Otto Lidenbrock is the famous professor of geology at
the University of Hamburg, in Germany. He is also my
uncle. He is sixty-five years old, not very tall, with grey
hair. He wears small round gold glasses that make him
look very serious.
I'm Axel. I'm only nineteen and the professor's
personal assistant. I watch my uncle very carefully when
he works. That's why I know so much about our planet -
Earth.
My uncl e, the professor, is a hard worker. He spends
most of his clay in his laboratory at the University, so he
never comes home before two o'clock for lunch. But
yesterday, he came home very early. This surprised
Martha, our cook. The poor old girl did not have the
lunch ready and she was a little upset.
"Professor, you're early!"
"Never mind, Martha. I don't want lunch today."
"But, professor, you must eat!"
The professor looked excited.
"Martha, food is not important."
Then he turned to me. "A.,xel, come with me."
He took me into his library. It was a big room with lots
of bookcases against the walls and heavy velvet curtains in
front of the windows. In the middle of the room, there
was a desk where my uncle spent most of his eve nings.
He took an old book out of his coat pocket. He looked at
me.
"kxel, look at this! Look at this!"
I took it from his hand. Its cover was hard and it
looked very old.
"Why, what is it professor?"
"I found it today in an old bookshop. It's seven
hundred years old."
"What's it about?"
"It's about the old princes from Norway who came to
live in Iceland."
"Why is that so special?"
He smiled and said, "Because it is written in a language
that no one uses anymore."
I opened the book and saw strange letters from a
strange alphabet. I did not understand any of it. I turned
its yellow pages and a piece or paper fell out of the book
onto the floor. The professorjumped on it.
"What's this?"
It was an old yellow piece of paper with the same
strange letters on it. The professor knew many languages,
but he could not read this old language from Iceland. He
took a thick book from one of the shelves. It was a
dictionary for all the old languages in the world which
people do not speak today. Then, he gave me a piece of
paper and a pencil.
"Axel, write clown these letters as I read them to you."
T he professor read each letter to me and I wrote them
down.
When we finished, this is what they said:
Go into the volcano at Sneffells Yokul. B~fore the first
of July, the sun will show you the way to the centre of the
earth. Make this journey. It is fantastic.
The name under this strange message was 'Arne
Saknussemm'.
"Arne Saknussemm! I don't believe it!"
"Who's he?"
"He was a famous scientist. He wrote many strange
things about the earth, but no one believed him. They
said he was crazy. This must be the answer to the things
he said. He left this piece of paper in the old book for
someone to find. Do you understand, Axe!, how lucky we
are?" Then, he turned to the library door. "Martha!"
I couldn't understand any of the things my uncle sa id.
"''Vhat do you mean, we?"
Martha opened the door to t.he libr<~r y.
"Did you want me, sir?"
"Yes, Martha. I want you to buy us two train tickets to
Denmark. Master Axe] and I are going to Iceland."
This was the biggest surprise of my life!
"What?! Uncle, I can't go."
The professor looked at me calmly.
"You can and you will."
the University of Hamburg, in Germany. He is also my
uncle. He is sixty-five years old, not very tall, with grey
hair. He wears small round gold glasses that make him
look very serious.
I'm Axel. I'm only nineteen and the professor's
personal assistant. I watch my uncle very carefully when
he works. That's why I know so much about our planet -
Earth.
My uncl e, the professor, is a hard worker. He spends
most of his clay in his laboratory at the University, so he
never comes home before two o'clock for lunch. But
yesterday, he came home very early. This surprised
Martha, our cook. The poor old girl did not have the
lunch ready and she was a little upset.
"Professor, you're early!"
"Never mind, Martha. I don't want lunch today."
"But, professor, you must eat!"
The professor looked excited.
"Martha, food is not important."
Then he turned to me. "A.,xel, come with me."
He took me into his library. It was a big room with lots
of bookcases against the walls and heavy velvet curtains in
front of the windows. In the middle of the room, there
was a desk where my uncle spent most of his eve nings.
He took an old book out of his coat pocket. He looked at
me.
"kxel, look at this! Look at this!"
I took it from his hand. Its cover was hard and it
looked very old.
"Why, what is it professor?"
"I found it today in an old bookshop. It's seven
hundred years old."
"What's it about?"
"It's about the old princes from Norway who came to
live in Iceland."
"Why is that so special?"
He smiled and said, "Because it is written in a language
that no one uses anymore."
I opened the book and saw strange letters from a
strange alphabet. I did not understand any of it. I turned
its yellow pages and a piece or paper fell out of the book
onto the floor. The professorjumped on it.
"What's this?"
It was an old yellow piece of paper with the same
strange letters on it. The professor knew many languages,
but he could not read this old language from Iceland. He
took a thick book from one of the shelves. It was a
dictionary for all the old languages in the world which
people do not speak today. Then, he gave me a piece of
paper and a pencil.
"Axel, write clown these letters as I read them to you."
T he professor read each letter to me and I wrote them
down.
When we finished, this is what they said:
Go into the volcano at Sneffells Yokul. B~fore the first
of July, the sun will show you the way to the centre of the
earth. Make this journey. It is fantastic.
The name under this strange message was 'Arne
Saknussemm'.
"Arne Saknussemm! I don't believe it!"
"Who's he?"
"He was a famous scientist. He wrote many strange
things about the earth, but no one believed him. They
said he was crazy. This must be the answer to the things
he said. He left this piece of paper in the old book for
someone to find. Do you understand, Axe!, how lucky we
are?" Then, he turned to the library door. "Martha!"
I couldn't understand any of the things my uncle sa id.
"''Vhat do you mean, we?"
Martha opened the door to t.he libr<~r y.
"Did you want me, sir?"
"Yes, Martha. I want you to buy us two train tickets to
Denmark. Master Axe] and I are going to Iceland."
This was the biggest surprise of my life!
"What?! Uncle, I can't go."
The professor looked at me calmly.
"You can and you will."
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