mping
against the upper edges of a crevice that reaches down God knows how
far. We took no soundings, you will remember, until we swung out into
this pool. I'll bet my head that that cut through the hill yonder is a
mile deep. Earthquake fissures seldom go deeper than that, I've heard.
Generally they are mere surface cracks, a hundred feet deep at the
outside. But this one,--My God, it gives me the creeps, that crack in
the earth does."

"Umph!" said Mr. Mott, his elbows on the rail beside the young man, his
chin in his hands. He was looking down at the water. "Captain Trigger is
planning to send a couple of boats outside to survey the coast. I
dare say he'll be asking you to go out in one of them. You're a civil
engineer and so he feels--"

"Excuse me, Mr. Mott, but what's the sense of sending boats out to
explore the coast before we find out how big the island is?"

"What's the sense? Why, how are we to find out how big the island is
unless we make the circuit of it? And how in thunder are we to find out
that there isn't a village or some sort of trading port on it--What are
you pointing up there for?"

Percival's finger was levelled at the top of the higher half of the
bisected mountain.

"See that hill, Mr. Mott? Well, unless we're on a darned sight bigger
island than I think we are, we can see from one end of it to the other
from the top of that hill. It isn't much of a climb. A few huskies with
axes to cut a path through the underbrush, and we might get up there in
a few hours. I've been figuring it out. That's why I got up so early.
Had it on my mind all night. The sensible thing to do is to send a gang
of us up there to have a look around. Strange Captain Trigger never
thought of it. I suppose it's because he's an old sea-dog and not a
landlubber."

Mr. Mott coughed. "I fancy he would have thought of it in good time."

"Well, in case he doesn't think of it in time, you might suggest it to
him, Mr. Mott."

The result of this conversation was the formation of a party of
explorers to ascend the mountain. They were sent ashore soon after
breakfast, well-armed, equipped with axes and other implements,
boat-hooks, surveying instruments, and the most powerful glasses on
board. Percival was in command. The party was made up of a dozen
men, half of them from the gun crew, with an additional complement of
laborers from the steerage.

Ruth Clinton, as soon as she learned of the proposed expedition, sought
out