The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-03-03
Chapter A
THE PLUNGE

CWTFTER plunged the current O The cavern seemed wider, but the roof was lower. A down-project ing stalactite struck his head. Half stunned, he struggled to keep his hands above his head to guard against repetition.
 He was thrown against wall pro, iections. and sucked away into the greedy current. He became dazed with an ever-increasing dizziness. It was an effort to breathe with the spray flashing his face.
 His arms acheG with the effort of lpholding them. He put his elbows upon the top of his life-jacket and clasped his hands above his head He realized that he was growing weak with the buffeting,
 But the minutes. he knew. were rolling into precious hours. Soon he hoped to be spewed into the daylight into the quiet waters of some man grove-fringed lagoon that joined the sea.
 Gray daylight showed above him! He was being shot downstream be .ween creeper-hung walls. But half conscious. he realized that although le was in the main channel the width of it was diminishing.
 The stream was branching varl ously. A danger lay in that. Sucked nto one of the branches he might be forced into a swamp from which he might not be able to extricate him self.
 He must keep to the main channel 1t all costsi Only the main channel would have water-force enough to nave cut through the swamps to the sea.
 Suddenly he shouted with hope Ahead. gimpsed on either side of iutting spire of rock that thrust up ward from the seething water about [. were low grass-coyered banks backed with palmetto and man groves. Further on was a turquoise blueness. The seal
 Franks nostrils twitched with the tang of beach kelp rotting in the sun That flaming disc burst. as he ooked. through a layer of clouds ying low above the horizon. It was nearing sunset.
 As the current twisted him toward he divided channel. he felt tug ging at his legs. an inexorable sue ion that pulled his feet away from the surface current whiie the buoy ancy of the life-belt tended to float 1t toward the peaceful lagoon.
 Subconsciously he struggled lit .le as if the attempt could relieve ais legs of some clinging, unseen menace. The suction pulled harder
 Sudden realization swept him The underground river discharged lere at sea level; but also 1t plunged
 nto the hidden chasm that could have no outlet except in the floor lnder that glittering. turquoise sea ihead!
 Frantic now. he failed his arms He kicked and thrashed with his egs. Striving to free himself of the
 ife-belt so that he could tiatten him self on the surface and swim to the safety that was now just few yards away. he found that the fiber knots were swollen bey ond loosening. The breath gasped in his lungs Deeper the suction pulled him. He was spun about in the inflexible grip of whirlpool
 Lower he sank. He clawed for a support that was denied him. Down he was dragged into vortex. He felt the waters closing about his head.
 Gasping for a last despairing breath, he was shot down into a great funnel A crashing and roaring sound filled his ears. His body was hammered and Hailed against the rough sides of thls terrible aqueduct. His lungs were on tlre-no, they were bursting.
 There was blinding flash on the mirror behind his eyes.
 Then the darkness of oblivion. JANICE KENT walked slowly back to the little clearing where their ever-burning fire smoked amid its
 rocky bed. She seated herself upon the backlog and stared apatheti cally at the glowing embers. Something had gone dead within
 her-something that in dying had | left void that yet was capable ot aching. Her mind was too confused for analysis but that very confusion released a swarm of queer menta