Journey To The Center Of The Earth

The following morning, Axel feels better, believing that they are about to turn back. Otto, however, is convinced that they must cross the body of water in order to continue their descent towards the center of the Earth. Hans builds a raft from semi-mineralized or “fossil” wood he collects. He adds a rudder and a mast and sail so that they can use the wind to direct the craft.

The group sets sail on August 13 from a little natural harbor they name Port Gräuben. Axel soon notices a fish in the water, which he thinks initially to be a sturgeon. After a careful examination, Otto claims that it is a fish that has been extinct for centuries. While they cannot transport a live specimen as proof, they are able add fish to their diet.

Axel is caught up in a daydream about prehistoric animals and plants, visualizing the process of evolution of the earth and its inhabitants. He almost falls overboard until his uncle recalls him to himself.

After several days of sailing, there is still no shore in sight. Otto becomes impatient. Trying to discover the depth of the sea, he attaches a pickaxe to a long rope and lowers it into the water. The cord reaches 200 fathoms before running out and still not reaching the bottom. When they lift up the pickaxe, its metal body bears tooth marks. A day later, two prehistoric monsters, a plesiosaurus and an ichthyosaurus, surface, battling each other, and almost overturn the raft.

After the battle of the monsters, the group soon sees something in the distance with a water jet coming up. As they approach, they think it another monster, before realizing that it is an island with a geyser. Otto names it Axel Island. 

On the following day, after the island is no longer visible, Axel senses something strange in the air and believes that a storm is brewing. Otto wants them to keep the sail up and try to outrun the bad weather, but the storm catches up with them. Huge waves throw the raft around, and the electricity in the air transforms into thunder. There is rain and hail and strong wind, approaching a tornado. At this point, Axel’s account breaks, and a narrator explains in a side note that he can only find fragmentary notes written mechanically.

The storm lasts for several days. The wind and thunder are deafening, and the lightening is incessant. The three men tie themselves and their supplies to the raft to avoid being thrown overboard by the wind and waves. Lightning in the shape of a fire ball appears on the side of the raft, destroying the mast and sail. Axel falls into oblivion, and the “journal on board” ends (122). 

The raft is thrown over some rocks, and Axel is saved from drowning by Hans, who carries him onto shore, away from the waves. The group finds shelter under some rocks and spends a restless night. The following day, the storm breaks.

The guide goes back to try and save some of their provisions. They have enough food, and most of their instruments are intact. However, to their dismay, Otto and Axel realize that they have been carried back to the same shore from which they sailed.

The Professor is angry and determined to go back into the sea as soon as Hans repairs the raft. However, just before they set sail a second time, Otto changes his mind and decides they need to explore the coast since fate has led them there.

Otto and Axel walk along the shore, exploring the area. They find shells in different sizes, as well as 15-foot-long carapaces. Otto stumbles over a human head.

The human remains are perfectly preserved. Otto is astounded. To explain his uncle’s excitement at the discovery, Axel provides context by discussing the prevalent theories in the fields of paleontology. At the time, scientists, such as Charles Darwin, were beginning to believe in the history of human evolution and hypothesizing that people originated much earlier than previously believed, contradicting the Bible. 

As the two men continue their explorations, they come across a beautiful forest of discolored ferns and pines. Axel spots a herd of mastodons, and in the distance he sees what he believes to be a 12-foot-tall human being.

Afraid of a confrontation, the two quickly leave the area with many questions about the presence of humans so deep underground. On the way back, Axel discovers a dagger in the sand. Otto believes it was brought by another human centuries ago, presumably the alchemist. They examine the rock face until they come to an opening in the cliffs. Next to what looks like an entrance to a gallery is a block of granite with the initials A. S. carved into it.