e slopes would be denuded of
vegetation.

There was intermittent fighting around the volcanic pipe, the police
reported. Guevara's peons had succeeded in holding the diamond pipe, but
were surrounded by soldiers. Now and then Guevara attempted to clear the
entire area, but with the entire army struggling to dig diamonds he
wasn't having much success. The police officer who investigated also
reported that an American was with Guevara. That would be Connel, of
course.

The scientists had moved at once to start shooting again, with the
police pushing back the diamond seekers until the dynamite could be set
off in safety. The crazed hunters assumed that the explosions were also
means of seeking the diamonds, and rushed to the craters before the
smoke had cleared.

No one really cared. The data was being collected, and it showed that
the situation was growing extremely serious.

"Ten days maximum," Zircon said. "Maybe less. The magma has about
reached that rock dike, and once it melts through, there goes the
mountain."

"We must get the people off," Governor Montoya insisted. "That is the
first thing. I shall call at once for help from the Americans. They have
forces at the Canal Zone and also in the West Indies. They will send
help."

"Yes," Hartson Brant agreed. "But first, we have a proposal. We will
need the troops, but we may also need other help."

Governor Montoya looked at him keenly. "This proposal is perhaps a
solution for El Viejo?"

"Perhaps. Let me outline the situation." The scientist pointed out the
magma on Dr. Williams' sketch. "This is where the magma is now. Above it
is a very thick layer of rock in which we can find no major weakness. It
may hold the magma for a while. At least it probably will melt slowly."

He pointed to a little line running from the western slope of the
mountain down to the rock dike. "This was where we wanted to dig a
channel. Now it is too late to go all the way to the rock. The heat
would be too great. But if we could drive a hole through, with great
suddenness, the magma would be released and the eruption would be away
from the island and into the sea."

"How would you do this?" the governor asked.

"By getting help from the U. S. government, from Army Engineers and
Seabees, who are U. S. Navy engineers. We would drive the tunnel as far
down as time permitted. Of course we would keep track of the magma
constantly. Then, as time ran out, we would place a charge in th