assistant secretary had finally located it was most inaccurate.

When its grim walls finally rose out of the ocean's mists before

us, we were so far south that it was a question as to whether we

were in the South Pacific or the Antarctic. Bergs were numerous,

and it was very cold.

All during the trip Billings had steadfastly evaded questions as

to how we were to enter Caspak after we had found Caprona. Bowen

Tyler's manuscript had made it perfectly evident to all that the

subterranean outlet of the Caspakian River was the only means of

ingress or egress to the crater world beyond the impregnable cliffs.

Tyler's party had been able to navigate this channel because their

craft had been a submarine; but the _Toreador_ could as easily have

flown over the cliffs as sailed under them. Jimmy Hollis and Colin

Short whiled away many an hour inventing schemes for surmounting

the obstacle presented by the barrier cliffs, and making ridiculous

wagers as to which one Tom Billings had in mind; but immediately

we were all assured that we had raised Caprona, Billings called us

together.

"There was no use in talking about these things," he said, "until

we found the island. At best it can be but conjecture on our part

until we have been able to scrutinize the coast closely. Each

of us has formed a mental picture of the Capronian seacoast from

Bowen's manuscript, and it is not likely that any two of these

pictures resemble each other, or that any of them resemble the

coast as we shall presently find it. I have in view three plans

for scaling the cliffs, and the means for carrying out each is in

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