floated
downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear.
The worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great
crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to
overtake them at any moment. Crash after crash echoed far above their
heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and
chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. These they could not
see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and Jim screamed
almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his
boney body. They did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything
was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the
horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so
that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was
injured.

How long this state of things continued Dorothy could not even guess,
she was so greatly bewildered. But bye and bye, as she stared ahead into
the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of
the horse Jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs
sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. Also, turning
her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until
now remained as still and silent as she herself.

Dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. She began to realize
that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely
started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and
unusual as were those she had before encountered.

With this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over
the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from.
Far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air.
The central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun.
Around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five
brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one
blue and one orange. This splendid group of colored suns sent rays
darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with Dorothy and
Zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays
began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more
and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly
illuminated.

Dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of Jim's big ears