through the water to settle on the slopes of the volcano. They had lost their red heat but were still hot to the touch.
If this sort of thing continued - if more and more material were thrown up and deposited on the slopes of the volcano, the island of Jack-in-the-Box would rise again from the sea. Then the Tongans could have another party; and the hydrographers would have to put the island back on their charts.
There was that young rascal at last. Hal could see Roger coming through the blue. Roger caught sight of him at the same instant and finned his way towards him, excitedly waving his hands and pointing down the outside slope of the volcano.
He landed between Hal and Dr Dan and tugged at their arms, then swam away, looking back to see if they were following.
Evidently the kid had found something. Hal and the doctor swam after him. The sea grew darker as they went deeper. Presently they made out through the gloom a mysterious form. It was not rock and it was not waving kelp.
It was a house. Near it were other houses. In fact, here was a whole village beneath the sea.
Dr Dan was delighted. Roger had put his time to good use and discovered something very interesting. The doctor walked about, each springy step taking him ten feet or more because of the buoyancy of the water.
The houses were built of lava blocks with wooden rafters so firmly embedded in the blocks that they had not floated away. The thatch that had once covered the rafters had disappeared.
Dr Dan was quite excited by this discovery and went from house to house examining the method of construction and picking up small articles that had been left by the people who had once lived here. He began to go into one house but leaped back when the arm of a large octopus licked out towards him.
He turned towards Hal and laughed excitedly, almost dropping the air intake from his mouth. Hal could see his eyes bright and hard within the mask. The doctor began to wave his hands about in happy fashion, like a child.
Hal’s worst fears were realized. The doctor had that strange underwater malady that was variously called ‘drunkenness of the deeps’, ‘sea intoxication’, ‘rapture of the depths’, ‘nitrogen narcosis’, or ‘diver’s sleep’.
Whatever you chose to call it, it was bad. He must get the doctor to the surface at once.
Hal pointed upwards and began to swim. But the doctor did not follow. Hal went back and took his arm and tried to swim up with him. Dr Dan fought him off and his eyes blazed with indignation.
Hal beckoned to Roger. The boy was quick to realize that something was wrong with the doctor. He took one arm and Hal the other and they started up.
Dr Dan furiously wrenched himself loose. Then he went dancing away among the houses. Each push on the ground sent him bounding up several feet high. This delighted him. He made higher and higher jumps.
A house barred his path. He made a mighty leap, soared twenty feet up into space and came down upon the ridge-pole. He laughed again but the air intake luckily remained in his mouth. He walked along the ridge-pole as if it were a tightrope. Reaching the end of it, he leaped to the roof of another house.
Hal signalled to Roger and they swam up to the depths-crazed doctor. Hal again pointed upwards, smiled at the doctor, tried to quieten him.
But when he ventured to put his hand on Dr Dan’s arm a wild look came over the doctor’s face and he swung out with both fists. Hal got one in the face and Roger one in the stomach. Fortunately the water cushioned the blows.
When they recovered from their surprise the doctor was gone. He went prancing off over the rooftops, as happy as a colt in a field of clover. Hal and Roger swam swiftly after him.
If the doctor should slip on a rafter and fall into a house he might very well drop into the arms of a hungry octopus. It was just such black holes as these that the octopus loved.
A shadow passed above and Hal looked up to see a lazy shark watching
If this sort of thing continued - if more and more material were thrown up and deposited on the slopes of the volcano, the island of Jack-in-the-Box would rise again from the sea. Then the Tongans could have another party; and the hydrographers would have to put the island back on their charts.
There was that young rascal at last. Hal could see Roger coming through the blue. Roger caught sight of him at the same instant and finned his way towards him, excitedly waving his hands and pointing down the outside slope of the volcano.
He landed between Hal and Dr Dan and tugged at their arms, then swam away, looking back to see if they were following.
Evidently the kid had found something. Hal and the doctor swam after him. The sea grew darker as they went deeper. Presently they made out through the gloom a mysterious form. It was not rock and it was not waving kelp.
It was a house. Near it were other houses. In fact, here was a whole village beneath the sea.
Dr Dan was delighted. Roger had put his time to good use and discovered something very interesting. The doctor walked about, each springy step taking him ten feet or more because of the buoyancy of the water.
The houses were built of lava blocks with wooden rafters so firmly embedded in the blocks that they had not floated away. The thatch that had once covered the rafters had disappeared.
Dr Dan was quite excited by this discovery and went from house to house examining the method of construction and picking up small articles that had been left by the people who had once lived here. He began to go into one house but leaped back when the arm of a large octopus licked out towards him.
He turned towards Hal and laughed excitedly, almost dropping the air intake from his mouth. Hal could see his eyes bright and hard within the mask. The doctor began to wave his hands about in happy fashion, like a child.
Hal’s worst fears were realized. The doctor had that strange underwater malady that was variously called ‘drunkenness of the deeps’, ‘sea intoxication’, ‘rapture of the depths’, ‘nitrogen narcosis’, or ‘diver’s sleep’.
Whatever you chose to call it, it was bad. He must get the doctor to the surface at once.
Hal pointed upwards and began to swim. But the doctor did not follow. Hal went back and took his arm and tried to swim up with him. Dr Dan fought him off and his eyes blazed with indignation.
Hal beckoned to Roger. The boy was quick to realize that something was wrong with the doctor. He took one arm and Hal the other and they started up.
Dr Dan furiously wrenched himself loose. Then he went dancing away among the houses. Each push on the ground sent him bounding up several feet high. This delighted him. He made higher and higher jumps.
A house barred his path. He made a mighty leap, soared twenty feet up into space and came down upon the ridge-pole. He laughed again but the air intake luckily remained in his mouth. He walked along the ridge-pole as if it were a tightrope. Reaching the end of it, he leaped to the roof of another house.
Hal signalled to Roger and they swam up to the depths-crazed doctor. Hal again pointed upwards, smiled at the doctor, tried to quieten him.
But when he ventured to put his hand on Dr Dan’s arm a wild look came over the doctor’s face and he swung out with both fists. Hal got one in the face and Roger one in the stomach. Fortunately the water cushioned the blows.
When they recovered from their surprise the doctor was gone. He went prancing off over the rooftops, as happy as a colt in a field of clover. Hal and Roger swam swiftly after him.
If the doctor should slip on a rafter and fall into a house he might very well drop into the arms of a hungry octopus. It was just such black holes as these that the octopus loved.
A shadow passed above and Hal looked up to see a lazy shark watching
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