The Washington times., 1912-03-26

Ark, combined with the backing of her
own engines, she might be got off.
Hurry up, then, and get to work,
cried Captain Arms. "T'his flood Is on
the ebb, and n few hours more will find
in q whales back"
De Beauxchamps plan was immedi-
ately adopted. The Jules Verne de-
scended, and pushed with all her force,
while the engines OF the Ark were re-
versed, and within fifteen minutes they
were once more af1oSn.
Without waiting for a suggestion from
Cosmo Versal, the Frenchman carefully
inspected with his seaIchlight the bot
tom of the Ark where she had struck,
and when he came to the surface he
was able to report that no serious dam
age had resulted.
There's no hole" he said, "only a
slight denting of one of the plates,
which will not amount to anything
CosmO, however, was not content until
he had made Il careful inspection by
opening some of the manholes In the in
ner skin of the vessel. He found no
cause for anxiety, and in an hour the
Ark resumed its voyage eastward pass
ing over the site of ancient Syracuse.
BY this time a change of the wind
had sent the smoke from Etna in their
direction, and now IL lay thick upon
the water. and rendered 1t, for a while,
impossible to see twenty fathoms from
the bridge.
TITS old Etna's dying salute" said
|
water much longer"
But the food is going down." ex-
claimed Captain Arms.
Yes, and that puzzles me. There
of water into the interior, far greater
than | ever imagined possible. But
wait until the nucleus of the nebula
strikes us! In the meantime this lower
ing of the water renders II necessary
for us to make haste, or we may not get
over the mountains round Suez before
the downpOur recommences.
AS soon as they escaped from the
smoke of Etna they ran full speed ahead
again. and, keeping well south of Crete,
at length, one morning they found them
selves in the latitude and longitude of
Alexandria.
The weather was still superb and
Cosmo was very desirous of getting a
line on the present height of the water.
He thought that he could make fair
estimate of this from the known height
Of the mountains about Sinai Accord
ingly they steered in that direction, and
on the way passed directly over the site
of Cairo.
came TO them ALL and De Beauxchamps,
who had come aboard the Ark, and who
was always moved by sentimental con,
siderations, proposed that they should
spend few hours here, while he de-
scended to inspect the condition in which
the flood had left those mighty monu'
mentS.
Cosmo not only consented 10 thlS. Dut
he even offered to be a member OF the
party The FrenChman was only too
glad to have his company. Cosmo YER
sal descended into the submersible after
instructing Captain Arms to hover in
the neighborhood.
The passengers and crew OF the ARK,
with expressions of anxiety that would
have pleased their subject II he had
heard them, watched the Jules Verne
disapp into the depths beneath.
The submersihle was gone so long
that the anxiety of those aboard the
Ark deepened into alarm. and finally be
came almost panic. They had never
before known how much they depended
upon COsmo Nersal.
He was their only relience, their only
hope. He alone had known how to keep
up their spirits. and when he had as
| sured them, as he so often did, that the
| flooding would surely recommence, they
| had hardly been terrified because oi
their unexpressed confidence that, let
| come what would, his great brain would
! find a way out for them.
| Now he was gone, down into the
| depths of this awful sea, where their
| Imagination pictured a thousand un-
| heard of perils, and perhaps they would
never see him again! Without him they
| knew themselves to be helpless. Even
| Captain Arms almost lost his nerve.
| The strong good sense of Amos Blank
alone saved them from the utter de-