eemed to beckon them onward.

"Now give way," cried Guy. Four paddles dipped and rose as one, the
shining drops rolled from their blades like so many diamonds in the
torch-glare, and then Guy sprang to his feet with a loud cry.

The paddles wavered in mid-air. "Go ahead," he shouted fiercely. "Paddle
with all your strength."

Once more they dipped the water, the canoe moved slowly--with an
effort, and as the paddles a second time paused in air, the canoe shot
swiftly--not forward to the embrace of the angry waters, but back--_back
at dizzy speed into the dark and dismal recesses of the lake_.

Even then the awful, unspeakable horror of the situation never flashed
upon them, Guy alone perhaps excepted.

"We've blundered again," cried the colonel in hollow tones. "We have
returned to the starting point. In some manner we have missed the
outlet, and now all must be done over again."

"Could the canoe have been turned completely about during our journey?"
exclaimed Forbes.

"Impossible," said the colonel. "I can prove it instantly. When we
started away from the spot where the river enters on our trip around the
lake, the shore was on our right. When we arrived here just now it was
still on our right, whereas, had we unconsciously turned the canoe about
and reversed our course, the shore would be on our left. We have
circumnavigated the lake and returned to our starting point, and in some
way missed the outlet."

"No," cried Chutney in tones that chilled his hearers with horror. "We
did not miss the outlet."

"What do you mean?" cried the colonel.

"I say we did not miss the outlet," continued Guy, "because there was
no outlet to miss. No exit from the lake exists. We are entombed forever
and ever. None of us will ever see the light of day again. We shall die
here in the bowels of the earth, and the serpents will mangle us as they
mangled those poor unfortunates yonder on the island. Better to know the
truth now than later. It is useless to hope. I tell you we are doomed
men and----" Here Guy's voice faltered, and sinking down into the canoe,
he covered his face with his hands.

Sir Arthur uttered a heartrending cry and fell back in a faint. He lay
unnoticed. The torch dropped from the Greek's nerveless hands and
expired with a hiss. In darkness and silence they floated on and on
until the roar of the inflowing water became fainter and fainter. Then
it died out entirely and all was intensely quiet.

The darkne