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The Blog of Axel Lidenbrock : August 17th 1863

From: Harry Hayfield <harryhayfield~at~googlemail.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:40:54 +0100
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>

BlankI am trying to recall the peculiar instincts of the monsters of the
preadamite world, who, coming next in succession after the molluscs, the
crustaceans and le fishes, preceded the animals of mammalian race upon the
earth. The world then belonged to reptiles. Those monsters held the mastery
in the seas of
the secondary period. They possessed a perfect organisation, gigantic
proportions, prodigious strength. The saurians of our day, the alligators
and the crocodiles, are but feeble reproductions of their forefathers of
primitive ages. All of which means that if what made those teeth marks on
the pickaxe yesterday are still about then we are in all in serious trouble.
I mean, for something to make an impact on a pickaxe that Hans thought was
heavy must be well for want of a better word a monster. For some reason I
remembered a trip to the museum in Hamburg that my uncle took me on one day
and he showed me a fossil of an crocodile like creature that was thirty feet
long (or to put it another way five Hans long)

And talk about putting us all on edge, my eyes were bent upon the sea. I
dread to see one of these monsters darting forth from its submarine caverns.
I suppose Professor Liedenbrock was of my opinion too, and even shared my
fears, for after having examined the pick, his eyes traversed the ocean from
side to side. What a very bad notion that was of his, I thought to myself,
to take soundings just here! He has disturbed some monstrous beast in its
remote den, and if we are not attacked on our voyage, I looked at our guns
and see that they are all right. My uncle notices it, and looks on
approvingly. Already widely disturbed regions on the surface of the water
indicate some commotion below. The danger is approaching. We must be on the
look out.

Received on Mon 18 Aug 2008 - 01:41:06 IDT

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