"01 - At the Earth's Core" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burroughs Edgar Rice)

In a moment I was rewarded by the raising of his lids.
For a time he lay wide-eyed and quite uncomprehending.
Then his scattered wits slowly foregathered, and he sat
up sniffing the air with an expression of wonderment upon
his face.

"Why, David," he cried at last, "it's air, as sure as I live.
Why--why what does it mean? Where in the world are we?
What has happened?"

"It means that we're back at the surface all right, Perry," I
cried;
"but where, I don't know. I haven't opened her up yet.
Been too busy reviving you. Lord, man, but you had a close
squeak!"

"You say we're back at the surface, David? How can
that be? How long have I been unconscious?"

"Not long. We turned in the ice stratum.
Don't you recall the sudden whirling of our seats?
After that the drill was above you instead of below.
We didn't notice it at the time; but I recall it now."

"You mean to say that we turned back in the ice stratum,
David? That is not possible. The prospector cannot turn
unless its nose is deflected from the outside--by some
external force or resistance--the steering wheel within
would have moved in response. The steering wheel has
not budged, David, since we started. You know that."

I did know it; but here we were with our drill racing in
pure air, and copious volumes of it pouring into the cabin.

"We couldn't have turned in the ice stratum, Perry, I know
as well as you," I replied; "but the fact remains
that we did, for here we are this minute at the surface
of the earth again, and I am going out to see just where."

"Better wait till morning, David--it must be midnight now."

I glanced at the chronometer.

"Half after twelve. We have been out seventy-two hours,
so it must be midnight. Nevertheless I am going to have
a look at the blessed sky that I had given up all hope
of ever seeing again," and so saying I lifted the bars
from the inner door, and swung it open. There was quite
a quantity of loose material in the jacket, and this I
had to remove with a shovel to get at the opposite door