This is the final part of my story, a story that many people will probably refuse to believe, even those who are amazed by almost anything.
But I have enough proof to defend myself against all doubt.
The fishermen of Stromboli welcomed us kindly.
They treated us like survivors of a shipwreck.
They gave us food and new clothes.
After resting for forty-eight hours, we boarded a small boat on September 30th and sailed to Messina.
A few days of peaceful rest there brought us back to our normal condition.
On Friday, October 4th, we boarded the Volturne, a mail ship belonging to the French Imperial Messageries.
Three days later, we arrived in Marseilles.
The only thing still troubling me was our strange compass.
That mysterious problem bothered me more than I could explain.
On the evening of October 9th, we finally reached Hamburg.
I cannot describe Martha’s surprise or Gretchen’s happiness.
Their joy was beyond words.
“Now, Harry,” Gretchen said, “since you have truly become a hero, there is no reason for you to ever leave me again.”
I looked at her.
Tears of happiness filled her eyes.
I leave it to others to imagine the sensation caused by Professor Hardwigg’s return to Hamburg.
Because of Martha’s careless words, the news of his journey into the depths of the earth had spread throughout the entire world.
Nobody believed the story.
And when they saw him return alive, they believed it even less.
But Hans’s presence and the many pieces of evidence we brought back slowly changed public opinion.
Soon my uncle became a famous man.
And I became the nephew of a famous man, which was an honor in itself.
Hamburg held a celebration in our name.
At a public meeting of the Johanneum Institution, Professor Hardwigg told everyone about our adventures.
However, he left out everything about the compass.
That same day, he placed the document written by Saknussemm into the city archives.
He also expressed his great regret that circumstances beyond his control had prevented him from following the Icelandic explorer’s path all the way to the center of the earth.
My uncle remained humble despite his fame.
Yet his reputation continued to grow.
Naturally, such great success created many jealous enemies.
They appeared because my uncle’s theories, supported by certain discoveries, went against the accepted scientific belief about the heat inside the earth.
He defended his ideas through both his writings and his speeches against scientists from many countries.
Although I still believed in the theory of central heat, I admitted that some strange natural events, which were not yet fully understood, might force scientists to change their ideas.
While these debates were taking place, my uncle suffered a painful blow.
Hans, despite everything my uncle said, decided to leave Hamburg.
The man who had saved our lives many times refused to accept our gratitude.
He missed his homeland.
His heart belonged to Iceland.
“Farval,” he said one day.
With this simple word of goodbye, he began his journey back to Reykjavik.
He arrived there safely soon afterward.
We had become deeply attached to our brave eider hunter.
Those whose lives he saved would never forget him.
I hope that one day, before too long, I will see him again.
In the end, I can say that our journey into the depths of the earth caused a tremendous sensation throughout the civilized world.
The story was translated and printed in many languages.
The greatest newspapers published parts of it.
People argued about it endlessly.
Some believed every word.
Others rejected the entire story as impossible.
Wonderful as it may seem, my uncle enjoyed all the fame he deserved during his lifetime.
He was even offered a large amount of money by Mr. Barnum to appear in exhibitions across the United States.
I also heard from a traveler that a wax figure of him could be seen at Madame Tussaud’s.
But one problem continued to trouble his mind.
One mystery remained unsolved—the compass.
For a scientist like him, being defeated by such an unexplained event was extremely frustrating.
However, fortune finally smiled upon my uncle.
One day, while organizing some minerals in his collection, I found the famous compass.
I picked it up and carefully examined it.
It had remained untouched for six months.
At first, I only looked at it with curiosity.
Then my curiosity turned into surprise.
Suddenly, I shouted.
The Professor, who was nearby, immediately came over.
“What happened?” he cried.
“The compass!”
“What about it?”
“The needle points south, not north.”
“My dear boy, you must be imagining things.”
“I am not imagining anything. Look—the poles have changed.”
“Changed?”
My uncle quickly put on his glasses.
He examined the compass carefully.
Then he jumped with joy, shaking the entire house with his excitement.
At last, the truth became clear.
“There it is!” he shouted after he finally found his voice again.
“After we passed Cape Saknussemm, the needle of this compass began pointing south instead of north.”
“Exactly.”
“Now our mistake is easy to understand. But what caused the needle to change?”
“Nothing could be simpler.”
“Explain it, my boy. I cannot wait another moment.”
“During the storm on the Central Sea, the ball of fire that struck our raft turned the iron into a magnet. It reversed the direction of our compass.”
“Ah!” the Professor cried with a loud laugh.
“It was the work of that mysterious electricity!”
From that moment on, my uncle became the happiest scientist alive.
And I became the happiest ordinary man in the world.
As for my beautiful Virland girl, she was no longer just my uncle’s ward.
She became the lady of our home on Königstrasse, both as his niece and as my wife.
There is hardly any need to mention that her uncle was the famous Professor Hardwigg, a corresponding member of scientific, geographical, mineralogical, and geological societies throughout the five continents.
The End of the Extraordinary Voyage