The Smokey God

8/3/2019 The Smokey God

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NOTEFROMTHETRANSLATOROFTHISBOOKINTOSPANISH

WhenIfoundthisbeautifulbookontheInternetsometimeago,onlyinEnglish,Isearched

and searched trying to find it translated into Spanish. Not having found it, I got the idea to

translateitmyselftodisseminateitscontent,whichisthepurposethatguidedboththeauthor,

astheprotagonistofthestory(OlafJansen)andalso,I suspect,totheKingof theWorld,who

surely bless the dissemination of this story to as many people as possible, to awaken us to

realities thatare living aroundus, thusgreedandwickednessofmany try tohide,answering

obscureinterests,incompatiblewiththeloveforHumanity.

Ihavenottouchedevenacommaofthebook.Isimplyaddedafootnoteonthefirstpage,

statingthatIhavenotfoundtwooftheoriginaldrawings,aswellasadrawingdonebymyself,

includedinthelastpage,abouthowtointerpretOlafJansen'sdescriptionoverplanetEarthinits

twosurfaces.

L.S.



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THESMOKYGODor

AVoyagetotheInnerWorld

ContentsDedication

PartI. Author'sForeword

PartII. OlafJansen'sStory

PartIII. BeyondTheNorthWind

PartIV. IntheUnderWorld

PartV. AmongtheIcePacks

PartVI. ConclusionPartVII. Author'sAfterword

ILLUSTRATIONS

"Iwasleftalonewiththedead."

"Twenty-eightyearslong,tedious,frightfulyearsofsuffering." 1

"Avessellargerthanourlittlefishingsloopcouldnothavethreadeditsway

amongtheicebergs.""Bywhatmiracleweescapedbeingdashedtodestruction,Idonotknow."

"Itcouldhardlybesaidtoresemblethesunexceptinitscircularshape."

"Theyspoketousinastrangelangugage."

"WewerebroughtbeforetheGreatHighPriest."

"Theremusthavebeenfivehundredofthesethunder-throatedmonsters."

"Myfathershouted:'Breakersahead!'"

"Lessthanahalfmileawaywasawhalingvessel."

"WhereuponIwasputinirons."

"He is theGodwhosits in thecenter,on thenavelof theearth, andhe is the

interpreterofreligiontoallmankind." Platon.

PARTONE:Author'sForeword

I fear the seemingly incredible story which I am about to relate will be

regarded as the result of a distorted intellect superinduced, possibly, by the

glamourof unveiling amarvelous mystery, rather than a truthful record of the

1 These two pictures can't be found in this original book.



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unparalleledexperiencesrelatedbyoneOlaf Jansen,whoseeloquentmadnessso

appealed to my imagination that all thought of an analytical criticismhas been

effectuallydispelled.

MarcoPolowilldoubtlessshiftuneasilyinhisgraveatthestrangestoryIam

called upon to chronicle; a story as strange as a Munchausen tale. It is also

incongruousthatI,adisbeliever,shouldbetheonetoeditthestoryofOlafJansen,

whosenameisnowforthefirsttimegiventotheworld,yetwhomusthereafter

rankasoneofthenotablesofearth.

I freelyconfesshis statementsadmit of norational analysis,buthave todo

with the profound mystery concerning the frozen North that for centuries has

claimedtheattentionofscientistsandlaymenalike.

Howevermuchtheyareatvariancewith thecosmographicalmanuscriptsof

thepast,theseplainstatementsmayberelieduponasarecordofthethingsOlaf

Jansenclaimstohaveseenwithhisowneyes.

AhundredtimesIhaveaskedmyselfwhetheritispossiblethattheworld's

geography is incomplete, and that the startling narrative of Olaf Jansen is

predicated upon demonstrable facts. The reader may be able to answer these

queriestohisownsatisfaction,howeverfarthechroniclerofthisnarrativemaybefrom having reached a conviction. Yet sometimes even I am at a loss to know

whetherIhavebeenledawayfromanabstracttruthbytheignesfatuiofaclever

superstition, or whether heretofore accepted facts are, after all, founded upon

falsity.

Itmay bethatthe truehomeof Apollowas not atDelphi,but in thatolder

earth-centerofwhichPlatospeaks,wherehesays:"Apollo'srealhomeisamong

theHyperboreans,inalandofperpetuallife,wheremythologytellsustwodoves

flyingfromthetwooppositeendsoftheworldmetinthisfairregion,thehomeofApollo.Indeed,accordingtoHecataeus,Leto,themotherofApollo,wasbornonan

islandintheArcticOceanfarbeyondtheNorthWind."

Itisnotmyintentiontoattemptadiscussionofthetheogonyofthedeitiesnor

thecosmogonyoftheworld.Mysimpledutyistoenlightentheworldconcerninga

heretoforeunknownportionoftheuniverse,asitwasseenanddescribedbythe

oldNorseman,OlafJansen.

Interestinnorthernresearchisinternational.Elevennationsareengagedin,

orhavecontributedto,theperilousworkoftryingtosolveEarth'soneremaining



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cosmologicalmystery.

Thereisasaying,ancientasthehills,that"truthisstrangerthanfiction,"and

inamoststartlingmannerhasthisaxiombeenbroughthometomewithinthelast

fortnight.

Itwasjusttwoo'clockinthemorningwhenIwasarousedfromarestfulsleep

by the vigorous ringingofmydoor-bell. The untimely disturberproved to bea

messengerbearinganote,scrawledalmosttothepointofillegibility,fromanold

Norseman by the name of Olaf Jansen. Aftermuch deciphering, Imade out the

writing,which simply said:"Am illuntodeath. Come."The callwas imperative,

andIlostnotimeinmakingreadytocomply.

PerhapsImayaswellexplainherethatOlafJansen,amanwhoquiterecentlycelebratedhisninety-fifthbirthday,has for the last half-dozenyearsbeen living

aloneinanunpretentiousbungalowoutGlendaleway,ashortdistancefromthe

businessdistrictofLosAngeles,California.

Itwaslessthentwoyearsago,whileoutwalkingoneafternoon,thatIwas

attractedbyOlafJansen'shouseandit'shomelikesurroundings,towarditsowner

andoccupant,whomIafterwardcametoknowasabelieverintheancientworship

ofOdinandThor.

Therewasagentlenessinhisface,andakindlyexpressioninthekeenlyalert

gray eyes of this manwho had livedmore than four-score years and ten; and,

withal,asenseoflonelinessthatappealedtomysympathy.Slightlystooped,and

with his hands clasped behind him, he walked back and forth with slow and

measured tread, that day when first we met. I can hardly say what particular

motive impelled me to pause in my walk and engage him in conversation. He

seemedpleasedwhenIcomplimentedhimontheattractivenessofhisbungalow,

andonthewell-tendedvinesandflowersclusteringinprofusionoveritswindows,roofandwidepiazza.

Isoondiscoveredthatmynewacquaintancewasnoordinaryperson,butone

profoundandlearnedtoaremarkabledegree;amanwho,inthelateryearsofhis

longlife,haddugdeeplyintobooksandbecomestronginthepowerofmeditative

silence.

Iencouragedhim to talk, and soongatheredthathehadresidedonlysixorsevenyearsinSouthernCalifornia,buthadpassedthedozenyearspriorinoneof

themiddle Eastern states.Before thathehad been a fishermanoff the coastof



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Norway,intheregionoftheLofodenIslands,fromwhencehehadmadetripsstill

farthernorthtoSpitzbergenandeventoFranzJosefLand.

When I started tomakemy leave, he seemed reluctant to haveme go,and

askedmetocomeagain.AlthoughatthetimeIthoughtnothingofit,I remember

nowthathemadeapeculiarremarkasIextendedmyhandinleave-taking."You

willcomeagain?"heasked."Yes,youwillcomeagainsomeday.Iamsureyouwill;

andIshallshowyoumylibraryandtellyoumanythingsofwhichyouhavenever

dreamed,thingssowonderfulthatitmaybeyouwillnotbelieveme."

IlaughinglyassuredhimthatIwouldnotonlycomeagain,butwouldbeready

tobelievewhateverhemightchoosetotellmeofhistravelsandadventures.

InthedaysthatfollowedIbecamewellacquaintedwithOlafJansen,and,littlebylittle,hetoldmehisstory,somarvelous,thatitsverydaringchallengesreason

andbelief.TheoldNorsemanalwaysexpressedhimselfwithsomuchearnestness

andsinceritythatIbecameenthralledbyhisstrangenarrations.

Thencamethemessengers'scallthatnight,andwithinthehourIwasatOlaf

Jansenbungalow.

Hewasveryimpatientatthelongwait,althoughafterbeingsummonedIhadcomeimmediatelytohisbedside.

"Imusthasten,"heexclaimed,whileyetheheldmyhandingreeting."Ihave

muchtotellyouthatyouknownot,andIwilltrustnoonebutyou.Ifullyrealize,"

hewentonhurriedly,"thatIshallnotsurvivethenight.Thetimehascometojoin

myfathersinthegreatsleep."

Iadjustedthepillowstomakehimmorecomfortable,andassuredhimIwasgladtobeabletoservehiminanywaypossible,forIwasbeginningtorealizethe

seriousnessofhiscondition.

Thelatenessofthehour,thestillnessofthesurroundings,theuncannyfeeling

ofbeingalonewiththedyingman,togetherwithhisweirdstory,allcombinedto

makemyheartbeatfastandloudwithafeelingforwhichIhavenoname.Indeed,

thereweremany times thatnight bytheoldNorseman's couch,and there have

beenmanytimessince,whenasensationratherthanaconvictiontookpossession

ofmyverysoul,andIseemednotonlytobelievein,butactuallysee,thestrange

lands,thestrangepeopleandthestrangeworldofwhichhetold,andtohearthe

mightyorchestralchorusofathousandlustyvoices.



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Forover twohoursheseemedendowedwithalmostsuperhumanstrength,

talkingrapidly,andtoallappearances,rationally.Finallyhegavemeintomyhands

certaindata,drawingsandcrudemaps."These,"saidheinconclusion,"Ileavein

yourhands.IfIcanhaveyourpromisetogivethemtotheworld,Ishalldiehappy,

becauseIdesirebecauseyouarenottellingyourownstory,butmine,andI,thanks

to the gods, Odin and Thor, will be in my grave, and so beyond the reach ofdisbelieverswhowouldpersecute."

Without a thought of the far-reaching results the promise entailed, or

foreseeingthemanysleeplessnightswhichtheobligationhassincebroughtme,I

gavemyhandandwithitapledgetodischargefaithfullyhisdyingwish.

AsthesunroseoverthepeaksoftheSanJacinto,fartotheeastward,thespirit

of Olaf Jansen, the navigator, the explorerandworshiper of Odin and Thor, theman whose experiences and travels, as related, are without a parallel in the

world'shistory,passedaway,andIwasleftalonewiththedead.

And now, after having paid the last sad rites to this strangeman from the

LofodenIslands,andthestillfarther"NorthwardHo!",thecourageousexplorerof

frozen regions, who in his declining years (after he had passed the four-score

mark) had sought an asylum of restful peace in sunfavored California, I will

undertaketomakepublichisstory.

But,firstofall,letmeindulgeinoneortworeflections:

Generation follows generation, and the traditions from the misty past are

handed down fromsire to son, but for some strange reason interest in the ice-

lockedunknowndoesnotabatewiththerecedingyears,eitherinthemindsofthe

ignorantorthetutored.

With each new generation a restless impulse stirs the hearts of men to

capture theveiled citadel of theArctic, the circle ofsilence, the landofglaciers,

coldwastes ofwaters andwindsthatare strangelywarm. Increasing interest is

manifestedinthemountainousicebergs,andmarvelousspeculationsareindulged

in concerning the earth's center of gravity, the cradle of the tides, where the

whales have their nurseries, where the magnetic needle goes mad, where the

Aurora Borealis illumines the night, and where brave and courageous spiritsof

everygenerationdaretoventureandexplore,defyingthedangersofthe"Farthest

North."

Oneoftheablestworksof recentyearsis "ParadiseFound,or theCradleof



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The Human Race at the North Pole," by William F. Warren. In his carefully

prepared volume,Mr.Warren almost stubbedhis toe against the real truth,but

misseditseeminglybyonlyahair'sbreadth,iftheoldNorseman'srevelationbe

true.

Dr. Orville Livingston Leech, scientist, in a recent article, says: "The

possibilitiesoflandinsidetheearthwerefirstbroughttomyattentionwhenIpicked

upageodeontheshoresoftheGreatLakes.Thegeodeisasphericalandapparently

solidstone,butwhenbrokenisfoundtobehollowandcoatedwithcrystals.Theearth

isonlyalargeformofageode,andthelawthatcreatedthegeodeinitshollowform

undoubtedlyfashionedtheearthinthesameway."

Inpresentingthethemeofthisalmostincrediblestory,astoldbyOlafJansen,

and supplementedbymanuscript,maps and crude drawingsentrusted tome, afittingintroductionisfoundinthefollowingquotation:

"In the beginning God createdthe heaven and the earth, and the earthwas

withoutformandvoid."Andalso,"Godcreatedmaninhisownimage."Therefore,

eveninthingsmaterial,manmustbeGod-like,becauseheisinthelikenessofthe

Father.

Amanbuildsahouseforhimselfandfamily.Theporchesorverandasareallwithout,andaresecondary.Thebuildingisreallyconstructedfortheconveniences

within.

Olaf Jansen makes the startling announcement through me, an humble

instrument,thatinlikemanner,Godcreatedtheearthforthe"within"- thatisto

say, for its lands, seas, rivers, mountains, forests and valleys, and for its other

internalconveniences,whiletheoutsidesurfaceoftheearthismerelytheveranda,

theporch,wherethingsgrowbycomparisonbutsparsely,likethelichenonthe

mountainside,clingingdeterminedlyforbareexistence.

Takeanegg-shell,andfromeachendbreakoutapieceaslargeastheendof

thispencil.Extractitscontents,andthenyouwillhaveaperfectrepresentationof

Olaf Jansen's earth. The distance from the inside surface to the outside surface,

accordingtohim,isaboutthreehundredmiles.Thecenterofgravityisnotinthe

centeroftheearth,butinthecenteroftheshellorcrust;therefore,ifthethickness

of the earth'scrust or shell is threehundredmiles, the center ofgravity isone

hundredandfiftymilesbelowthesurface.

Intheirlog-booksArcticexplorerstellusofthedippingoftheneedleasthe



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vesselsailsinregionsofthefarthestnorthknown.Inreality,theyareatthecurve;

on the edgeof the shell,where gravity isgeometricallyincreased, andwhilethe

electriccurrentseeminglydashesoffintospacetowardthephantomideaofthe

North Pole, yet this same electric current drops again and continues its course

southwardalongtheinsidesurfaceoftheearth'scrust.

Intheappendixtohiswork,CaptainSabinegivesanaccountofexperiments

todeterminetheaccelerationofthependulumindifferentlatitudes.Thisappears

tohaveresultedfromthejointlaborofPearyandSabine.Hesays:"Theaccidental

discoverythatapendulumonbeingremovedfromParistotheneighborhoodof

the equator increased its time of vibration, gave the first step to our present

knowledgethatthepolaraxisoftheglobeislessthantheequatorial;thattheforce

of gravity at the surface of the earth increases progressively from the equator

towardthepoles."

AccordingtoOlafJansen,inthebeginningthisoldworldofourswascreated

solely for the "within" world, where are located the four great rivers -- the

Euphrates, the Pison, the Gihon and the Hiddekel. These same namesof rivers,

when applied to streams on the "outside" surface of the earth, are purely

traditionalfromanantiquitybeyondthememoryofman.

Onthetopofahighmountain,nearthefountain-headofthesefourrivers,Olaf

Jansen,theNorseman,claimstohavediscoveredthelong-lost"GardenofEden,"the veritablenavelof the earth, and to have spent over twoyears studying and

reconnoiteringin thismarvelous"within" land,exuberantwithstupendousplant

lifeandaboundingingiantanimals;alandwherethepeoplelivetobecenturies

old, after theorder ofMethuselahand other Biblicalcharacters; a regionwhere

one-quarterofthe"inner"surfaceiswaterandthree-quartersland;wherethere

are large oceans andmany rivers and lakes;where the cities are superlative in

construction and magnificence; where modes of transportation are as far in

advance of ours as we with our boasted achievements are in advance of the

inhabitantsof"darkestAfrica."

Thedistancedirectlyacrossthespacefrominnersurfacetoinnersurfaceis

about six hundredmiles less than the recognized diameter of the earth. In the

identicalcenterofthisvastvacuumistheseatofelectricity--amammothballof

dullredfire--notstartlinglybrilliant,butsurroundedbyawhite,mild, luminous

cloud,givingoutuniformwarmth,andheldinitsplaceinthecenterofthisinternal

space by the immutable law of gravitation. Thiselectrical cloud isknownto the

people"within"astheabodeof"TheSmokyGod."Theybelieveittobethethroneof"TheMostHigh."



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OlafJansenremindedmeofhow,intheoldcollegedays,wewereallfamiliar

with the laboratory demonstrations of centrifugalmotion, which clearlyproved

that,iftheearthwereasolid,therapidityofitsrevolutionuponitsaxiswouldtear

itintoathousandfragments.

TheoldNorsemanalsomaintainedthatfromthefarthestpointsoflandonthe

islandsofSpitzbergenandFranzJosefLand,flocksofgeesemaybeseenannually

flyingstillfarthernorthward,justasthesailorsandexplorersrecordintheirlog-

books.Noscientisthasyetbeenaudaciousenoughtoattempttoexplain,evento

his own satisfaction, towardwhat lands thesewinged fowls are guided by their

subtleinstinct.However,OlafJansenhasgivenusamostreasonableexplanation.

ThepresenceoftheopenseaintheNorthlandisalsoexplained.OlafJansen

claims that the northern aperture, intake or hole, so to speak, isabout fourteenhundredmilesacross.Inconnectionwiththis,letusreadwhatExplorerNansen

writes,onpage288ofhisbook:"Ihaveneverhadsuchasplendidsail.Ontothe

north, steadilynorth,withagoodwind,as fastassteamandsailcan takeus,an

open sea mile after mile, watch after watch, through these unknown regions,

alwaysclearerandclearerofice,onemightalmostsay:'Howlongwillitlast?'The

eyealwaysturnstothenorthwardasonepacesthebridge.Itisgazingintothe

future.Butthereisalwaysthesamedarkskyaheadwhichmeansopensea."Again,

theNorwoodReview of England, in its issueofMay 10, 1884, says:"We donot

admit that there is ice up to the Pole - once inside the great icebarrier, a newworld breaks upon the explorer, the climate is mild like that of England, and,

afterward,balmyastheGreekIsles."

Someoftherivers"within,"OlafJansenclaims,arelargerthanourMississippi

and Amazon rivers combined, inpoint of volume of water carried; indeed their

greatnessisoccasionedbytheirwidthanddepthratherthantheirlength,anditis

atthemouthsofthesemightyrivers,astheyflownorthwardandsouthwardalong

the insidesurfaceoftheearth, thatmammothicebergs are found, someofthem

fifteenandtwentymileswideandfromfortytoonehundredmilesinlength.

Isitnotstrangethattherehasneverbeenanicebergencounteredeitherin

the Arctic or Antarctic Ocean that is not composed of fresh water? Modern

scientistsclaimthatfreezingeliminatesthesalt,butOlafJansenclaimsdifferently.

AncientHindoo,JapaneseandChinesewritings,aswellashieroglyphicsofthe

extinct races of the North American continent, all speak of the custom of sun-

worshiping,anditispossible,inthestartlinglightofOlafJansen'srevelations,thatthepeopleoftheinnerworld,luredawaybyglimpsesofthesunasitshoneupon

theinnersurfaceoftheearth,eitherfromthenorthernorthesouthernopening,



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became dissatisfied with "The Smoky God," the great pillar or mother cloud of

electricity, and, weary of their continuously mild and pleasant atmosphere,

followedthebrighterlight,andwerefinallyledbeyondtheicebeltandscattered

over the "outer"surface of the earth, throughAsia,Europe, NorthAmericaand,

later,Africa,AustraliaandSouthAmerica. 1

1The following quotation is significant; "It follows that man issuing from a

mother-regionstillundeterminedbutwhichanumberofconsiderationsindicateto

havebeenintheNorth,hasradiatedinseveraldirections;thathismigrationshave

been constantly from North to South." - M. le Marquis G. de Saporta, in Popular

ScienceMontly,October,1883,page753.

Itisanotablefactthat,asweapproachtheEquator,thestatureofthehuman

race grows less. But the Patagonians of South America are probably the onlyaboriginesfromthecenteroftheearthwhocameoutthroughtheapertureusually

designatedastheSouthPole,andtheyarecalledthegiantrace.

OlafJansenaversthat,inthebeginning,theworldwascreatedbytheGreat

ArchitectoftheUniverse,sothatmanmightdwelluponits"inside"surface,which

haseversincebeenthehabitationofthe"chosen."

Theywhoweredrivenoutofthe"GardenofEden"broughttheirtraditionalhistorywiththem.

Thehistoryofthepeopleliving"within"containsanarrativesuggestingthe

story of Noah and the ark with whichwe are familiar. He sailed away, as did

Columbus, from a certain port, to a strange land he had heard of far to the

northward,carryingwithhimallmannerofbeastsofthefieldsandfowlsoftheair,

butwasneverheardofafterward.

On the northern boundaries of Alaska, and still more frequently on the

Siberian coast, are found bone-yards containing tusks of ivory in quantities so

great as to suggest the burying-places of antiquity. FromOlaf Jansen's account,

theyhavecomefromthegreatprolificanimallifethataboundsinthefieldsand

forests and on the banksofnumerous rivers of the InnerWorld. Thematerials

were caught in the ocean currents, or were carried on ice-floes, and have

accumulatedlikedriftwoodontheSiberiancoast.Thishasbeengoingonforages,

andhencethesemysteriousbone-yards.

On thissubjectWilliamF.Warren, inhisbookalreadycited,pages297 and

298,says:"TheArcticrockstellofalostAtlantismorewonderfulthanPlato's.The



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fossilivorybedsofSiberiaexceleverythingofthekindintheworld.Fromthedays

ofPliny,atleast,theyhaveconstantlybeenundergoingexploitation,andstillthey

arethechiefheadquartersofsupply.Theremainsofmammothsaresoabundant

that,asGratacapsays,'thenorthernislandsofSiberiaseembuiltupofcrowded

bones.'Anotherscientificwriter,speakingoftheislandsofNewSiberia,northward

ofthemouthoftheRiverLena,usesthislanguage:'Largequantitiesofivoryaredugoutofthegroundeveryyear. Indeed,someof the islandsarebelievedtobe

nothing but an accumulation of drift-timber and the bodies of mammoths and

otherantediluviananimalsfrozentogether.'Fromthiswemayinferthat,during

theyearsthathaveelapsedsincetheRussianconquestofSiberia,usefultusksfrom

morethantwentythousandmammothshavebeencollected."

ButnowforthestoryofOlafJansen.Igiveitindetail,assetdownbyhimself

in manuscript, and woven into the tale, just as he placed them are certain

quotationsfromrecentworksonArcticexploration,showinghowcarefullytheold

Norseman compared with his own experiences those of other voyagers to the

frozenNorth.ThuswrotethediscipleofOdinandThor:

PARTTWO:

OlafJansen'sStory

MynameisOlafJansen.IamaNorwegian,althoughIwasborninthelittle

seafaringRussiantownofUleaborg,ontheeasterncoastoftheGulfofBothnia,thenorthernarmoftheBalticSea.

MyparentswereonafishingcruiseintheGulfofBothnia,andputintothis

RussiantownofUleaborgatthetimeofmybirth,beingthetwenty-seventhdayof

October,1811.

Myfather,JensJansen,wasbornatRodwigontheScandinaviancoast,near

theLofodenIslands,butaftermarryingmadehishomeatStockholm,becausemy

mother'speopleresidedinthatcity.Whensevenyearsold,IbegangoingwithmyfatheronhisfishingtripsalongtheScandinaviancoast.

EarlyinlifeIdisplayedanaptitudeforbooks,andattheageofnineyearswas

placedinaprivateschoolinStockholm,remainingthereuntilIwasfourteen.After

thisImaderegulartripswithmyfatheronallhisfishingvoyages.

Myfatherwasaman fullysix feetthree inheight,andweighedoverfifteen

stone,atypicalNorsemanofthemostruggedsort,andcapableofmoreendurance

thananyothermanIhaveeverknown.Hepossessedthegentlenessofawomanintenderlittleways,yethisdeterminationandwill-powerwerebeyonddescription.

Hiswilladmittedofnodefeat.



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Iwasinmynineteenthyearwhenwestartedonwhatprovedtobeourlast

tripasfishermen,andwhichresultedinthestrangestorythatshallbegiventothe

world,--butnotuntilIhavefinishedmyearthlypilgrimage.

IdarenotallowthefactsasIknowthemtobepublishedwhileIamliving,forfearoffurtherhumiliation,confinementandsuffering.Firstofall,Iwasputinirons

bythecaptainofthewhalingvesselthatrescuedme,fornootherreasonthanthat

Itoldthetruthaboutthemarvelousdiscoveriesmadebymyfatherandmyself.But

thiswasfarfrombeingtheendofmytortures.

Afterfouryearsandeightmonths'absenceIreachedStockholm,onlytofind

mymotherhaddiedthepreviousyear,andthepropertyleftbymyparentsinthe

possessionofmymother'speople,butitwasatoncemadeovertome.

Allmight have been well, had I erased from my memory the story of our

adventureandofmyfather'sterribledeath.

Finally,onedayI toldthestoryindetailtomyuncle,GustafOsterlind,aman

of considerableproperty, andurgedhimto fitout anexpedition formetomake

anothervoyagetothestrangeland.

AtfirstIthoughthefavoredmyproject.Heseemedinterested,andinvitedme

togobeforecertainofficialsandexplaintothem,asIhadtohim,thestoryofourtravels anddiscoveries. Imaginemydisappointment andhorrorwhen, upon the

conclusionofmynarrative,certainpapersweresignedbymyuncle,and,without

warning, I found myself arrested and hurried away to dismal and fearful

confinement in a madhouse, where I remained for twenty-eight years - long,

tedious,frightfulyearsofsuffering!

Ineverceasedtoassertmysanity,andtoprotestagainsttheinjusticeofmy

confinement.Finally,ontheseventeenthofOctober,1862,Iwasreleased.Myuncle

wasdead,andthefriendsofmyyouthwerenowstrangers.Indeed,amanoverfiftyyearsold,whoseonlyknownrecordisthatofamadman,hasnofriends.

Iwasatalosstoknowwhattodoforaliving,butinstinctivelyturnedtoward

the harbor where fishing boats in great numbers were anchored, andwithin a

weekIhadshippedwithafishermanbythenameofYanHansen,whowasstarting

onalongfishingcruisetotheLofodenIslands.

Here my earlier years of training proved of the very greatest advantage,

especially in enabling me to makemyself useful. Thiswas but the beginning ofothertrips,andbyfrugaleconomyIwas,inafewyears,abletoownafishing-brig

ofmyown.



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Fortwenty-sevenyearsthereafterIfollowedtheseaasafisherman,fiveyears

workingforothers,andthelasttwenty-twoformyself.

DuringalltheseyearsIwasamostdiligentstudentofbooks,aswellasahard

workeratmybusiness,butI tookgreatcarenottomention toanyonethe storyconcerningthediscoveriesmadebymyfatherandmyself.EvenatthislatedayI

wouldbe fearfulofhavinganyoneseeorknowthethings Iamwriting, andthe

recordsandmapsIhaveinmykeeping.Whenmydaysoneartharefinished,Ishall

leavemapsandrecordsthatwillenlightenand,Ihope,benefitmankind.

The memory of my long confinement with maniacs, and all the horrible

anguishandsufferingsaretoovividtowarrantmytakingfurtherchances.

In1889Isoldoutmyfishingboats,andfoundIhadaccumulatedafortunequitesufficienttokeepmetheremainderofmylife.IthencametoAmerica.

For a dozenyearsmyhomewas in Illinois, nearBatavia, where I gathered

mostof thebooksinmypresent library, though Ibroughtmanychoicevolumes

from Stockholm. Later, I came to LosAngeles,arrivinghereMarch4, 1901.The

dateIwellremember,asitwasPresidentMcKinley'ssecondinaugurationday.I

boughtthishumblehomeanddetermined,hereintheprivacyofmyownabode,

shelteredbymyownvineandfig-tree,andwithmybooksaboutme,tomakemaps

anddrawingsofthenewlandswehaddiscovered,andalsotowritethestoryindetail from the time my father and I left Stockholm until the tragic event that

partedusintheAntarcticOcean.

IwellrememberthatweleftStockholminourfishing-slooponthethirdday

ofApril,1829,andsailedtothesouthward,leavingGothlandIslandtotheleftand

OelandIslandtotheright.AfewdayslaterwesucceededindoublingSandhommar

Point,andmadeourway through thesoundwhichseparatesDenmark fromthe

Scandinaviancoast.InduetimeweputinatthetownofChristiansand,wherewe

restedtwodays,andthenstartedaroundtheScandinaviancoasttothewestward,boundfortheLofodenIslands.

Myfatherwasinhighspirit,becauseoftheexcellentandgratifyingreturnshe

hadreceivedfromourlastcatchbymarketingatStockholm,insteadofsellingat

oneoftheseafaringtownsalongtheScandinaviancoast.Hewasespeciallypleased

with the sale of some ivory tusks that he had foundon thewest coastof Franz

Joseph Land during one of his northern cruises the previous year, and he

expressedthehopethatthistimewemightagainbefortunateenoughtoloadour

littlefishing-sloopwithivory,insteadofcod,herring,mackerelandsalmon.

WeputinatHammerfest,latitudeseventy-onedegreesandfortyminutes,for



14

a few days' rest. Here we remained one week, laying in an extra supply of

provisions and several casks of drinking-water, and then sailed toward

Spitzbergen.

Forthefirstfewdayswehadanopenseaand

favoringwind,andthenweencounteredmuch iceand many icebergs. A vessel large than our little

fishing-sloop could not possibly have threaded its

way among the labyrinth of icebergs or squeezed

through the barely open channels. These monster

bergs presented an endless succession of crystal

palaces, of massive cathedrals and fantastic

mountain ranges, grim and sentinel-like,

immovable as some towering cliff of solid rock,

standing silent as sphinx, resisting the restlesswavesofafretfulsea.

After many narrow escapes, we arrived at

Spitsbergen on the 23d of June, and anchored at

WijadeBayforashorttime,wherewewerequite

successfulinourcatches.Wethenliftedanchorand

sailedthroughtheHinlopenStrait,andcoastedalongtheNorth-East-Land.

ItwillberememberedthatAndreestartedonhisfatalballoonvoyagefromthenorthwestcoastofSpitzbergen.

Astrongwindcameupfromthesouthwest,andmyfathersaidthatwehad

better take advantage of it and try to reach Franz Josef Land, where, the year

beforehehad,byaccident,foundtheivorytusksthathadbroughthimsuchagood

priceatStockholm.

Never,beforeorsince,haveIseensomanysea-fowl;theyweresonumerous

thattheyhidtherocksonthecoastlineanddarkenedthesky.

ForseveraldayswesailedalongtherockycoastofFranzJosefLand.Finally,a

favoringwindcameupthatenabledustomaketheWestCoast,and,aftersailing

twenty-fourhours,wecametoabeautifulinlet.

One could hardly believe it was the Northland. The place was green with

growingvegetation, andwhile the areadid not comprisemorethanoneor two

acres,yettheairwaswarmandtranquil.Itseemedtobeatthatpointwherethe

GulfStream'sinfluenceismostkeenlyfelt.

SirJohnBarrow,Bart.,F.R.S.,inhisworkentitled"VoyagesofDiscoveryand



15

ResearchWithintheArcticRegions,"saysonpage57:"Mr.Beecheyreferstowhat

hasfrequentlybeenfoundandnoticed--themildnessofthetemperatureonthe

westerncoastofSpitsbergen,therebeinglittleornosensationofcold,thoughthe

thermometermightbeonlyafewdegreesabovethefreezing-point.Thebrilliant

andlivelyeffectofaclearday,whenthesunshinesforthwithapuresky,whose

azurehueissointenseastofindnoparallelevenintheboastedItaliansky."

Ontheeastcoasttherewerenumerousicebergs,yetherewewereinopen

water. Far to the west of us, however, were icepacks, and still farther to the

westwardtheiceappearedlikerangesoflowhills.Infrontofus,anddirectlyto

thenorth,layanopensea.

Captain Kane, on page 299, quoting from Morton's Journal, the 26th of

December, says: "As far as I could see, the open passageswere fifteenmiles or

morewide,withsometimesmashediceseparatingthem.Butitisallsmallice,andIthinkiteitherdrivesouttotheopenspacetothenorthorrotsandsinks,asI

couldseenoneaheadtothenorth."

MyfatherwasanardentbelieverinOdinandThor,andhadfrequentlytold

metheyweregodswhocamefromfarbeyondthe"NorthWind."

Therewasatradition,myfatherexplained,thatstillfarthernorthwardwasa

landmorebeautiful thanany thatmortalman had everknown, and that itwas

inhabitedbythe"Chosen."

We find the following in "DeutscheMythologie," page 778, from the pen of

JakobGrimm;"Then the sons of Borbuilt in themiddle of the universe the city

calledAsgard,wheredwellthegodsandtheirkindred,andfromthatabodework

outsomanywondrousthingsbothontheearthandintheheavensaboveit.There

isinthatcityaplacecalledHlidskjalf,andwhenOdinisseatedthereuponhislofty

throneheseesoverthewholeworldanddiscernsalltheactionsofmen."

Myyouthfulimaginationwasfiredbytheardor,zealandreligiousfervorofmygoodfather,andIexclaimed:"Whynotsailtothisgoodlyland?Theskyisfair,

thewindfavorableandtheseaopen."

EvennowIcanseetheexpressionofpleasurablesurpriseonhiscountenance

asheturnedtowardmeandasked:"Myson,areyouwillingtogowithmeand

explore -- to go far beyond where man has ever ventured?" I answered

affirmatively."Verywell,"hereplied."MaythegodOdinprotectus!"and,quickly

adjustingthesails,heglancedatourcompass,turnedtheprowinduenortherly

directionthroughanopenchannel,andourvoyagehadbegun.Hallwrites,onpage288:"On23rdofJanuarythetwoEsquimaux,accompaniedbytwooftheseamen,

wenttoCapeLupton.Theyreportedaseaofopenwaterextendingasfarastheeye



16

couldreach."

Thesunwaslowinthehorizon,asitwasstilltheearlysummer.Indeed,we

hadalmostfourmonthsofdayaheadofusbeforethefrozennightcouldcomeon

again.

Ourlittlefishing-sloopsprangforwardasifeagerasourselvesforadventure.

Withinthirty-sixhourswewereoutofsightofthehighestpointonthecoastlineof

FranzJosefLand.Weseemedtobeinastrongcurrentrunningnorthbynortheast.

Fartotherightandtotheleftofuswereicebergs,butourlittlesloopboredown

onthenarrowsandpassedthroughchannelsandoutintoopenseas-channelsso

narrowinplacesthat, hadour craftbeenother thansmall,wenever couldhave

gottenthrough.

Onthethirddaywecametoanisland.Itsshoreswerewashedbyanopensea.Myfatherdeterminedtolandandexploreforaday.Thisnewlandwasdestituteof

timber, butwefound a largeaccumulationof drift-wood on thenorthern shore.

Someofthetrunksofthetreeswerefortyfeetlongandtwofeetindiameter.

Greelytellsusinvol.1,page100,that:"PrivatesConnellandFrederickfound

alargeconiferoustreeonthebeach,justabovetheextremehigh-watermark.It

was nearly thirty inches in circumference, some thirty feet long, and had

apparently been carried to that point by a current within a couple of years. A

portionofitwascutupforfire-wood,andforthefirsttimeinthatvalley,abright,cheerycamp-firegavecomforttoman."

Afteroneday'sexplorationofthecoastlineofthisisland,weliftedanchorand

turnedourprowtothenorthinanopensea.

Dr.Kanesays,onpage379ofhisworks:"Icannotimaginewhatbecomesof

theice.Astrongcurrentsetsinconstantlytothenorth;but,fromaltitudesofmore

thanfivehundredfeet,Isawonlynarrowstripsofice,withgreatspacesofopen

water,fromtentofifteenmilesinbreadth,betweenthem.Itmust,therefore,eithergotoanopenspaceinthenorth,ordissolve."

I remember that neither my father nor myself had tasted food for almost

thirty hours. Perhaps this was because of the tension of excitement about our

strange voyage in waters farther north, my father said, than anyone had ever

beforebeen.Activementalityhaddulledthedemandsofthephysicalneeds.

Insteadofthecoldbeingintenseaswehadanticipated,itwasreallywarmer

andmorepleasant than ithad beenwhile inHammerfest on the north coast ofNorway,somesixweeksbefore.



17

CaptainPeary'ssecondvoyagerelatesanothercircumstancewhichmayserve

toconfirmaconjecturewhichhaslongbeenmaintainedbysome,thatanopensea,

freeofice,existsatornearthePole."OnthesecondofNovember,"saysPeary,"the

windfresheneduptoagalefromnorthbywest,loweredthethermometerbefore

midnight to5 degrees, whereas, a rise of wind atMelville Island was generally

accompaniedbyasimultaneousriseinthethermometeratlowtemperatures.Maynot this," he asks, "be occasioned by thewind blowingover an open sea in the

quarterfromwhichthewindblows?Andtendtoconfirmtheopinionthatator

nearthePoleanopenseaexists?"

Webothfranklyadmittedthatwewereveryhungry,andforthwithIprepared

asubstantialmealfromourwell-storedlarder.Whenwehadpartakenheartilyof

therepast,ItoldmyfatherIbelievedIwouldsleep,asIwasbeginningtofeelquite

drowsy."Verywell,"hereplied,"Iwillkeepthewatch."

IhavenowaytodeterminehowlongIslept;IonlyknowthatIwasrudely

awakenedbyaterriblecommotionofthesloop.Tomysurprise,Ifoundmyfather

sleepingsoundly.Icriedoutlustilytohim,andstartingup,hesprangquicklytohis

feet.Indeed,hadhenotinstantlyclutchedtherail,hewouldcertainlyhavebeen

thrownintotheseethingwaves.

A fierce snow-stormwas raging. Thewindwas directly astern, drivingour

sloopataterrificspeed,andwasthreateningeverymomenttocapsizeus.There

was no time to lose, the sails had to be lowered immediately. Our boat waswrithing inconvulsions.A fewicebergsweknew

were on either side of us, but fortunately the

channelwasopendirectlytothenorth.Butwould

it remain so? In front of us, girding the horizon

fromlefttoright,wasavaporishfogormist,black

asEgyptian night at thewater's edge, andwhite

like a steam-cloud toward the top, which was

finally lost to view as it blended with the great

whiteflakesoffallingsnow.Whetheritcoveredatreacherous iceberg, or some other hidden

obstacleagainstwhichourlittlesloopwoulddash

andsendustoawaterygrave,orwasmerelythe

phenomenonofanArcticfog,therewasnowayto

determine.

On the page 284 of his works, Hall writes:

"FromthetopofProvidenceBerg,adarkfogwas

seen to the north, indicating water. At 10 a.m.three of the men (Kruger, Nindemann and Hobby) went to Cape Lupton to

ascertain if possible the extent of theopenwater. On theirreturntheyreported



18

severalopenspacesandmuchyoungice--notmorethanadayold,sothinthatit

waseasilybrokenbythrowingpiecesoficeuponit."

Bywhatmiracleweescapedbeingdashedtoutterdestruction,Idonotknow.

Irememberourlittlecraftcreakedandgroaned,asifitsjointswerebreaking.It

rocked and staggered to and fro as if clutched by some fierce undertow ofwhirlpoolormaelstrom.

Fortunatelyourcompasshadbeenfastenedwithlongscrewstoacross-beam.

Mostofourprovisions,however,weretumbledoutandsweptawayfromthedeck

of the cuddy, andhadwe not taken the precaution at the very beginning to tie

ourselves firmly to themastsof the sloop,weshould have been swept into the

lashingsea.

Abovethedeafeningtumultoftheragingwaves,Iheardmyfather'svoice."Becourageous,myson,"heshouted,"Odinisthegodofthewaters,thecompanionof

thebrave,andheiswithus.Fearnot."

Tomeitseemedtherewasnopossibilityofourescapingahorribledeath.The

littlesloopwasshippingwater,thesnowwasfallingsofastastobeblinding,and

thewavesweretumblingoverourcountersinrecklesswhite-sprayedfury.There

wasnotellingwhatinstantweshouldbedashedagainstsomedriftingicepack.The

tremendousswellswouldheaveusupto theverypeaksofmountainouswaves,

then plunge us down into the depths of the sea's trough as if our fishing-sloopwereafragileshell.Giganticwhite-cappedwaves,likeveritablewalls,fencedusin,

foreandaft.

Thisterriblenerve-rackingordeal,withitsnamelesshorrorsofsuspenseand

agonyoffearindescribable,continuedformorethanthreehours,andallthetime

wewerebeingdrivenforwardatfiercespeed.Thensuddenly,asifgrowingweary

of its frantic exertions, thewind began to lessen its fury and by degrees to die

down.

Atlastwewereinprefectcalm.Thefogmisthadalsodisappeared,andbefore

uslayanicelesschannelperhapstenorfifteenmileswidewithafewicebergsfar

awaytoourright,andanintermittentarchipelagoofsmalleronestotheleft.

I watched my father closely, determined to remain silent until he spoke.

Presently heuntied the rope from his waist and,without saying aword, began

working thepumps,which fortunatelywere not damaged,relieving thesloopof

thewaterithadshippedinthemadnessofthestorm.

He put up the sloop's sails as calmly as if casting a fishing-net, and then

remarkedthatwewerereadyforafavoringwindwhenitcame.Hiscourageand



19

persistenceweretrulyremarkable.

On investigationwe found less thanone-third ofour provisions remaining,

while to our utter dismay,wediscovered thatour water-caskshad been swept

overboardduringtheviolentplungingsofourboat.

Twoofourwater-caskswereinthemainhold,bothwereempty.Wehadafair

supplyoffood,butnofreshwater.Irealizedatoncetheawfulnessofourposition.

Presently Iwas seizedwitha consuming thirst. "It isindeedbad," remarkedmy

father."However,letusdryourbedraggledclothing,forwearesoakedtotheskin.

TrusttothegodOdin,myson.Donotgiveuphope."

The sunwas beatingdown slantingly,as if wewere ina southern latitude,

insteadofinthefarNorthland.Itwasswingingaround,itsorbitevervisibleand

rising higher and higher each day, frequently mist-covered, yet always peeringthrough the lacework of clouds like some fretful eye of fate, guarding the

mysteriousNorthlandandjealouslywatchingthepranksofman.Fartoourright

theraysdeckingtheprismsoficebergsweregorgeous.Theirreflectionsemitted

flashesofgarnet, of diamond, of sapphire. Apyrotechnicpanoramaof countless

colorsandshapes,whilebelowcouldbeseenthegreen-tintedsea,andabove,the

purplesky.

PARTTHREE:

BeyondTheNorthWind

Itriedtoforgetmythirstbybusyingmyselfwithbringingupsomefoodand

anemptyvesselfromthehold.Reachingovertheside-rail,I filledthevesselwith

waterforthepurposeoflavingmyhandsandface.Tomyastonishment,whenthe

water came in contactwith my lips, I could taste no salt. Iwas startled by the

discovery."Father!"Ifairlygasped,"thewater,thewater;itisfresh!""What,Olaf?"

exclaimedmyfather,glancinghastilyaround."Surelyyouaremistaken.Thereisno

land.Youaregoingmad.""Buttasteit!"Icried.

Andthuswemadethediscoverythatthewaterwasindeedfresh,absolutely

so,withouttheleastbrinytasteoreventhesuspicionofasaltyflavor.

Weforthwithfilledourtworemainingwater-casks,andmyfatherdeclaredit

wasaheavenlydispensationofmercyfromthegodsOdinandThor.

We were almost beside ourselves with joy, but hunger bade us end ourenforcedfast.Nowthatwehadfoundfreshwaterintheopensea,whatmightwe

not expect in this strange latitude where ship had never before sailed and the



20

splashofanoarhadneverbeenheard?1111Invol.I,page196,Nansenwrites:"Itisapeculiarphenomenon,-

thisdeadwater.Wehadatpresentabetteropportunityofstudyingitthanwedesired.Itoccurswhereasurfacelayeroffreshwater

restsuponthesaltwaterofthesea,andthisfreshwateriscarriedalongwiththeshipglidingontheheavierseabeneathitasifona

fixedfoundation.Thedifferencebetweentwostratawasinthiscasesogreatthatwhilewehaddrinkingwateronthesurface,the

waterwegotfromthebottomcockoftheengine-roomwasfartoosalttobeusedfortheboiler."

Wehad scarcely appeasedour hunger when a breeze began filling the idlesails, and, glancing at the compass, we found the northern point pressing hard

againsttheglass.

Inresponsetomysurprise,myfathersaid:"Ihaveheardofthisbefore;itis

whattheycallthedippingoftheneedle."

Weloosenedthecompassandturneditatrightangleswiththesurfaceofthe

sea before its point would free itself from the glass and point according tounmolestedattraction.Itshifteduneasily,andseemedasunsteadyasadrunken

man,butfinallypointedacourse.

Beforethiswethoughtthewindwascarryingusnorthbynorthwest,but,with

the needle free,we discovered, if it could be relied upon, that we were sailing

slightlynorthbynortheast.Ourcourse,however,wasevertendingnorthward. 12

12InvolumeII,pages18and19,Nansenwritesabouttheinclinationoftheneedle.SpeakingofJohnson,hisaide:"Oneday--it

was November 24th-- hecame into suppera little after six o'clock, quite alarmed,and said:'Therehas justbeen a singularinclinationoftheneedleintwentyfourdegrees.Andremarkablyenough,itsnorthernextremitypointedtotheeast.'"

WeagainfindinPeary'sfirstvoyage-page67,-thefollowing:"Ithadbeenobservedthatfromthemomenttheyhadentered

LancasterSound,themotionofthecompassneedlewasverysluggish,andboththisanditsdeviationincreasedastheyprogressedto

thewestward,andcontinuedtodosoindescendingthisinlet.Havingreachedlatitude73degrees,theywitnessedforthefirsttime

thecuriousphenomenonofthedirectivepoweroftheneedlebecomingsoweakastobecompletelyovercomebytheattractionofthe

ship,sothattheneedlemightnowbesaidtopointtothenorthpoleoftheship."

Theseawasserenelysmooth,withhardlyachoppywave,andthewindbrisk

and exhilarating. The sun's rays, while striking us aslant, furnished tranquilwarmth.Andthustimeworeondayafterday,andwefoundfromtherecordinour

log-book,wehadbeensailingelevendayssincethestormintheopensea.

Bystrictesteconomy,ourfoodwasholdingoutfairlywell,butbeginningto

runlow.Inthemeantime,oneofourcasksofwaterhadbeenexhausted,andmy

fathersaid:"Wewillfillitagain."But,toourdismay,wefoundthewaterwasnow

as salt as in the region of the Lofoden Islands off the coast of Norway. This

necessitatedourbeingextremelycarefuloftheremainingcask.

Ifoundmyselfwantingtosleepmuchofthetime;whetheritwastheeffectof



21

theexciting experienceofsailinginunknownwaters,ortherelaxationfrom the

awfulexcitementincidenttoouradventureinastormatsea,orduetowantof

food,Icouldnotsay.

Ifrequentlylaydownonthebunkerofourlittlesloop,andlookedfarupinto

bluedomeofthesky;and,notwithstandingthesunwasshiningfarawayinthe

east,Ialwayssawasinglestaroverhead.Forseveraldays,whenIlookedforthis

star,itwasalwaystheredirectlyaboveus.

Itwasnow,accordingtoourreckoning,about

thefirstofAugust.Thesunwashighintheheavens,

andwassobrightthatIcouldnolongerseetheone

lone star that attracted my attention a few days

earlier.

Onedayaboutthistime,myfatherstartledme

bycallingmyattentiontoanovelsightfarinfront

of us, almost at the horizon. "It is a mock sun,"

exclaimed my father. "I have read of them; it is

called a reflection or mirage. It will soon pass

away."

Butthisdull-red,falsesun,aswesupposedittobe,didnotpassawayforseveralhours;andwhile

we were unconscious of its emitting any rays of

light, still there was no time thereafter when we

couldnotsweepthehorizoninfrontandlocatetheilluminationoftheso-called

falsesun,duringaperiodofatleasttwelvehoursoutofeverytwenty-four.

Cloudsandmistswouldattimesalmost,butneverentirely,hideitslocation.

Graduallyitseemedtoclimbhigherinthehorizonoftheuncertainpurplyskyas

weadvanced. It could hardly besaid to resemble the sun, except in its circularshape, andwhen not obscured by clouds or the oceanmists, it had a hazy-red,

bronzed appearance,whichwouldchange to awhitelikea luminous cloud,asif

reflectingsomegreaterlightbeyond.

Wefinallyagreedinourdiscussionofthissmokyfurnace-coloredsun,that,

whateverthecauseofthephenomenon,itwasnotareflectionofoursun,buta

planetofsomesort--areality.

Nansen, on page 394, says: "Today another noteworthy thing happened,whichwasthataboutmiddaywesawthesun,ortobemorecorrect,animageof

thesun,foritwasonlyamirage.Apeculiarimpressionwasproducedbythesight



22

ofthatglowingfirelitjustabovetheoutermostedgeoftheice.Accordingtothe

enthusiasticdescriptionsgivenbymanyArctictravelersofthefirstappearanceof

this god of life after the long winter night, the impression ought to be one of

jubilantexcitement;butitwasnotsoinmycase.Wehadnotexpectedtoseeitfor

somedaysyet,sothatmyfeelingwasratheroneofpain,ofdisappointment,that

wemusthavedriftedfarthersouththanwethought.SoitwaswithpleasureIsoondiscoveredthatitcouldnotbethesunitself.Themiragewasatfirstaflattened-

out,glowingredstreakoffireonthehorizon;laterthereweretwostreaks,theone

abovetheother,witha dark space between; and from themain top I could see

four, or even five, such horizontal lines directly over one another, all of equal

length, as if one couldonly imaginea square,dull-red sun,withhorizontal dark

streaksacrossit."

Onedaysoonafterthis,Ifeltexceedinglydrowsy,andfellintoasoundsleep.

But it seemed that I was almost immediately aroused by my father's vigorousshakingofmebytheshoulderandsaying:"Olaf,awaken;thereislandinsight!"

Isprangtomyfeet,andoh!joyunspeakable!There,farinthedistance,yet

directlyinourpath,werelandsjuttingboldlyintothesea.Theshore-linestretched

farawaytotherightofus,asfarastheeyecouldsee,andallalongthesandybeach

werewavesbreaking intochoppyfoam,receding,thengoingforwardagain,ever

chanting in monotonous thunder tones the song of the deep. The banks were

coveredwithtreesandvegetation.Icannotexpressmyfeelingofexultationatthis

discovery.Myfatherstoodmotionless,withhishandonthetiller,lookingstraightahead,pouringouthisheartinthankfulprayerandthanksgivingtothegodsOdin

andThor.

Inthemeantime,anetwhichwefoundinthestowagehadbeencast,andwe

caughtafewfishthatmateriallyaddedtoourdwindlingstockofprovisions.

The compass, which we had fastened back in its place, in fear of another

storm, was still pointing due north, and moving on its pivot, just as it had in

Stockholm.Thedippingoftheneedlehadceased.Whatcouldthismean?Then,too,ourmanydaysofsailinghadcertainlycarriedusfarpasttheNorthPole.Andyet

the needle continued to point north. We were sorely perplexed, for surely our

directionwasnowsouth.

Peary's firstvoyage, pages69and70, says: "On reaching SirByamMartin's

Island,thenearesttoMelvilleIsland,thelatitudeoftheplaceofobservationwas

75 degrees-09'-23'', and the longitude 103 degrees-44'-37''; the dip of the

magnetic needle of 88degrees-25'-58'' west in the longitude of 91degrees-48',

wherethelastobservationsontheshorehadbeenmade,to165degrees-50'-09'',east,attheirpresentstation,sothatwehad,"saysPeary,"insailingoverthespace

included between this two meridians, crossed immediately northward of the



23

magneticpole,andhadundoubtedlypassedoveroneofthosespotsupontheglobe

wheretheneedlewouldhavebeenfoundtovary180degrees,orinotherwords,

wheretheNorthPolewouldhavepointedtothesouth."

Wesailedforthreedaysalongtheshoreline,thencametothemouthofafjord

orriverofimmensesize.Itseemedmorelikeagreatbay,andintothisweturnedourfishing-craft,thedirectionbeingslightlynortheastofsouth.Bytheassistance

ofafretfulwindthatcametoouraidabouttwelvehoursoutofeverytwenty-four,

wecontinuedtomakeourwayinland,intowhatafterwardprovedtobeamighty

river,andwhichwelearnedwascalledbytheinhabitantsHiddekel.

We continued our journey for ten days thereafter, and found we had

fortunately attained a distance inland where ocean tides no longer affected the

water,whichhadbecomefresh.

Thediscoverycamenonetosoon,forourremainingcaskofwaterwaswell-

nighexhausted.Welost notimein replenishingour casks, and continuedto sail

fartheruptheriverwhenthewindwasfavorable.

Alongthebanksgreatforestsmilesinextentcouldbeseenstretchingawayon

theshore-line.Thetreeswereofenormoussize.Welandedafteranchoringneara

sandybeach,andwadedashore,andwererewardedbyfindingaquantityofnuts

thatwereverypalatableandsatisfyingtohunger,andawelcomechangefromthe

monotonyofourstockofprovisions.

ItwasaboutthefirstofSeptember,overfivemonths,wecalculated,sinceour

leave-takingfromStockholm.Suddenlywewerefrightenedalmostoutofourwits

by hearing in the far distance the singing of people. Very soon thereafter we

discoveredahuge shipglidingdown the river directly towardus. Those aboard

weresinginginonemightychorusthat,echoingfrombanktobank,soundedlikea

thousand voices, filling the whole universe with quivering melody. The

accompanimentwasplayedonstringedinstrumentsnotunlikeourharps.

It was a larger ship than any we had ever seen, and was differently

constructed.

AsiaticMythology,--page240,"ParadiseFound"--fromtranslationbySayce,

inabookcalled"RecordsofthePast",weweretoldofa"dwelling"which"thegods

createdfor"thefirsthumanbeings,--adwellinginwhichthey"becomegreat"and

"increased in numbers," and the location ofwhich isdescribed inwords exactly

correspondingtothoseofIranian,Indian,Chinese,EddaicandAztecanliterature;

namely,"inthecenteroftheearth."--Warren.



24

At thisparticulartimeour sloopwasbecalmed, andnot far fromtheshore.

Thebankoftheriver,coveredwithmammothtrees,roseupseveralhundredfeet

in beautiful fashion.Weseemed to beon the edgeof someprimeval forest that

doubtlessstretchedfarinland.

The immense craft paused, and almostimmediately a boat was lowered and sixmen of

gigantic stature rowed to our little fishing-sloop.

Theyspoketousinastrangelanguage.Weknew

from their manner, however, that theywere not

unfriendly. They talked a great deal among

themselves, and one of them laughed

immoderately, as though in finding us a queer

discoveryhadbeenmade.Oneofthemspiedour

compass, and it seemed to interest them morethananyotherpartofoursloop.

Finally, the leader motioned as if to ask

whetherwewerewillingtoleaveourcrafttogoon

board their ship. "Whatsay you,myson?"asked

myfather."Theycannotdoanymorethankillus."

"Theyseemtobekindlydisposed,"Ireplied,"althoughwhatterriblegiants!

Theymustbetheselectsixofthekingdom'scrackregiment.Justlookattheirgreatsize."

"Wemayaswellgowillinglyasbetakenbyforce,"saidmyfather,smiling,

"fortheyarecertainlyableto captureus."Thereuponhemadeknown,by signs,

thatwewerereadytoaccompanythem.

Withinafewminuteswewereonboardtheship,andhalfanhourlaterour

littlefishing-crafthadbeenliftedbodilyoutofthewaterbyastrangesortofhook

andtackle,andsetonboardasacuriosity.

There were several hundred people on board this, to us, mammoth ship,

which we discoveredwas called "The Naz,"meaning, aswe afterward learned,

"Pleasure,"ortogiveamoreproperinterpretation,"PleasureExcursion"ship.

If my father and I were curiously observed by the ship's occupants, this

strangeraceofgiantsofferedusanequalamountofwonderment.

There was not a single man aboard who would not have measured fullytwelvefeetinheight.Theyallworefullbeards,notparticularlylong,butseemingly

short-cropped. They had mild and beautiful faces, exceedingly fair, with ruddy



25

complexions.Thehairandbeardofsomewereblack,otherssandy,andstillothers

yellow.Thecaptain,aswedesignatedthedignitaryincommandofthegreatvessel,

wasfullyaheadtallerthananyofhiscompanions.Thewomenaveragedfromten

toelevenfeetinheight.Theirfeatureswereespeciallyregularandrefined,while

theircomplexionwasofamostdelicatetintheightenedbyahealthfulglow.16

16"Accordingtoallprocurabledata,thatspotattheeraofman'sappearance

uponthestagewasinthenowlost'Miocenecontinent,'whichthensurroundedthe

ArcticPole.Thatinthattrue,originalEdensomeoftheearlygenerationsofmen

attained to a stature and longevity unequaled in any countries known to

postdiluvian history is by no means scientifically incredible." - Wm. F. Warren,

"ParadiseFound,"p.284.

Bothmenandwomenseemedtopossessthatparticularcaseofmannerwhich

wedeemasignofgoodbreeding,and,notwithstandingtheirhugestatures,therewas nothing about them suggesting awkwardness. As I was a lad in only my

nineteenthyear,IwasdoubtlesslookeduponasatrueTomThumb.Myfather'ssix

feetthreedidnotliftthetopofhisheadabovethewaistlineofthesepeople.

Eachoneseemedtoviewiththeothersinextendingcourtesiesandshowing

kindnesstous,butalllaughedheartily,Iremember,whentheyhadtoimprovise

chairsformyfatherandmyselftositattable.Theywererichlyattiredinacostume

peculiartothemselves,andveryattractive.Themenwereclothedinhandsomely

embroidered tunics of silk and satin and belted at the waist. They wore knee-breechesandstockingsofafinetexture,whiletheirfeetwereencasedinsandals

adornedwith gold buckles.We early discovered that gold was one of themost

commonmetalsknown,andthatitwasusedextensivelyindecoration.

Strange as it may seem, neithermy father normyself felt the least bit of

solicitudeforoursafety."Wehavecomeintoourown,"myfathersaidtome."This

isthefulfillmentofthetraditiontoldmebymyfatherandmyfather'sfather,and

stillbackformanygenerationsofourrace.Thisis,absurdly,thelandbeyondthe

NorthWind."

We seemed to make such an impression on the party that we were given

specially into the charge of one of themen, Jules Galdea, and his wife, for the

purpose of being educated in their language; andwe, on ourpart,were just as

eagertolearnastheyweretoinstruct.

At the captain's command, the vesselwas swungcleverly about, and began

retracing its course up the river. The machinery, while noiseless, was very

powerful.



26

Thebanksand trees oneither side seemed torushby.The ship's speed, at

times,surpassedthatofanyrailroadtrainonwhichIhaveeverridden,evenhere

inAmerica.Itwaswonderful.

Inthemeantimewehadlostsightofthesun'srays,butwefoundaradiance

"within" emanating from the dull-red sun which had already attracted ourattention, nowgivingout awhitelight seemingly from acloud-bank far away in

frontofus. Itdispensedagreaterlight,Ishouldsay,thantwofullmoonson the

clearestnight.

Intwelvehoursthiscloudofwhitenesswouldpassoutofsightasifeclipsed,

andthetwelvehoursfollowingcorrespondedwithournight.Weearlylearnedthat

these strange people were worshipers of this great cloud of night. It was "The

SmokyGod"ofthe"InnerWorld."

TheshipwasequippedwithamodeofilluminationwhichInowpresumewas

electricity,butneithermyfathernormyselfweresufficientlyskilledinmechanics

tounderstandwhencecamethepowertooperatetheship,ortomaintainthesoft

beautifullightsthatansweredthesamepurposeofourpresentmethodsoflighting

thestreetsofourcities,ourhousesandplacesofbusiness.

Itmustberemembered,thetimeofwhichIwritewastheautumnof1829,

andweof the "outside" surfaceof the earthknewnothing then, so to speak, of

electricity.

The electrically surcharged condition of the air was a constant vitalizer. I

neverfeltbetterinmylifethanduringthetwoyearsmyfatherandIsojournedon

theinsideoftheearth.

Toresumemynarrativeofevents:Theshiponwhichweweresailingcameto

astoptwodaysafterwehadbeentakenonboard.Myfathersaidasnearlyashe

could judge, we were directly under Stockholm or London. The city we had

reachedwascalled"Jehu,"signifyingaseaporttown.Thehouseswerelargeandbeautifully constructed,andquiteuniforminappearance,yetwithoutsameness.

The principal occupation of the people appeared tobe agriculture; the hillsides

were coveredwith vineyards,while the valleyswere devoted to the growingof

grain.

Ineversawsuchadisplayofgold.Itwaseverywhere.Thedoor-casingswere

inlaidand the tableswereveneeredwithsheetings of gold.Domesof thepublic

buildingswereofgold.Itwasusedmostgenerouslyinthefinishingsofthegreat

templesofmusic.



27

Vegetation grew in lavish exuberance, and fruit of all kinds possessed the

mostdelicateflavor.Clustersofgrapesfourandfivefeetinlength,eachgrapeas

large asanorange,and apples larger thanaman'shead typified the wonderful

growthofallthingsonthe"inside"oftheearth.

ThegreatredwoodtreesofCaliforniawouldbeconsideredmereunderbrushcomparedwiththegiantforesttreesextendingformilesandmilesinalldirections.

Inmanydirectionsalongthefoothillsofthemountainsvastherdsofcattlewere

seenduringthelastdayofourtravelontheriver.

Weheardmuchofacitycalled"Eden,"butwerekeptat"Jehu"foranentire

year.Bytheendof thattimewehadlearnedtospeakfairlywellthelanguageof

thisstrangeraceofpeople.Ourinstructors,JulesGaldeaandhiswife,exhibiteda

patiencethatwastrulycommendable.

OnedayanenvoyfromtheRulerat"Eden"cametoseeus,andfortwowhole

daysmyfatherandmyselfwereputthroughaseriesofsurprisingquestions.They

wishedtoknowfromwhencewecame,whatsortofpeopledwelt"without,"what

Godweworshiped,ourreligiousbeliefs,themodeoflivinginourstrangeland,and

athousandotherthings.

Thecompasswhichwehadbroughtwithusattractedespecialattention.My

father and I commented between ourselves on the fact that the compass still

pointednorth,althoughwenowknewthatwehadsailedoverthecurveoredgeoftheearth'saperture,andwerefaralongsouthwardonthe"inside"surfaceofthe

earth'scrust,which,accordingtomyfather'sestimateandmyown,isaboutthree

hundredmiles in thickness from the"inside" to the"outside" surface. Relatively

speaking,itisnothickerthananegg-shell,sothatthereisalmostasmuchsurface

onthe"inside"asonthe"outside"oftheearth.

Thegreatluminouscloudorballofdull-redfire--fiery-redinthemornings

and evenings, and during the day giving off a beautifulwhite light, "The Smoky

God," -- is seemingly suspended in the center of the great vacuum "within" theearth, and held to its place by the immutable law of gravitation, or a repellant

atmosphericforce,asthecasemaybe.Irefertotheknownpowerthatdrawsor

repelswithequalforceinalldirections.

Thebaseof thiselectricalcloudor central luminary, theseatof thegods, is

darkandnon-transparent,saveforinnumerablesmallopenings,seeminglyinthe

bottom of thegreat supportor altar of theDeity,uponwhich "TheSmokyGod"

rests;and,thelightsshiningthroughthesemanyopeningstwinkleatnightinall

theirsplendor,andseemtobestars,asnaturalasthestarswesawshiningwheninour home at Stockholm, excepting that they appear larger. "The Smoky God,"

therefore,witheachdailyrevolutionoftheearth,appearstocomeupintheeast



28

and go down in thewest the same as does our sun on the external surface. In

reality, the people "within" believe that "TheSmokyGod" is the throneof their

Jehovah,andisstationary.Theeffectofnightanddayis,therefore,producedby

earth'sdailyrotation.

IhavesincediscoveredthatthelanguageofthepeopleoftheInnerWorldismuchliketheSanskrit.

Afterwehadgivenanaccountofourselvestotheemissariesfromthecentral

seatofgovernmentoftheinnercontinent,andmyfatherhad,inhiscrudeway,

drawnmaps, at their request, of the "outside" surfaceof the earth, showing the

divisionsoflandandwater,andgivingthenameofeachofthecontinents,large

islands and the oceans, we were taken overland to the city of "Eden," in a

conveyancedifferent fromanythingwehave inEuropeorAmerica.Thisvehicle

was doubtless someelectrical contrivance. It was noiseless, and ran on a singleironrail inperfectbalance. The tripwasmadeataveryhighrateof speed.We

werecarrieduphillsanddowndales,acrossvalleysandagainalongthesidesof

steep mountains,without any apparent attempt having beenmade to level the

earthaswedoforrailroadtracks.Thecarseatswerehugeyetcomfortableaffairs,

andveryhighabovethefloorofthecar.Onthetopofeachcarwerehighgearedfly

wheels lying on their sides, which were so automatically adjusted that, as the

speed of the car increased, the high speed of these fly wheels geometrically

increased.JulesGaldeaexplainedtousthattheserevolvingfan-likewheelsontop

ofthecarsdestroyedatmosphericpressure,orwhatisgenerallyunderstoodbythetermgravitation,and

withthisforcethusdestroyedorrenderednugatory

thecarisassafefromfallingtoonesideortoother

fromthesinglerailtrackasifitwereinavacuum;

theflywheelsintheirrapidrevolutionsdestroying

effectuallytheso-calledpowerofgravitation,orthe

force of atmospheric pressure or whatever potent

influence it may be that causes all unsupported

thingstofalldownwardtotheearth'ssurfaceortothenearestpointofresistance.

The surprise of my father and myself was

indescribablewhen,amidtheregalmagnificenceof

aspacioushall,wewerefinallybroughtbeforethe

Great High Priest, ruler over all the land. He was

richlyrobed,andmuchtallerthanthoseabouthim,

and could not have been less than fourteen or

fifteen feet in height. The immense room in which we were received seemedfinishedinsolidslabsofgoldthicklystuddedwithjewelsofamazingbrilliancy.



29

Thecityof"Eden"islocatedinwhatseemstobeabeautifulvalley,yet,infact,

itisontheloftiestmountainplateauoftheInnerContinent,severalthousandfeet

higherthananyportionofthesurroundingcountry.ItisthemostbeautifulplaceI

have ever beheld inall my travels. In this elevated garden allmanner of fruits,

vines,shrubs,trees,andflowersgrowinriotousprofusion.

Inthisgardenfourrivershavetheirsourceinamightyartesianfountain.They

divideandflowinfourdirections.Thisplaceiscalledbyinhabitantsthe"navelof

the earth," or the beginning, "the cradle of the human race." The names of the

riversaretheEuphrates,thePison,theGihon,andtheHiddekel.

"AndtheLordGodplantedagarden,andoutofthegroundmadetheLordGod

togroweverytreethatispleasanttothesightandgoodforfood."-TheBookof

Genesis.

Theunexpectedawaitedusinthispalaceofbeauty,inthefindingofourlittle

fishing-craft.IthadbeenbroughtbeforetheHighPriestinperfectshape,justasit

hadbeentakenfromthewatersthatdaywhenitwasloadedonboardtheshipby

thepeoplewhodiscoveredusontherivermorethanayearbefore.

Weweregivenanaudienceofovertwohourswiththisgreatdignitary,who

seemed kindlydisposed andconsiderate. He showedhimself eagerly interested,

asking usnumerousquestions, and invariably regarding things aboutwhich his

emissarieshadfailedtoinquire.

Attheconclusionoftheinterviewheinquiredourpleasure,askinguswhether

wewished to remain in his countryor if we preferred to return to the "outer"

world, providing it were possible to make a successful return trip, across the

frozenbeltbarriersthatencircleboththenorthernandsouthernopeningsofthe

earth.

Myfatherreplied:"Itwouldpleasemeandmysontovisityourcountryand

seeyourpeople,yourcollegesandpalacesofmusicandart,yourgreatfields,yourwonderfulforestsoftimber;andafterwehavehadthispleasurableprivilege,we

shouldliketotrytoreturntoourhomeonthe'outside'surfaceoftheearth.This

sonismyonlychild,andmygoodwifewillbewearyawaitingourreturn."

"Ifearyoucanneverreturn,"repliedtheChiefHighPriest,"becausetheway

isamosthazardousone.However,youshallvisitthedifferentcountrieswithJules

Galdea asyourescort, and beaccorded everycourtesy and kindness.Whenever

youarereadytoattemptareturnvoyage,Iassureyouthatyourboatwhichishere

onexhibitionshallbeputinthewatersoftheriverHiddekelatitsmouth,andwewillbidyouJehovah-speed."



30

Thus terminated our only interview with the High Priest or Ruler of the

continent.

PARTFOUR:

InTheUnderWorld

Welearnedthatthemalesdonotmarrybeforetheyarefromseventy-fiveto

onehundredyearsold,andthattheageatwhichwomenenterwedlockisonlya

little less, and thatbothmen andwomen frequently live to befromsix toeight

hundredyearsold,andinsomeinstancesmucholder.

Josephus says: "God prolonged the life of the patriarchs that preceded the

deluge, both on account of their virtues and to give them the opportunity of

perfecting thesciences of geometry andastronomy,which they haddiscovered;

whichtheycouldnothavedoneiftheyhadnotlived600years,becauseitisonlyafterthelapseof600yearsthatthegreatyearisaccomplished."--Flammarion,

AstronomicalMyths,Parisp.26

During the following year we visited many villages and towns, prominent

amongthembeingthecitiesofNigi,Delfi,Hectea,andmyfatherwascalledupon

nolessthanahalf-dozentimestogooverthemapswhichhadbeenmadefromthe

rough sketcheshehadoriginallygivenof thedivisionsof landandwater on the

"outside"surfaceoftheearth.

Irememberhearingmyfatherremarkthatthegiantraceofpeopleintheland

of "The Smoky God" had almost as accurate an idea of the geography of the

"outside"surfaceoftheearthashadtheaveragecollegeprofessorinStockholm.

Inourtravelswecametoaforestofgigantictrees,nearthecityofDelfi.Had

theBiblesaid therewere trees towering over threehundred feet in height,and

morethanthirtyfeetindiameter,growingintheGardenofEden,theIngersolls,

theTomPainesandVoltaireswoulddoubtlesshavepronouncedthestatementa

myth.YetthisisthedescriptionofCaliforniasequoiagigantea;buttheseCaliforniagiantspaleintoinsignificancewhencomparedwiththeforestGoliathsfoundinthe

"within" continent, where abound mighty trees from eight hundred to one

thousandfeetinheight,andfromonehundredtoonehundredandtwentyfeetin

diameter;countlessinnumbersandformingforestsextendinghundredsofmiles

backfromthesea.

Thepeopleare exceedinglymusical, and learned to a remarkable degree in

their arts and sciences, especially geometry and astronomy. Their cities are

equippedwithvastpalacesofmusic,wherenotinfrequentlyasmanyastwenty-fivethousandlustyvoicesofthisgiantraceswellforthinmightychorusesofthe

mostsublimesymphonies.Thechildrenarenotsupposedtoattendinstitutionsof



31

learning before they are twenty years old. Then their school life begins and

continuesforthirtyyears,tenofwhichareuniformlydevotedbybothsexestothe

studyofmusic.

Their principal vocations are architecture, agriculture, horticulture, the

raising of vast herds of cattle, and the buildingof conveyances peculiar to thatcountry,fortravelonlandandwater.BysomedevicewhichIcannotexplain,they

holdcommunionwithoneanotherbetweenthemostdistantpartsoftheircountry,

onaircurrents.

All buildings are erectedwith special regard to strength, durability, beauty

andsymmetry,andwithastyleofarchitecturevastlymoreattractivetotheeye

thananyIhaveeverobservedelsewhere.

Aboutthree-fourthsofthe"inner"surfaceoftheearthislandandaboutone-fourthwater. There are numerousrivers of tremendous size, some flowing ina

northerlydirectionandotherssoutherly.Someoftheseriversarethirtymilesin

width,anditisoutofthesevastwaterways,attheextremenorthernandsouthern

partsofthe"inside"surfaceoftheearth,inregionswherelowtemperaturesare

experienced,thatfreshwatericebergsareformed.Theyarethenpushedouttosea

likehugetonguesofice,bytheabnormalfreshetsofturbulentwatersthat,twice

everyyear,sweepeverythingbeforethem.

Wesawinnumerablespecimensofbird-lifenolargerthanthoseencounteredintheforestsofEuropeorAmerica.Itiswellknownthatduringthelastfewyears

whole species of birds have quit the earth. Awriter in a recent article on this

subjectsays:

"Almosteveryyearseesthefinalextinctionofoneormorebirdspecies.Outof

fourteen varieties of birds found a century since on a single island - theWest

IndianislandofSt.Thomas-eighthavenowtobenumberedamongthemissing."

Is it not possible that thesedisappearing bird species quit their habitationwithout,andfindanasyluminthe"withinworld"?

Whetherinlandamongthemountains,oralongtheseashore,wefoundbird

lifeprolific.When they spread their great wings some of the birds appeared to

measurethirtyfeetfromtiptotip.Theyareofgreatvarietyandmanycolors.We

werepermittedtoclimbupontheedgeofarockandexamineanestofeggs.There

were five in the nest, each of whichwas at least two feet in length and fifteen

inchesindiameter.

AfterwehadbeeninthecityofHecteaaboutaweek,ProfessorGaldeatookus

toaninlet,wherewesawthousandsoftortoisesalongthesandyshore.Ihesitate



32

tostatethesizeofthesegreatcreatures.Theywerefromtwenty-fivetothirtyfeet

inlength,fromfifteentotwentyfeetinwidthandfullysevenfeetinheight.When

oneofthemprojecteditsheadithadtheappearanceofsomehideousseamonster.

Thestrangeconditions "within" are favorable

not only for vast meadows of luxuriant grasses,forestsofgiant trees, and allmanner of vegetable

life,butwonderfulanimallifeaswell.

One day we saw a great herd of elephants.

There must have been five hundred of these

thunder-throated monsters, with their restlessly

waving trunks. They were tearing huge boughs

from the trees and trampling smaller growth into

dustlikesomuchhazel-brush.Theywouldaverageover100feetinlengthandfrom75to85inheight.

Itseemed,asIgazeduponthiswonderfulherd

of giant elephants, that I was again living in the

public library at Stockholm, where I had spent

much time studying the wonders of the Miocene

age.Iwasfilledwithmuteastonishment,andmyfatherwasspeechlesswithawe.

Heheldmyarmwithaprotectinggrip,asiffearfulharmwouldovertakeus.We

weretwoatomsinthisgreatforest,and,fortunately,unobservedbythisvastherdof elephants as they drifted on and away, following a leader as does a herd of

sheep. They browsed from growing herbage which they encountered as they

traveled,andnowandagainshookthefirmamentwiththeirdeepbellowing.20

20"Moreover,therewereagreatnumberofelephantsintheisland:andthere

wasprovisionforanimalsofeverykind.Alsowhateverfragrantthingstherearein

the earth,whetherroots or herbage, orwoods, or distilling drops of flowers or

fruits,grewandthrivedinthatland."-TheCratyluoofPlato.

Thereisahazymistthatgoesupfromthelandeachevening,anditinvariably

rainsonceeverytwenty-fourhours.Thisgreatmoistureandinvigoratingelectrical

lightandwarmthaccountperhaps for the luxuriantvegetation,while thehighly

chargedelectricalairandtheevennessofclimaticconditionsmayhavemuchtodo

withgiantgrowthandlongevityofallanimallife.

Inplacesthelevelvalleysstretchedawayformanymilesineverydirection.

"The Smoky God", in its clear white light, looked calmly down. There was an

intoxicationintheelectricallysurchargedairthatfannedthecheekassoftlyasavanishingwhisper.Naturechantedalullabyinthefaintmurmurofwindswhose

breathwassweetwiththefragranceofbudandblossom.



33

After having spent considerablymore thana year in visitingseveral of the

manycitiesofthe"within"worldandagreatdealofinterveningcountry,andmore

than two years had passed from the time we had been picked up by the great

excursionshipontheriver,wedecidedtocastourfortunesoncemoreuponthe

sea,andendeavortoregainthe"outside"surfaceoftheearth.

We made known our wishes, and they were reluctantly but promptly

followed.Ourhostsgavemyfather,athisrequest,variousmapsshowingtheentire

"inside"surfaceoftheearth,itscities,oceans,seas,rivers,gulfsandbays.Theyalso

generouslyofferedtogiveusallthebagsofgoldnuggets--someofthemaslarge

as a goose's egg -- thatwewerewilling to attempt to takewith us in our little

fishing-boat.

InduetimewereturnedtoJehu,atwhichplacewespentonemonthinfixingupandoverhaulingourlittlefishingsloop.Afterallwasinreadiness,thesameship

"Naz"thatoriginallydiscoveredus,tookusonboardandsailedtothemouthofthe

riverHiddekel.

Afterourgiantbrothershadlaunchedourlittlecraftforus,theyweremost

cordiallyregretfulatparting,andevincedmuchsolicitudeforoursafety.Myfather

sworebytheGodsOdinandThorthathewouldsurelyreturnagainwithinayear

ortwoandpaythemanothervisit.Andthuswebadethemadieu.Wemadeready

andhoistedoursail,buttherewaslittlebreeze.Wewerebecalmedwithinanhourafterourgiantfriendshadleftusandstartedontheirreturntrip.

Thewindswere constantly blowing south, that is, theywere blowing from

northernopeningoftheearthtowardthatwhichweknewtobesouth,butwhich,

accordingtoourcompass'spointingfinger,wasdirectlynorth.

Forthreedayswetriedtosail,andtobeatagainstthewind,buttonoavail.

Whereuponmyfathersaid:"Myson,toreturnbythesamerouteaswecameinis

impossibleatthistimeofyear.Iwonderwhywedidnotthinkofthisbefore.Wehavebeenherealmosttwoandahalfyears;therefore,thisistheseasonwhenthe

sun isbeginning to shinein atthe southern openingof theearth. The longcold

nightisonintheSpitzbergencountry."

"Whatshallwedo?"Iinquired.

"There is only one thingwe can do," my father replied, "and that is to go

south."Accordingly,heturnedthecraftabout,gaveitfullreef,andstartedbythe

compassnorthbut,infact,directlysouth.Thewindwasstrong,andweseemedtohave struck a current thatwas runningwith remarkable swiftness in the same

direction.



34

In justfortydayswearrivedatDelfi, acitywehadvisitedincompanywith

ourguidesJulesGaldeaandhiswife,nearthemouthoftheGihonriver.Herewe

stoppedfortwodays,andweremosthospitablyentertainedbythesamepeople

whohadwelcomedusonourformervisit.Welaidinsomeadditionalprovisions

andagainsetsail,followingtheneedleduenorth.

Onouroutwardtripwecamethroughanarrowchannelwhichappearedtobe

aseparatingbodyofwaterbetweentwoconsiderablebodiesofland.Therewasa

beautiful beach toour right, andwedecided to reconnoiter. Castinganchor, we

waded ashore to rest up for a day before continuing the outward hazardous

undertaking.Webuiltafireandthrewonsomesticksofdrydriftwood.Whilemy

fatherwaswalkingalongtheshore,Ipreparedatemptingrepastfromsupplieswe

hadprovided.

Therewasamild,luminouslightwhichmyfathersaidresultedfromthesun

shininginfromthesouthapertureoftheearth.Thatnightwesleptsoundly,and

awakened thenextmorningas refreshed as if we hadbeen in ourownbeds at

Stockholm.

After breakfastwe started out on an inland tour of discovery, but had not

gonefarwhenwesightedsomebirdswhichwerecognizedatonceasbelongingto

the penguin family. They are flightless birds, but excellent swimmers and

tremendousinsize,withwhitebreast,shortwings,blackhead,andlongpeakedbills. They stand fully nine feethigh.They looked atuswith little surprise, and

presently waddled, rather thanwalked, toward the water, and swamaway ina

northerlydirection.

"ThenightsareneversodarkatthePolesasinotherregions, for themoon

andstarsseemtopossesstwiceasmuchlightandeffulgence.Inaddition,thereisa

continuouslight,thevariedshadesandplayofwhichareamongstthestrangest

phenomenaofnature."-Rambrosson'sAstronomy.

Theeventsthatoccurredduringthefollowinghundredormoredaysbeggar

description.Wewereonanopenandicelesssea.Themonthwereckonedtobe

NovemberorDecember,andweknewtheso-calledSouthPolewasturnedtoward

thesun.Therefore,whenpassingoutandawayfromtheinternalelectricallightof

"TheSmokyGod"anditsgenialwarmth,wewouldbemetbythelightandwarmth

of the sun, shining in through the south opening of the earth. We were not

mistaken.

"The fact that gives the phenomenon of the polar aurora its greatestimportanceis that theearthbecomesself-luminous;that,besidesthe lightwhich



35

asaplanetisreceivedfromthecentralbody,itshowsacapabilityofsustaininga

luminousprocesspropertoitself."-Humboldt.

Thereweretimeswhenourlittlecraft,drivenbywindthatwascontinuous

andpersistent,shotthroughthewaterslikeanarrow.Indeed,hadweencountered

ahiddenrockorobstacle,ourlittlevesselwouldgavebeencrushedintokindling-wood.

Atlastwewereconsciousthattheatmospherewasgrowingdecidedlycolder,

and,afewdayslater,icebergsweresightedfartotheleft.Myfatherargued,and

correctly, that the winds which filled our sails came from the warm climate

"within."The timeof the yearwas certainlymostauspicious forustomakeour

dash for the "outside"world and attempt to scud

our fishing sloop through open channels of the

frozenzonewhichsurroundsthepolarregions.

We were soon amid the ice-packs, and how

our little craft got through the narrow channels

and escaped being crushed I know not. The

compass behaved in the same drunken and

unreliable fashion in passing over the southern

curveoredgeoftheearth'sshellasithaddoneon

our inbound trip at the northern entrance. It

gyrated,dippedandseemedlikeathingpossessed.

CaptainSabine,onpage105in"Voyagesinthe

Arctic Regions," says: "The geographical

determinationofthedirectionandintensityofthe

magnetic forces at different points of the earth's

surfacehasbeenregardedasanobjectworthyofespecialresearch.Toexaminein

different parts of the globe, the declination, inclination and intensity of the

magnetic force, andtheirperiodicalandsecular variations, andmutualrelations

and dependencies could be duly investigated only in fixed magneticalobservatories."

OnedayasIwaslazilylookingoverthesloop'ssideintotheclearwaters,my

fathershouted:"Breakersahead!"Lookingup,Isawthroughaliftingmistawhite

objectthattoweredseveralhundredfeethigh,completelyshuttingoffouradvance.

Weloweredsailimmediately,andnonetoosoon.Inamomentwefoundourselves

wedgedbetweentwomonstrousicebergs.Eachwascrowdingandgrindingagainst

its fellow mountain of ice. They were like two gods of war contending for

supremacy. We were greatly alarmed. Indeed, we were between the lines of abattle royal; the sonorous thunder of the grinding ice was like the continued

volleysofartillery. Blocksof ice larger thanahousewere frequently liftedupa



36

hundredfeetbythemightyforceoflateralpressure;theywouldshudderandrock

toandfrofora fewseconds,thencomecrashingdownwithadeafeningroar,and

disappearinthefoamingwaters.Thus,formorethantwohours,thecontestofthe

icygiantscontinued.

Itseemedasiftheendhadcome.Theicepressurewasterrific,andwhilewewerenotcaughtinthedangerouspartofthejam,andweresafeforthetimebeing,

yettheheavingandrendingoftonsoficeasitfellsplashinghereandthereintothe

waterydepthsfilleduswithshakingfear.

Finally,toourgreatjoy,thegrindingoftheiceceased,andwithinafewhours

thegreatmassslowlydivided,and,asifanactofProvidencehadbeenperformed,

rightbeforeuslayanopenchannel.Shouldweventurewithourlittlecraftintothis

opening?Ifthepressurecameonagain,ourlittlesloopaswellasourselveswould

be crushed into nothingness. We decided to take the chance, and, accordingly,hoisted our sail to a favouring breeze, and soon started out like a race-horse,

runningthegauntletofthisunknownnarrowchannelofopenwater.

PARTFIVE:

AmongTheIcePacks

Forthenextforty-fivedaysourtimewasemployedindodgingicebergsand

huntingchannels;indeed,hadwenotbeenfavoredwithastrongsouthwindanda

smallboat,Idoubtifthisstorycouldhaveeverbeengiventotheworld.

Atlast,therecameamorningwhenmyfathersaid:"Myson,Ithinkweareto

seehome.Wearealmostthroughtheice.See!theopenwaterliesbeforeus."

However,therewereafewicebergsthathadfloatedfarnorthwardintothe

openwaterstillaheadofusoneitherside,stretchingawayformanymiles.Directly

infrontofus,andbythecompass,whichhadnowrighteditself,duenorth,there

wasanopensea.

"WhatawonderfulstorywehavetotellthepeopleofStockholm,"continued

myfather,whilealookofpardonableelationlighteduphishonestface."Andthink

ofthegoldnuggetsstowedawayinthehold!"

I spoke kindwords of praise tomy father, not alone for this fortitude and

endurance,butalsoforhiscourageousdaringasadiscoverer,andforhavingmade

the voyage thatnowpromised a successful end. Iwas grateful, too, thathehad

gatheredthewealthofgoldwewerecarryinghome.

Whilecongratulatingourselvesonthegoodlysupplyofprovisionsandwater

we still had on hand, andon thedangerswe had escaped, wewere startled by



37

hearingamostterrificexplosion,causedbythetearingapartofhugemountainof

ice.Itwasadeafeningroarlikethefiringofthousandcannon.Weweresailingat

thetimewithgreatspeed,andhappenedtobenearamonstrousicebergwhichto

allappearanceswasasimmovableasarockboundisland.Itseemed,however,that

the iceberg had split and was breaking apart, whereupon the balance of the

monsteralongwhichweweresailingwasdestroyed,anditbegandippingfromus.My fatherquicklyanticipated thedangerbeforeI realizeditsawfulpossibilities.

Theicebergextendeddownintothewatermanyhundredsoffeet,and,asittipped

over,theportioncomingupoutofthewatercaughtourfishing-craftlikealeveron

afulcrum,andthrewitintotheairasifithadbeenafoot-ball.

Ourboatfellbackontheiceberg,thatbythistimehadchangedthesidenext

tousforthetop.Myfatherwasstillintheboat,havingbecomeentangledinthe

rigging,whileIwasthrownsometwentyfeetaway.

Iquicklyscrambledtomyfeetandshoutedtomyfather,whoanswered:"All

iswell."Justthenarealizationdawneduponme.Horroruponhorror!Theblood

frozeinmyveins.Theicebergwasstillinmotion,anditsgreatweightandforcein

toppling over would cause it to submerge temporarily. I fully realized what a

suckingmaelstormitwouldproduceamidtheworldsofwateroneveryside.They

wouldrushintothedepressioninalltheirfury,likewhite-fangedwolveseagerfor

humanprey.

Inthissuprememomentofmentalanguish,Irememberglancingatourboat,whichwaslyingonitsside,andwonderingifitcouldpossiblyrightitself,andifmy

father could escape.Was this theendofour strugglesandadventures?Was this

death?Allthesequestionsflashedthroughmymindinthefractionofasecond,and

amomentlaterIwasengagedinalifeanddeathstruggle.Theponderousmonolith

oficesankbelowthesurface,andthefrigidwatersgurgledaroundmeinfrenzied

anger.Iwasinasaucer,withthewaterspouringinoneveryside.Amomentmore

andIlostconsciousness.

WhenIpartiallyrecoveredmysenses,androusedfromtheswoonofahalf-drownedman,Ifoundmyselfwet,stiff,andalmostfrozen,lyingontheiceberg.But

therewasnosignofmyfatherorofourlittlefishingsloop.Themonsterberghad

recovereditself,and,withitsnewbalance,lifteditsheadperhapsfiftyfeetabove

thewaves.Thetopofthisislandoficewasaplateauperhapshalfanacreinextent.

Ilovedmyfatherwell,andwasgrief-strickenattheawfulnessofhisdeath.I

railedatfate,thatI,too,hadnotbeenpermittedtosleepwithhiminthedepthsof

theocean.Finally,Iclimbedtomyfeetandlookedaboutme.Thepurple-domed

sky above, the shoreless green ocean beneath, and only an occasional icebergdiscernible!Myheartsankinhopelessdespair.Icautiouslypickedmywayacross

thebergtowardtheotherside,hopingthatourfishingcrafthadrighteditself.



38

DaredI thinkitpossiblethatmay fatherstill lived?Itwasbutarayofhope

thatflamedupinmyheart.Buttheanticipationwarmedmybloodinmyveinsand

starteditrushinglikesomerarestimulantthrougheveryfiberofmybody.

I crept close to the precipitous side of the iceberg, and peered far down,hoping,stillhoping.ThenImadeacircleoftheberg,scanningeveryfootofthe

way,andthusIkeptgoingaroundandaround.Onepartofmybrainwascertainly

becomingmaniacal,whiletheotherpart,Ibelieve,anddotothisday,wasperfectly

rational.

Iwasconsciousofhavingmadethecircuitadozentimes,andwhileonepart

ofmyintelligenceknew, inall reason, therewasnotavestigeofhope, yet some

strangefascinatingaberrationbewitchedandcompelledmestilltobeguilemyself

withexpectation.Theotherpartofmybrain seemed to tellmethatwhile therewas no possibility of my father being alive, yet, if I quit making the circuitous

pilgrimage,ifIpausedforasinglemoment,itwouldbeacknowledgmentofdefeat,

and,shouldIdothis,IfeltthatIshouldgomad.Thus,hourafterhourIwalked

aroundandaround,afraidtostopandrest,yetphysicallypowerlesstocontinue

muchlonger.Oh!horrorofhorrors!tobecastawayinthiswideexpanseofwaters

without food or drink, and only a treacherous iceberg for an abiding place.My

heart sank within me, and all semblance of hope

wasfadingintoblackdespair.

ThenthehandoftheDelivererwasextended,

and the death-like stillness of a solitude rapidly

becomingunbearablewassuddenlybrokenbythe

firing of a signal-gun. I looked up in startled

amazement,when,Isaw,lessthanahalf-mileaway,

awhaling-vesselbearingdowntowardmewithher

sailfullset.

Evidentlymycontinuedactivityoniceberghadattractedtheirattention.Ondrawingnear,theyput

out a boat, and, descending cautiously to the

water'sedge,Iwasrescued,andalittlelaterlifted

onboardthewhaling-ship.

IfounditwasScotchwhaler,"TheArlington."

She had cleared from Dundee in September, and started immediately for the

Antarctic, in search of whales. The captain, Angus MacPherson, seemed kindly

disposed,butinmattersofdiscipline,asIsoonlearned,possessedofanironwill.WhenIattemptedtotellhimthatIhadcomefromthe"inside"oftheearth,the



39

captainandmatelookedateachother,shooktheirheads,andinsistedonmybeing

putinabunkunderstrictsurveillanceoftheship'sphysician.

Iwasveryweakforwantoffood,andhadnotsleptformanyhours.However,

after a few days' rest, I got uponemorningand dressedmyself withoutasking

permissionofthephysicianoranyoneelse,andtoldthemthatIwasassaneasanyone.

Thecaptainsentformeandagainquestioned

meconcerningwhereIhadcomefrom,andhowI

came to be alone on an iceberg in the far off

AntarcticOcean.IrepliedthatIhadjustcomefrom

the"inside"oftheearth,andproceededtotellhim

howmyfatherandmyselfhadgoneinbywayof

Spitzbergen, and come out by way of the SouthPole country, whereupon I was put in irons. I

afterward heard the captain tell the mate that I

was as crazy as a March hare, and that I must

remaininconfinementuntilIwasrationalenough

togiveatruthfulaccountofmyself.

Finally after much pleading and many

promises, I was released from irons. I then and

there decided to invent some story that wouldsatisfythecaptain,andneveragainrefertomytrip

tothelandof"TheSmokyGod,"atleastuntilIwassafeamongfriends.

WithinafortnightIwaspermittedtogoaboutandtakemyplaceasoneofthe

seamen.Alittlelaterthecaptainaskedmeforanexplanation.Itoldhimthatmy

experiencehadbeensohorriblethatIwasfearfulofmymemory,andbeggedhim

topermitmeto leavethequestionunanswereduntil sometimeinthe future. "I

think you are recovering considerably," he said, "but you arenot sane yet by a

gooddeal.""Permitmetodosuchworkasyoumayassign,"Ireplied,"andifitdoes not compensate you sufficiently, I will pay you immediately after I reach

Stockholm-tothelastpenny."Thusthematterrested.

OnfinallyreachingStockholm,asIhavealreadyrelated,Ifoundthatmygood

motherhadgonetoherrewardmorethanayearbefore.Ihavealsotoldhow,later,

thetreacheryofarelativelandedmeinamadhouse,whereIremainedfortwenty-

eightyears--seeminglyunendingyears--and,stilllater,aftermyrelease,howI

returnedtothelifeofafisherman,followingitsedulouslyfortwenty-sevenyears,

thenhowIcametoAmerica,andfinallytoLosAngeles,California.Butallthiscanbe of little interest to the reader. Indeed, it seems to me the climax of my



40

wonderful travels andstrangeadventureswasreachedwhen theScotchsailing-

vesseltookmefromanicebergontheAntarcticOcean.

PARTSIX:

Conclusion

In concluding this history of my adventures, I wish to state that I firmly

believescienceisyetinitsinfancyconcerningthecosmologyoftheearth.Thereis

somuchthatisunaccountedforbytheworld'sacceptedknowledgeofto-day,and

willeverremainsountilthelandof"TheSmokyGod"isknownandrecognizedby

ourgeographers.

Itisthelandfromwhencecamethegreatlogsofcedarthathavebeenfound

by explorers inopenwaters far overthenorthernedgeoftheearth'scrust,and

alsothebodiesofmammothswhosebonesarefoundinvastbedsontheSiberiancoast.

Northernexplorershavedonemuch.SirJohnFranklin,DeHavenGrinnell,Sir

JohnMurray,Kane,Melville,Hall,Nansen,Schwatka,Greely,Peary,Ross,Gerlache,

Bernacchi,Andree,Amsden,Amundsonandothershaveallbeenstrivingtostorm

thefrozencitadelofmystery.

I firmly believe that Andree and two brave companions, Strindberg and

Fraenckell,who sailed away intheballoon"Oreon" fromthenorthwestcoast ofSpitsbergen on thatSunday afternoon of July 11, 1897,are now in the "within"

world, and doubtless are being entertained as my father and myself were

entertainedbythekind-heartedgiantraceinhabitingtheinnerAtlanticContinent.

Having, in my humble way, devoted years to these problems, I am well

acquainted with the accepted definitions of gravity, as well as the cause of the

magneticneedle'sattraction,andIampreparedtosaythatitismyfirmbeliefthat

the magnetic needle is influenced solely by electric currents which completely

envelop the earth likea garment, and that these electric currents inanendlesscircuitpassoutofthesouthernendoftheearth'scylindricalopening,diffusingand

spreadingthemselvesoverallthe"outside"surface,andrushingmadlyonintheir

coursetoward theNorthPole.Andwhilethese currentsseeminglydashoff into

spaceattheearth'scurveoredge,yettheydropagaintothe"inside"surfaceand

continue their way southward along the inside of the earth's crust, toward the

openingoftheso-calledSouthPole.

"Mr.Lemstromconcludedthatanelectricdischargewhichcouldonlybeseen

bymeansof the spectroscopewas takingplace onthe surface of the ground allaroundhim,andthatfromadistanceitwouldappearasa faintdisplayofAurora,



41

thephenomenaofpaleandflaminglightwhichissometimesseenonthetopofthe

SpitzbergenMountains."--TheArcticManual,page739.

As to gravity,no one knowswhat it is, because it has notbeendetermined

whetheritisatmosphericpressurethatcausestheappletofall,orwhether,150

milesbelowthesurfaceoftheearth,supposedlyone-halfwaythroughtheearth'scrust, there exists some powerful loadstone attraction that draws it. Therefore,

whether the apple, when it leaves the limb of the tree, is drawn or impelled

downward to the nearest point of resistance, is unknown to the students of

physics.

SirJamesRossclaimedtohavediscoveredthemagneticpoleataboutseventy-

four degrees latitude. This is wrong - themagnetic pole is exactly one-half the

distancethroughtheearth'scrust.Thus,iftheearth'scrustisthreehundredmiles

in thickness,which is thedistance I estimate it tobe, then themagneticpole isundoubtedlyonehundredandfiftymilesbelowthesurfaceoftheearth,itmatters

notwherethetestismade.Andatthisparticularpointonehundredandfiftymiles

belowthesurface,gravityceases,becomesneutralized;andwhenwepassbeyond

that point on toward the "inside" surface of the earth, a reverse attraction

geometrically increases in power,until theother one hundredand fiftymiles of

distanceistraversed,whichwouldbringusoutonthe"inside"oftheearth.

Thus, ifa holewereboreddownthroughtheearth'scrust atLondon,Paris,

New York,Chicago, or LosAngeles, a distanceof threehundredmiles, itwouldconnectthetwosurfaces.Whiletheinertiaandmomentumofaweightdroppedin

fromthe"outside"surfacewouldcarryitfarpastthemagneticcenter,yet,before

reaching the "inside" surface of the earth itwouldgradually diminish in speed,

afterpassingthehalf-way point, finally pause and immediately fall back toward

the "outside" surface, and continue thus to oscillate, like the swinging of a

pendulum with the power removed, until it would finally rest at the magnetic

center, or at that particular point exactly one-half the distance between the

"outside"surfaceandthe"inside"surfaceoftheearth.

The gyration of the earth in its daily act of whirling around in its spiral

rotation -- at a rate greater than one thousand miles every hour, or about

seventeenmilespersecond--makesofitavastelectro-generatingbody,ahuge

machine,amightyprototypeofthepuny-man-madedynamo,which,atbest,isbut

afeebleimitationofnature'soriginal.

ThevalleysofthisinnerAtlantisContinent,borderingtheupperwatersofthe

farthest north are in season covered with the most magnificent and luxuriant

flowers.Nothundredsandthousands,butmillions,ofacres,fromwhichthepollenor blossomsare carried far away in almostevery direction bythe earth's spiral

gyrations and the agitation of the wind resulting therefrom, and it is these



42

blossomsorpollenfromthevastfloralmeadows"within"thatproducethecolored

snowsoftheArcticregionsthathavesomystifiedthenorthernexplorers.

Kane,vol.I,page44,says:"Wepassedthe'crimsoncliffs'ofSirJohnRossin

theforenoonofAugust5th.Thepatchesofredsnowfromwhichtheyderivetheir

namecouldbeseenclearlyatthedistanceoftenmilesfromthecoast."

LaChambre,inanaccountofAndree'sballoonexpedition,onpage144,says:

"OntheisleofAmsterdamthesnowistintedwithredforaconsiderabledistance,

andthesavantsarecollectingittoexamineitmicroscopically.Itpresents,infact,

certainpeculiarities;itisthoughtthatitcontainsverysmallplants.Scoreby,the

famouswhaler,hadalreadyremarkedthis."

Beyondquestion,thisnewland"within"isthehome,thecradle,ofthehuman

race, and viewed from the standpoint of the discoveries made by us, must ofnecessity have a most important bearing on all physical, paleontological,

archaeological,philological,andmythologicaltheoriesofantiquity.

Thesameideaofgoingbacktothelandofmystery--totheverybeginning--

to the origin of man -- is found in Egyptian traditions of the earlier terrestrial

regions of the gods, heroes andmen, from the historical fragments of Manetho,

fullyverifiedbythehistoricalrecordstakenfromthemorerecentexcavationsof

PompeiiaswellastraditionsoftheNorthAmericanIndians.

Itisnowonehourpastmidnight-thenewyearof1908ishere,andthisisthe

thirddaythereof,andhavingatlastfinishedtherecordofmystrangetravelsand

adventuresIwishgiventotheworld,Iamready,andevenlonging,forthepeaceful

restwhichIamsurewillfollowlife'strialsandvicissitudes.Iamoldinyears,and

ripe both with adventures and sorrows, yet rich with the few friends I have

cementedtomeinmystrugglestoleadajustanduprightlife.Likeastorythatis

well-nightold,mylifeisebbingaway.ThepresentimentisstrongwithinmethatI

shallnotlivetoseetherisingofanothersun.ThusdoIconcludemymessage.

OlafJansen.

PARTSEVEN:

Author'sAfterword

I foundmuch difficulty in deciphering and editing the manuscripts of Olaf

Jansen. However, I have taken the liberty of reconstructing only a very few

expressions, and in doing this have in no way changed the spirit or meaning.

Otherwise,theoriginaltexthasneitherbeenaddedtonortakenfrom.



43

Itisimpossibleformetoexpressmyopinionastothevalueorreliabilityof

thewonderfulstatementsmadebyOlafJansen.Thedescriptionheregivenofthe

strange lands and people visited by him, location of cities, the names and

directionsofrivers,andotherinformationhereincombined,conformineveryway

to the rough drawings given into my custody by this ancientNorseman,which

drawingstogetherwiththemanuscriptitismyintentionatsomelaterdatetogivetotheSmithsonianInstitution,topreserveforthebenefitofthoseinterestedinthe

mysteriesofthe"FarthestNorth"-thefrozencircleofsilence.Itiscertainthere

are many things in Vedic literature, in "Josephus," the "Odyssey," the "Iliad,"

Terrien de Lacouperie's "Early History of Chinese Civilization," Flammarion's

"Astronomical Myths," Lenormant's "Beginnings of the History," Hesiod's

"Theogony,"SirJohndeMaundeville'swritings,andSayce's"RecordsofthePast,"

that,tosaytheleast,arestrangelyinharmonywiththeseeminglyincredibletext

foundintheyellowmanuscriptoftheoldNorseman,OlafJansen,andnowforthe

firsttimegiventotheworld.

THEEND



INNERWORLD'SDRAWINGACCORDINGOLAFJANSEN'SDESCRIPTION

(bythetranslatorofthisbookintospanish)

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