out of his chasm and--"

"What chasm?" Kirby asked sharply.

"Why, the one we crossed this morning. It extends to the far reaches of
our country, beyond the Rorroh forest, where the ape-men dwell but which
our people never visit. It is in that distant part of the chasm that the
Serpent dwells."

"But--but--Oh, good Lord!" Kirby whistled softly. "Naida, do you mean to
tell me that Quetzalcoatl was not simply a mythical monster, but an
actual, living serpent which is alive _now_?"

Naida and the others shrugged.

"Why not?" she answered. "Sometimes we have captured a few ape-men, and
they tell us stories of how Quetzalcoatl kills them. _They_ say he is
very much alive."

"But," Kirby mumbled in increasing wonder, "is this living creature the
same which your ancestors worshipped first as long ago, perhaps, as a
million years?"

"That," Naida answered unhesitatingly, "I'm not sure of. Our caciques
believe that the Serpent, although it lives longer than any other
sentient thing, finally dies and is succeeded by a new Serpent which is
reproduced by itself, within its own body."

So overwhelming did Kirby find this unexpected sequel to their discovery
of the great diamond head, so staggered was he by the fact that
Quetzalcoatl, of Aztecan myth, might exist as a sentient creature here
in this cavern world, that he had little heart left for exploring other
wonders.

* * * * *

Nevertheless, he presently pushed open the new door before which they
had paused, and behind it found, as he had expected, the Duca's living
quarters.

These were as severe as the jewel chamber had been gorgeous. A thin
pallet spread upon a frame of wood formed the bed, and beside it stood a
single stiff chair. That was all. The walls of glistening obsidion were
bare.

There was, however, a door in one circular wall, and as Kirby flung this
open, his previous disappointment changed to delight. For shelves along
the walls of the small chamber held roll after roll of parchment covered
with script. And in one corner lay six undamaged, almost new Mannlichers
and several hundred rounds of ammunition!

"Naida," he exclaimed, "do you know what those are?"

"I suppose that they are weapons of the sort you used against the
ape-men this morning?"

Kirby grinned.

"They are the same kind I used, and then some. With these weapons we can
do what we never could with the smaller one. How did they get here?"

"They c