The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-19
CHAPTER x.
The Cave Of the Idol.

"A cry VI aNudLclueul DuTSL from Ills
lips. He was breathing affair at the
bottom of the sea
1t was surcharged with oxygen. 1t
invigorated him. He felt the thrill
OF renewed life in his body, he felt
his shrunken arteries Jingle as his
heart pumped the new, richened blood
through them.
1t seemed unbelievable. At first he
thought that he had died, and that this
was the souls awakening.
Then. with quick fingers, he unfas-
tened Idas body-piece and tore the
mask from its fastenings. He heard
her sigh.
She sighed and stirred and sat up
on the ocean bed.
/ "DOnaldv she murmured. II
thought thought you were dead.
Where are WEI"
sOlute bewilderment.
At that moment he heard the mel.
low, gonglike sound that they had
heard aboard the F55.
And slowly. as II in answer to the
call. the jellylike medium that sur
rounded them began to drift away, to
be hung up. as II it were a curtain.
and before their astonished gaze there
evolved the strangest stage setting
that could ever have been conceived
First there came into view the SUBJ
marine. occupying. as 1t were. the GEN.
ter of this stage, her bow sunk in the
OOze, her stern still lower. They had
been lying within a hundred PAGES Of
her.
Next appeared the slOping edges Of
the crater, seen, not through water but
through clear air, with a border of
yellow crinoids. ceaselessly stirring.
as though breeze ruffled them. Then
there began to be visible, In the TANKS
Of the mountain. structures. appar- t
emily of hardened mud. taking the
shape Of fantastic temples, with pill
lars and dOorways with low lintels,
submerged city Of cliff dwellers. and
yet each identical with its neighbors, !
so that they seemed to have been fash
Toned with the same unchanging pre-
cisiOn as the cells Of the bee.
And the whole crater swarmed with
the sea-monsters. no longer invisible.
but outlined in phosphorescent fire.
And, standing in front Of Donald
and Ida, his features clearly visible
through the glass Of his own diving
mask. surveying them with a cool, dis
passionate gaze, was Ira MacBeard!
AS they stared at him. he raised his
hand and struck something suspended
from his neck. giving out the mellow
sound which they had heard before.
Immediately he disappeared from view
in the midst of swarm of the mon
sters. which, surrounding Donald and
the girl, began to push them toward
the cavern in the mountain side.
The push was gradual. and appar-
emily the result of some natural quail
ity not known on land. There was no
sense Of muscular movement. It
seemed to be momentum devoid Of the
factor OF speed. IRE
and yet quietly, the two were
pushed toward the entrance In the
HanK OF the island. !
In vain Donald resisted. In vain he
tried to force path toward the sub
marine, dashing his fists against the
bodies Of the monsters. He made not
the least impression upon those half
spherical forms.
seaman under water and one in
the air had very different powers Of
He might as well have
fought an army of animated feather
beds.
Slowly, without strain or attack, he
[elt himself being forced forward. He
was held tightly on every side, except
Tor the narrow gap that opened in
'front.' Of him. He was forced to devote
himself to supporting Ida.
On every side the globular. trans
ucent phosphorescent forms seemed
20 crowd in on him, leaving only
my way in the direction Of one Of :
he mud-pillared entrances. Yet, even
:hus. Donald had the impression OF
'Ome unconscious force that animated
hese monsters; 1t seemed like the
scouting expedition Of colony Of red
lnts. returning with its booty. He
,Ouid sense no conscious impulse In
he sea monsters. Q
His pace became accelerated, and Q
swept of their feet, Donald
ind Ida found themselves within
luge cavern, family illumined by phos- o
and rooted with the same c
Loudly substance that they had seen
lpon the ocean bed without.
The monsters left them. The two 4
TODD there together. st1ll in bewil- t
lerment But they were not alone. c
or, with a shout. Davies emerged q
rom the dim recess, and ran toward /
hem, followed by Clouts. Their cyl s
nders and headgear had been re- Il
moved. The four stared at one an
Their In incredulous Joy. L
"They nabbed US the moment we b
eft the air-lock." cried Davies. grab
Ing the lieutenant by the hand and h
orgetting his discipline for the first g