fissure, one that hadn't been there a minute before. The concrete gaped
in widths varying from a crack to a few inches.

The earth had opened up!

CHAPTER III

Firing Parties

It was a shaken group of scientists that moved off in their jeeps to the
preselected stations. Most of the adults had experienced earthquakes
before, but none had seen the earth split almost at their feet. To Rick,
the sensation had been as upsetting as any he had ever experienced.

"The one thing we learn to depend on," Zircon said, "is that the earth
under our feet is solid and dependable. When it shakes like a jelly, it
causes a kind of emotional shock, apart from any physical damage it may
do."

"It certainly did with me," Rick agreed.

"Ditto," Scotty added.

Zircon put the jeep in gear and moved away from the hotel. He drove
slowly over the narrow part of the crack in the parking lot, then picked
up speed. Rick looked around. Bradley Connel and Ruiz were following in
their own vehicle.

Zircon took a blacktop road to the west, close to the base of the
mountain. Fortunately for Rick's peace of mind, the road was fairly
smooth. He had never carried dynamite caps before, but he knew they
contained fulminate of mercury, which is one of the most unstable and
violent chemical substances, pound for pound, ever created.

The big scientist sensed his uneasiness. "Relax, Rick. Those caps won't
go off without a substantial knock against something. Enjoy the
scenery."

Rick grinned. "I'll try."

The scenery was tropical. Once away from the hotel grounds, there was
heavy growth, vines, creepers, and broad-leafed plants. He saw palmetto
and wild banana interspersed with Judas palms and other typical
vegetation. The growth clung to the side of El Viejo like a thick green
carpet. Now and then the jeep passed an open space in the vegetation and
he saw the plains stretching away to the sea on his left.

The jeep climbed gradually and Rick realized that their direction had
changed. They were now heading on the more northerly course. The
vegetation was thinner, too, and he guessed it was because they were
higher up the mountainside. At a rough estimate, the jeep had climbed
nearly a thousand feet.

"Pumice quarry ahead," Zircon announced.

Rick saw ramshackle wooden buildings, then piles of grayish rock. A
hundred yards farther on he saw an open pit. This was where the San
Luzians mined pumice for export.

"Is there much of a mar