Chapter 6 A Warm Welcome to Iceland.
My uncle came out from his cabin a little blurry-eyed but excited.
Much of our boat journey had been spent inside.
Once we came back up to the deck, the bright sun was startling.
Uncle Lidenbrock was happy, though.
There was a wide grin across his face.
I realized how rarely my uncle smiled.
It was nice to see.
He dragged me to the front of the boat and pointed north.
Axel, look there, he said.
A large mountain loomed before us.
At the top of the mountain there were two points.
It is Snifitz, he said.
That is the volcano that will lead us to the center of the earth.
My uncle's excitement was catching.
Even I was starting to feel eager for our adventure.
One of the first people to greet us on land was Baron Tramp.
He was the governor of Iceland.
Governor Tramp was expecting us.
My uncle had sent him a letter ahead of our arrival.
The governor gave us a very warm greeting.
He also offered to escort us through the city.
My uncle had to translate this information to me.
He did not speak Icelandic well.
I could not speak it at all.
Thankfully, many people in Iceland also spoke Danish.
Uncle Lidenbrock could speak with them this way.
My uncle had to translate everything for me.
Unfortunately, he was often too busy for this, leaving me to guess what people were saying.
The only person I could understand was Professor Fredrickson.
He taught science at the university and spoke Latin.
I could understand Latin well, so I felt comfortable with him.
Thankfully, he was also our host.
We stayed at his home and shared wonderful meals with him.
Regevik, Iceland's capital, was a small and lovely place.
On our first day there, I went on a walking tour.
All the buildings in the city were quite simple.
The town hall looked more like a country cottage.
The school and churches were small and plain, but I found them beautiful.
While I explored our surroundings, Uncle Lidenbrock explored books.
He had spent the whole day in the library.
He was shocked by how few books he had found.
That night he complained about this to our host.
"'My word!'
Professor Fredrickson exclaimed.
"'We have eight thousand books to choose from.'
"'But where are they kept?' my uncle asked.
"'The shelves in the library were mostly bare.'
All over the country, of course, Fredrickson said.
We are a country of readers.
Books travel from home to home so we can all enjoy them.
Now, Fredrickson said, you only have to tell us what you would like to read.
Then we can find it and have it sent to you.
My uncle did not have to think about this for long.
He had his answer right away.
Arne Sachtesum, he said.
In fact, he almost shouted the name.
I would love to read anything that great man wrote.
Do you mean the Icelandic scientist and traveler?
Fredriksson asked.
Yes, precisely, Lidenbrock replied.
He was one of the greatest men to come from Iceland, Fredriksson continued.
He was a true genius and a truly courageous man.
I see you know exactly who I mean, Uncle said.
He was getting very excited.
It was wonderful that our host also admired Sacknesson.
Fredrickson suddenly looked disappointed, though.
I'm afraid that we do not have any of his books, he said.
In fact, there are no books written by that great man available.
What?
Uncle Lidenbrock cried.
No books?
Not even in Iceland?
I'm afraid not.
Fredriksen slowly shook his head.
All of his books were destroyed hundreds of years ago.
It was at a time when the government, not in Iceland, but in Denmark, was frightened by ideas that were different from their own.
So to try to stop his ideas from reaching the people, they destroyed all his writings.
Of course, my uncle shouted.
It all makes perfect sense.
This explains why he had to write about his discovery in a code.
He felt that he had to hide it.
I don't understand, Fredrickson said.
Have you found something written by Sagnuson?
No, no, Uncle Leidenbrock stuttered, catching himself.
I was just thinking.
He must have had to be so careful with his writing.
It must have been hard for him.
He had remembered just in time that our journey must remain a secret.
He had almost revealed everything to our kind host.
My uncle was not a good liar.
He quickly changed the subject instead.
We were wondering about the volcano's knife, Lidenbrock said.
My nephew and I would like to study it.
We are interested in collecting rocks for our research.
Yes, of course, Fredrickson said.
You mentioned that in your letter.
Well, the volcano is extinct, so you should be quite safe.
There hasn't been an eruption for more than 500 years.
That is a relief, my uncle said.
He was almost smiling again.
I could tell that he was pleased by how well he had changed the subject.
You will need a guide, though, Fredrickson said.
It's not easy to make your way up the mountain, and the crater in Snifitz has rarely been explored.
Most of it is unknown.
You will need someone with a lot of experience.
I have just the man for you.
That is very generous of you, Lidenbrock said.
Could I meet this man right away?
Perhaps tonight, so we can start planning.
Tomorrow, Fredrickson replied.
I would prefer to talk to him tonight, Lidenbrock said.
He was starting to become impatient.
He forgot that he should be polite.
Tomorrow, Fredrickson replied.
He is a wonderful guide, but he is not someone you can rush.
He will be here tomorrow.
Very well, then, Lidenbrock said.
We will all meet tomorrow.
