infernal regions at least a supplementary edition of the
same. We may be yet presented at court--the court of Mephistopheles."

"You speak idle words, professor," said I. "On the eve of confronting
unknown and perhaps terrible consequences you walk blindfold into the
desperate chances of our journey with a jest on your lips."

"Pardon me, commander," said he, "I do not jest. Have not the ablest
theologians concurred in the statement that hell lies in the centre of
the earth, and that the lake of fire and brimstone there sends up its
smoke of torment? For aught we know this lurid light is the reflection
of the infernal fires."

At this moment a wild cry arose from the sailors. With one voice they
shouted:

"The sun! The sun! The sun!"

The _Polar King_ had gained at last the highest horizon or vortex of
water, and there, before us, a splendid orb of light hung in the
centre of the earth, the source of the rosy flame that welcomed us
through the sublime portal of the pole!

As soon as the astonishment consequent on discovering a sun in the
interior of the earth had somewhat subsided, we further discovered
that the earth was indeed a hollow sphere. It was now as far to the
interior as to the exterior surface, thus showing the shell of the
earth to be at the pole at least 500 miles in thickness. We were half
way to the interior sphere.

Professor Starbottle, who had been investigating the new world with
his glass, cried out: "Commander, we are to be particularly
congratulated; the whole interior planet is covered with continents
and oceans just like the outer sphere!"

"We have discovered an El Dorado," said the captain, with enthusiasm;
"if we discover nothing else I will die happy."

"The heaviest elements fall to the centre of all spheres," said
Professor Goldrock. "I am certain we shall discover mountains of gold
ere we return."

"I think we ought to salute our glorious discovery," said Professor
Rackiron. "You see the infernal world isn't nearly so bad a place as
we thought it was."

I ordered a salute of one hundred terrorite guns to be given in honor
of our discovery, and the firing at once began. The echoed roaring of
the guns was indescribably grand. The trumpet-shaped caverns of water,
both before and behind us, multiplied the heavy reverberations until
the air of the gulf was rent with their thunder. The last explosion
was followed by long-drawn echoes of triumph that marked our
introduction to th