fore this ultimate catastrophe, the bulk of the
disheartened population had migrated to Central and South America,
founding the Mayan and Incan dynasties. Many of the faithful had
stayed on, however, among them most of the Cabiri or high priests, who
either were loath to leave their temples or had been ordered by their
gods to remain.

At any rate, they had remained, and as the great island sank lower and
lower, they had fortified themselves against the disaster in their
pyramids, which by then alone remained above the surface.

These, too, had gradually disappeared beneath the angry waters,
however, and with them had disappeared the steadfast priests and their
faithful followers, sealing their living tombs into air-tight
bell-jars that retained the atmosphere.

This they had supplemented at first by drawing it down from above, but
as time went by they found other means of getting air; extracting it
from the sea water under pressure, by utilizing their subterranean
volcanoes, in whose seething cauldrons the gods had placed their
salvation; and it was this process that now provided them with the
atmosphere which had so amazed their captives.

But naturally, lack of sunshine had produced serious degeneration in
their race, and that accounted for their diminutive forms and pale
bodies. Still, they had been able to survive with a degree of
happiness until some ten or a dozen years ago, when a strange enemy
had come down in a great metal fish, like that of these new strangers,
and with a handful of men had conquered their country.

This marauder was after their gold and had looted their temples
ruthlessly, carrying away its treasures, for which they hated him with
a fury that only violation of their most sacred deities could arouse.
Long ago they would have destroyed him, but for the fact that he
possessed terrible weapons which were impossible to combat. But they
were in smouldering rebellion and waited only the support of their
gods, when they would fall on this oppressor and hurl him off.

That, though it left many things unexplained, was all the professor
had been able to gather from his conversation with the leader of their
captors. He ended, admitting regretfully that he was still in
ignorance of what fate had befallen Captain Petersen and the crew of
the _Nereid._

* * * * *

"Perhaps this fellow in the other submarine has got them," suggested
Larry.

"But why weren't we take