the most
dreadful retributive force in this world or the next, and Dell knew it
to the full. No one who had seen his face could doubt but that all the
iniquity of a long life had been atoned for, in one little moment, in
the scales of justice. But only a measure of it could oppress her. The
only fear that her fine young soul could know was that born of the
elemental love of life. And with what seemed to be a final effort she
raised her head to call a warning to me.

But even if I had heeded it, it would have come too late. I saw the
heads of the man and woman in front of me go down as if drawn by
quicksand. And there was no escape for me. The death that dwelt in the
lagoon had already seized me in its resistless grasp.

But the guard over Jason's treasure was not merely some monster
implanted from the sea, a mortal thing that years could claim or
muscular strength oppose. Rather it was a power that had dwelt there
since the world's young days, ever claiming tribute, and which would
continue on until the very sea itself was changed. The demon that had
hold of me was merely that of rushing waters. They swept me forward and
sucked me down with remorseless force.

There was a sink-hole in the floor of the lagoon. No wonder the water
that rushed in at high-tide had seemed to go so quietly away. I was
being carried down a subterranean outlet, through some water passage
under the rock wall, and into the open sea.

CHAPTER XXIV

The water surrounding the underground outlet was not of great depth--an
inch or so over five feet--but the suction of the sink-hole was
irresistible. Once caught in those sinking waters meant to go down with
them; and a moth would have struggled to equal advantage. If fate had
given me the choice of fighting to save myself it would not have changed
the outcome in the least. The plank had floated too far away to seize.
The water was deep enough that if, by a mighty wrench of muscles, I was
able to seize with my hands some immovable rock on the lagoon floor my
head would have been under water.

Fate, however, didn't give me that fighting choice. Edith Nealman had
already gone down, a single instant before. Loss of life itself couldn't
possibly mean more. There was nothing open but to follow through.

But while the trap itself was infallible, irresistible to human
strength, there might be fighting aplenty in the darkness of the channel
and beyond. The time hadn't come to give up. The slight