proper place of Malta."

"And Malta," cried Servadac, unable to control himself any longer;
"Malta--town, forts, soldiers, governor, and all--has vanished just like
Algeria."

For a moment a cloud rested upon the colonel's brow, only to give place
to an expression of decided incredulity.

"The statement seems highly incredible," he said.

"Incredible?" repeated Servadac. "Why is it that you doubt my word?"

The captain's rising wrath did not prevent the colonel from replying
coolly, "Because Malta belongs to England."

"I can't help that," answered Servadac, sharply; "it has gone just as
utterly as if it had belonged to China."

Colonel Murphy turned deliberately away from Servadac, and appealed to
the count: "Do you not think you may have made some error, count, in
reckoning the bearings of your yacht?"

"No, colonel, I am quite certain of my reckonings; and not only can
I testify that Malta has disappeared, but I can affirm that a large
section of the Mediterranean has been closed in by a new continent.
After the most anxious investigation, we could discover only one narrow
opening in all the coast, and it is by following that little channel
that we have made our way hither. England, I fear, has suffered
grievously by the late catastrophe. Not only has Malta been entirely
lost, but of the Ionian Islands that were under England's protection,
there seems to be but little left."

"Ay, you may depend upon it," said Servadac, breaking in upon the
conversation petulantly, "your grand resident lord high commissioner has
not much to congratulate himself about in the condition of Corfu."

The Englishmen were mystified.

"Corfu, did you say?" asked Major Oliphant.

"Yes, Corfu; I said Corfu," replied Servadac, with a sort of malicious
triumph.

The officers were speechless with astonishment.

The silence of bewilderment was broken at length by Count Timascheff
making inquiry whether nothing had been heard from England, either by
telegraph or by any passing ship.

"No," said the colonel; "not a ship has passed; and the cable is
broken."

"But do not the Italian telegraphs assist you?" continued the count.

"Italian! I do not comprehend you. You must mean the Spanish, surely."

"How?" demanded Timascheff.

"Confound it!" cried the impatient Servadac. "What matters whether it be
Spanish or Italian? Tell us, have you had no communication at all from
Europe?--no news of any sort from London?"

"Hitherto, n