The Battle / The Forest

Soon all land was lost to view. Five days out to sea, they witnessed a
terrifying battle between two sea monsters. One having the snout of a porpoise,
the head of a lizard, and teeth of a crocodile — an Ichthyosaurus.
And the other, the mortal enemy of the first, a serpent with a turtle’s shell
— the Plesiosaurus
Five days out on an infinite sea
They prayed for calm on an ocean free
But the surface of the water was indicating some disturbance
The raft was hurled by an unseen source
Two hundred feet, with frightening force
And a dark mass rising showed to be a giant porpoise
Rising out of the angry sea
Towered the creature’s enemy
And so the two sea monsters closed for battle
Crocodile teeth, lizard’s head
Bloodshot eye stained ocean red
Moving close to their raft’s side
The two men prayed as one and cried:
«Save me, save me, save me, save me!»
The serpent’s fight went on for hours
Two monsters soaring up like towers
And diving down to the depths in a single motion
Suddenly the serpent’s head
Shot out of the water bathed in red
And the serpentine form lay lifeless on the ocean
Crocodile teeth, lizard’s head
Bloodshot eye stained ocean red
Battle won, a victor’s pride
The three men thanked the Lord and cried:
«Praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God!»
Cumulus clouds formed heavily in the south, like huge wool packs heaped up in
picturesque disorder. Under the influence of the breezes, they merged together,
growing darker, forming a single menacing mass. The raft lay motionless on the
sluggish waveless sea and in silence they waited for the storm…
The Forest
For four days the storm had raged as they clung to the mast of their raft for
safety. Finally, with their raft wrecked after being bashed against the reefs,
they lay sheltered from the pouring rain beneath a few overhanging rocks where
they ate and slept
The next day all trace of the storm had disappeared and
What remained of their stock seemed intact. But checking the compass brought
only heartbreak as it showed that a chance of wind during the storm had
returned them to just a few miles north of Port Grauben
So, deciding to try and find the original route they advanced with difficulty
over granite fragments mingled with flint, quartz and alluvial deposits,
eventually reaching a plain covered with bones like a huge cemetery.
A mile further on, they reached the edge of a huge forest made up of
vegetation of the Tertiary period. Tall palms were linked by a network of
inextricable creepers, a carpet of moss covering the ground and the leaves were
colourless, everything having a brownish hue
Exploring the forest they discovered a heard of gigantic animals — masterdons,
which were being marshalled by a primitive human being, a Proteus.
He stood over twelve foot high and brandished an enormous bough,
a crook worthy of this antediluvian shepherd
Journey on through ages gone
To the centre of the earth
Past rocks of quartz and granite
Which gave mother nature birth
Burial ground of ancient man
His life no more is seen
A journey through his time unknown
I wonder where he’s been
Wonder where he’s been
Wonder where he’s been
Wonder where he’s been
Wonder where he’s been
The shore now gone behind the hills
A forest in our sight
Rocks and distant mountains
Bathed in waves of blinding light
Forests from a far gone time
No living man has seen
A private prehistoric world
For you and I a dream
Brownish hue dictates my eye
No colour hides their fear
Flowers faded, dull and cold
Now bleached by atmosphere
Creatures twisting under trees
Huge monsters soaked with rage
Hidden deep below our earth
A frightening, bygone age
Their shepherd came, now long extinct
A huge primeval man
The three men filled with disbelief
Just turned as one and ran
Dumb with astonishment and amazement which bordered on stupefaction,
they fled the forest. Instinctively, they made towards the Lidenbrook Sea.
Discovering a rusty dagger on the beach, and the carved initials of the
explorer before them on a slab of granite, they realised that thay were once
again treading the route of Arne Saknussemm
Following a short sea journey around the cape, they came ashore where a dark
tunnel plunged deep into rock. Venturing down, their progress was halted by a
piece of rock blocking their way. After deciding to blow their way through,
and setting the charge, they put out to sea for safety. With the explosion,
the rocks before them opened like a curtain, and a bottomless pit appeared in
the shore. The explosion had caused an earthquake, the abyss had opened up,
and the sea was pouring into it. Down and down they plunged into the huge
gallery, but on regaining their senses found their raft rising at tremendous
speed
Trapped in the shaft of an active volcano they rose through the ages of man to
be finally expelled out on a mountain-side riddled with tiny lava streams.
Their journey was completed and they found themselves 3000 miles from their
original starting point in Iceland. They had entered by one volcano and they
had come out by another. With the blue mountains of Calabria in the east they
walked away from the mountain that had returned them. The frightening Mount
Etna