents died. He also calls to God, which calms him down somewhat. He has water and food for three days, so he decides to keep going up until he finds the fork where he must have taken a wrong turn. After half an hour of climbing up, however, Axel realizes that he has reached the end of the tunnel. He is lost in an underground maze, and there is no way to retrace his steps. A fall earlier has damaged his lantern, which begins to dim and turns off, leaving him in complete darkness and silence. Axel panics and begins running and shouting in the dark. After several hours, he falls down exhausted and loses consciousness.

Axel regains consciousness, feeling tears running down his face. Amidst his renewed despair, he hears a loud noise and realizes that it is the echo of human voices. He shouts and is able to talk to his uncle. By measuring the time it takes for Otto to say something and Axel to reply, they establish the exact distance between them.

The Professor asks the younger man to keep moving downward as Otto and Hans have reached a vast open space with multiple galleries opening into it and the Professor is certain that Axel is in one of these side tunnels. The young man begins moving downward, but in the darkness, he keeps sliding, falling, and scraping himself. Eventually, he reaches a very steep part in the tunnel and falls, creating a rockslide. One of the falling stones hits his head, and he loses consciousness.

When he regains consciousness, Axel finds himself lying down on thick rugs with his uncle watching over him. Otto is affectionate and tender, avowing not to be separated from his nephew ever again. They establish that Axel had been by himself for four days. He has a concussion and is deeply exhausted, so he goes back to sleep.

When he wakes up again, Axel feels better and observes that there is light without any lantern or fire present. He can also feel a breeze on his face and hear the sound of waves. At first, the young man thinks he must be hallucinating or going mad as they are deep beneath the ground. When he shares these observations with his uncle, Otto tells him not to worry but refuses to explain or allow him to move. However, Axel becomes progressively more agitated, so the professor helps him get dressed and stand up.