ng through a vast horde of small fishes
which had been attracted by the dismemberment of the monster that had
been killed.

"There'll be sharks along soon," said Tom to Ned through the telephone.
"They're not going to miss such a gathering of food as these small fry
present. And sharks will present a different emergency from starfish."

Tom spoke truly, for a little later, when they were all once more
safely within the submarine, looking through the windows, they saw a
school of hungry sharks feeding on the millions of small fish that
gathered to eat the creature that had attacked Ned.

"What did you think was happening to you out there?" asked Tom, when
the diving suits had been put away.

"I didn't know what to think," was the answer. "I was prospecting
around, and I leaned over to pick up a particularly beautiful bit of
coral. All at once I felt something over me, as a cloud sometimes hides
the sun. I looked up, saw a big black shape settling down, and then I
felt my arms pinned to my sides. At first I thought it was an octopus,
but in a moment I realized what it was. Though I never thought before
that starfish grew so large."

"Nor I," added Tom. "Well, you've had an experience, to say the least."

They remained a little longer in the vicinity, Tom and his officers
making observations they thought would be useful to them later, and
then the submarine went up to the surface.

They cruised in the open the rest of that day, recharging the storage
batteries and getting ready for the search which, Tom calculated, would
take them some time. As he had explained, it would not be easy to
locate the Pandora in the fathomless depths of the sea.

Ned and Mr. Damon did some fishing while they were on the surface, and,
as their luck was good, there was a welcome change from the usual food
of the M. N. 1. Though, as Tom had installed a refrigerating plant,
fresh meat could be kept for some time, and this, in addition to the
tinned and preserved foods, gave them an ample larder.

"When are we going to begin the real search for the gold?" asked Mr.
Hardley that evening.

"I should say in another day or two," Tom answered, after he had
consulted the charts and made calculations of their progress since
leaving their dock. "We shall then be in the vicinity of the place
where you say the Pandora went down, and, if you are sure of your
location, we ought to be able to come approximately near to the
location of the gold wreck