Snaefell At Last

: A Journey To The Interior Of The Earth

Snaefell is 5,000 feet high. Its double cone forms the limit of a

trachytic belt which stands out distinctly in the mountain system of

the island. From our starting point we could see the two peaks boldly

projected against the dark grey sky; I could see an enormous cap of

snow coming low down upon the giant's brow.



We walked in single file, headed by the hunter, who ascended by

narrow tracks, where two co ld not have gone abreast. There was

therefore no room for conversation.



After we had passed the basaltic wall of the fiord of Stapi we passed

over a vegetable fibrous peat bog, left from the ancient vegetation

of this peninsula. The vast quantity of this unworked fuel would be

sufficient to warm the whole population of Iceland for a century;

this vast turbary measured in certain ravines had in many places a

depth of seventy feet, and presented layers of carbonized remains of

vegetation alternating with thinner layers of tufaceous pumice.



As a true nephew of the Professor Liedenbrock, and in spite of my

dismal prospects, I could not help observing with interest the

mineralogical curiosities which lay about me as in a vast museum, and

I constructed for myself a complete geological account of Iceland.



This most curious island has evidently been projected from the bottom

of the sea at a comparatively recent date. Possibly, it may still be

subject to gradual elevation. If this is the case, its origin may

well be attributed to subterranean fires. Therefore, in this case,

the theory of Sir Humphry Davy, Saknussemm's document, and my uncle's

theories would all go off in smoke. This hypothesis led me to examine

with more attention the appearance of the surface, and I soon arrived

at a conclusion as to the nature of the forces which presided at its

birth.



Iceland, which is entirely devoid of alluvial soil, is wholly

composed of volcanic tufa, that is to say, an agglomeration of porous

rocks and stones. Before the volcanoes broke out it consisted of trap

rocks slowly upraised to the level of the sea by the action of

central forces. The internal fires had not yet forced their way

through.



But at a later period a wide chasm formed diagonally from south-west

to north-east, through which was gradually forced out the trachyte

which was to form a mountain chain. No violence accompanied this

change; the matter thrown out was in vast quantities, and the liquid

material oozing out from the abysses of the earth slowly spread in

extensive plains or in hillocky masses. To this period belong the

felspar, syenites, and porphyries.



But with the help of this outflow the thickness of the crust of the

island increased materially, and therefore also its powers of

resistance. It may easily be conceived what vast quantities of

elastic gases, what masses of molten matter accumulated beneath its

solid surface whilst no exit was practicable after the cooling of the

trachytic crust. Therefore a time would come when the elastic and

explosive forces of the imprisoned gases would upheave this ponderous

cover and drive out for themselves openings through tall chimneys.

Hence then the volcano would distend and lift up the crust, and then

burst through a crater suddenly formed at the summit or thinnest part

of the volcano.



To the eruption succeeded other volcanic phenomena. Through the

outlets now made first escaped the ejected basalt of which the plain

we had just left presented such marvellous specimens. We were moving

over grey rocks of dense and massive formation, which in cooling had

formed into hexagonal prisms. Everywhere around us we saw truncated

cones, formerly so many fiery mouths.



After the exhaustion of the basalt, the volcano, the power of which

grew by the extinction of the lesser craters, supplied an egress to

lava, ashes, and scoriae, of which I could see lengthened screes

streaming down the sides of the mountain like flowing hair.



Such was the succession of phenomena which produced Iceland, all

arising from the action of internal fire; and to suppose that the

mass within did not still exist in a state of liquid incandescence

was absurd; and nothing could surpass the absurdity of fancying that

it was possible to reach the earth's centre.



So I felt a little comforted as we advanced to the assault of Snaefell.



The way was growing more and more arduous, the ascent steeper and

steeper; the loose fragments of rock trembled beneath us, and the

utmost care was needed to avoid dangerous falls.



Hans went on as quietly as if he were on level ground; sometimes he

disappeared altogether behind the huge blocks, then a shrill whistle

would direct us on our way to him. Sometimes he would halt, pick up a

few bits of stone, build them up into a recognisable form, and thus

made landmarks to guide us in our way back. A very wise precaution in

itself, but, as things turned out, quite useless.



Three hours' fatiguing march had only brought us to the base of the

mountain. There Hans bid us come to a halt, and a hasty breakfast was

served out. My uncle swallowed two mouthfuls at a time to get on

faster. But, whether he liked it or not, this was a rest as well as a

breakfast hour and he had to wait till it pleased our guide to move

on, which came to pass in an hour. The three Icelanders, just as

taciturn as their comrade the hunted, never spoke, and ate their

breakfasts in silence.



We were now beginning to scale the steep sides of Snaefell. Its snowy

summit, by an optical illusion not unfrequent in mountains, seemed

close to us, and yet how many weary hours it took to reach it! The

stones, adhering by no soil or fibrous roots of vegetation, rolled

away from under our feet, and rushed down the precipice below with

the swiftness of an avalanche.



At some places the flanks of the mountain formed an angle with the

horizon of at least 36 degrees; it was impossible to climb them, and

these stony cliffs had to be tacked round, not without great

difficulty. Then we helped each other with our sticks.



I must admit that my uncle kept as close to me as he could; he never

lost sight of me, and in many straits his arm furnished me with a

powerful support. He himself seemed to possess an instinct for

equilibrium, for he never stumbled. The Icelanders, though burdened

with our loads, climbed with the agility of mountaineers.



To judge by the distant appearance of the summit of Snaefell, it would

have seemed too steep to ascend on our side. Fortunately, after an

hour of fatigue and athletic exercises, in the midst of the vast

surface of snow presented by the hollow between the two peaks, a kind

of staircase appeared unexpectedly which greatly facilitated our

ascent. It was formed by one of those torrents of stones flung up by

the eruptions, called 'sting' by the Icelanders. If this torrent had

not been arrested in its fall by the formation of the sides of the

mountain, it would have gone on to the sea and formed more islands.



Such as it was, it did us good service. The steepness increased, but

these stone steps allowed us to rise with facility, and even with

such rapidity that, having rested for a moment while my companions

continued their ascent, I perceived them already reduced by distance

to microscopic dimensions.



At seven we had ascended the two thousand steps of this grand

staircase, and we had attained a bulge in the mountain, a kind of bed

on which rested the cone proper of the crater.



Three thousand two hundred feet below us stretched the sea. We had

passed the limit of perpetual snow, which, on account of the moisture

of the climate, is at a greater elevation in Iceland than the high

latitude would give reason to suppose. The cold was excessively keen.

The wind was blowing violently. I was exhausted. The Professor saw

that my limbs were refusing to perform their office, and in spite of

his impatience he decided on stopping. He therefore spoke to the

hunter, who shook his head, saying:



"OFVANFOR."



"It seems we must go higher," said my uncle.



Then he asked Hans for his reason.



"MISTOUR," replied the guide.



"JA MISTOUR," said one of the Icelanders in a tone of alarm.



"What does that word mean?" I asked uneasily.



"Look!" said my uncle.



I looked down upon the plain. An immense column of pulverized pumice,

sand and dust was rising with a whirling circular motion like a

waterspout; the wind was lashing it on to that side of Snaefell where

we were holding on; this dense veil, hung across the sun, threw a

deep shadow over the mountain. If that huge revolving pillar sloped

down, it would involve us in its whirling eddies. This phenomenon,

which is not unfrequent when the wind blows from the glaciers, is

called in Icelandic 'mistour.'



"HASTIGT! HASTIGT!" cried our guide.



Without knowing Danish I understood at once that we must follow Hans

at the top of our speed. He began to circle round the cone of the

crater, but in a diagonal direction so as to facilitate our progress.

Presently the dust storm fell upon the mountain, which quivered under

the shock; the loose stones, caught with the irresistible blasts of

wind, flew about in a perfect hail as in an eruption. Happily we were

on the opposite side, and sheltered from all harm. But for the

precaution of our guide, our mangled bodies, torn and pounded into

fragments, would have been carried afar like the ruins hurled along

by some unknown meteor.



Yet Hans did not think it prudent to spend the night upon the sides

of the cone. We continued our zigzag climb. The fifteen hundred

remaining feet took us five hours to clear; the circuitous route, the

diagonal and the counter marches, must have measured at least three

leagues. I could stand it no longer. I was yielding to the effects of

hunger and cold. The rarefied air scarcely gave play to the action of

my lungs.



At last, at eleven in the sunlight night, the summit of Snaefell was

reached, and before going in for shelter into the crater I had time

to observe the midnight sun, at his lowest point, gilding with his

pale rays the island that slept at my feet.