One by one, the members of the Gregory party have seen various portions of the huge Euclidean city below the sea. In one of the vast natural caves, which the Euclideans have improved and strengthened, Mrs. Gregory and Joan are waiting anxiously for Captain Bradford and Jerry Hall. We last saw the captain and Jerry making a vain attempt to rescue G-47 from the swirling waters rushing in upon them, as a series of explosions rocked the walls of the cavern. A steel door has slammed shut, cutting off their view of the flooded passageway, and Mrs. Gregory and Joan stand helplessly waiting for someone to appear. The explosions are still being heard in the distance. I think we should try to get in there, Joan. No, Mother, that is foolish. But Texas and that passageway are in Jerry. You cannot help by getting hysterical. G-47 and the captain will do everything possible to save themselves, and Jerry as well. But if we open that door, we might get them out. And if we open that door, the waters of the ocean would rush in and flood this entire city. Every life in Euclidia would be lost. And we are just going to stand here and do nothing? That is not wise either. Let us go to a higher level in one of the other passageways. Very well. But it's so useless, just a waste of time. We do not know that. Come, let us walk as rapidly as possible. This is one time when the all-wise Euclideans got a little taste of their own medicine. Their cleverly designed volcanic eruption is just as apt to destroy their city as it is to drive away any boats on the surface of the water. I know the Euclidean's thoroughness of planning much better than you, Mother. It is only a remote possibility that misfortune has befallen G-47. Even if he could manage to escape, what of Jerry and the captain? The captain's life is very valuable to G-47 until his formula is secured for the Euclideans. If G-47 is safe, Jerry and the captain are also safe. I hope you're right, Joan dear, but I can't feel very cheerful about it. I think we will soon have information of a more definite nature. Is this not Keops approaching us? It looks like him and he's in a hurry. He does appear to be excited, and that is not like one of the scientists. If they've had bad luck with their artificial volcanic eruption, you may see a number of these Euclideans jarred out of their irritating smugness. It is Keops, the master builder, who approaches us. Ah, there you are. Come, Cleostre. Come, Mrs. Gregory. You will follow me. Follow you where? Do you not know enough of Euclidean procedure to refrain from questioning the actions of Keops? Come, Mother, we will follow Keops. He may lead us to something of interest, and surely anything is preferable to our present state of uneasiness. You have retained something of our teachings, Cleostre. Oh, very well. I won't forget your greatness or my extreme humility in your presence, but I would like to know if you have any information as to whether the captain and Jerry Hall escaped that flooded chamber. I have no information, and I'm not interested in securing any. Their absence fails to annoy me as greatly as their presence would. G-47 is with them. What? G-47 is in that flooded chamber with the captain and Jerry. Then come. We must hasten to the control room. Come with me, that you may show me the point at which they were last seen. You're excited enough now. Naturally. G-47 must be saved. Well, I don't agree with you as to that. But as you'll probably be forced to save Tex and Jerry at the same time, we'll help you. I think we are now at the same level as the corridor they were imprisoned in. That is well. We will enter this control room. From here we may command a view of the surface through our prism reflectors. Enter. What a remarkable room. It looks almost like a small moving picture theater. That is rather a good description of it. On the steel wall before you, you will see moving objects, which are indeed similar to your motion pictures. But these articulated views are in the fourth dimension and are direct reproductions of the actions now taking place on the surface of the water. I will establish contact at once. Observe that wall. Mother, look. Yes, Joan, I'm watching. There are a number of shadows appearing on that wall. They're taking shape. Joan, those shadows are ships, big ships. We are observing the movements of the various vessels rapidly leaving this position. Apparently they have no liking for active volcanoes as an anchorage. Those are the ships which came to rescue us? Yes, Joan dear. Tex didn't tell you and Jerry all his plans as he didn't want to raise your hopes and possibly have them dashed. But the ships you see sailing away, obviously under force draft, are like cruisers and destroyers from several of the largest nations in the world. Hmm. Now there you have it, Mrs. Gregory. Seven heavily armed vessels from seven powerful nations in your puny world have followed your directions to the location of Euclidia. They found no island at that position, but they did find an active volcano. So these brave ships are sailing away, quite satisfied that if there ever was an island here, it has been destroyed by the eruption. Your friends have made their last attempt to rescue you and Euclidia now numbers your party among its permanent residents. Oh Joan dear. I'm so sorry mother. All of those countries helping so splendidly to search out and destroy this mad place to bring peace and safety to the world, only to have their plans overthrown by an artificial volcanic eruption. Mother, look! Watch that wall! There are new shadows appearing on it. You will observe those shadows carefully. The view you now have is being transmitted through a steel wall beyond this room. You are viewing the pressure channel from which you escaped and within which G-47 and your friends are now confined. Joan, Joan, Tex, Jerry, that place is full of water. Their bodies are pressed against the ceiling. Mother, mother, you must not allow yourself to act this way. Tex, Jerry. If you will retain your mental balance for a moment, Mrs. Gregory, and give all your attention to the projection before you, you will note that there is at least two inches of space between the faces of these men and the ceiling of that corridor. Yes, mother. Do you not observe that? Yes, I see that now. And I suppose a good swimmer might have floated on his back and continued to breathe easily in that still water. Precisely. But the pressure, the air pressure would be unbearable. It would indeed if it were not for the fact that I, Keops, the master builder, designed that room, and others which serve the same purpose. The ceiling is of porous steel, permitting air to escape at a lower pressure than is harmful to the human body. Then they're, they're all right? Of course they are, mother. If Keops isn't worried about G-47, you may be sure Jerry and the captain are quite safe. Precisely. Now, if you will continue to watch those shadow vision images, you will observe the water level receding as I advance this control. How soon will they be free? Watch and ask no questions. Mother, the water is receding. Yes, it is. Rapidly, too. And I can see all three of the men moving in the water. They are all perfectly safe now. That water is going down rapidly. Now Jerry is turning over to swim. Note the look of relief that comes over his face. Oh, I don't blame him. Now Tex and G-47 are both turning over. Their feet will soon touch the floor. Oh, John, I'm so glad. It will be a matter of less than 120 seconds until your friends will be free to enter this room. Two minutes. That's a wonderful performance, Keops. The secrets of the builders of the great pyramids have come down through the ages to me. The building of a simple room such as that one is child's play to me. That's something I want you to explain to me when you have time, Keops. Did your namesake actually build pyramids? Mrs. Gregory, your attempt at humor is in very poor taste, as my displeasure would mean your life. Please, Muppet, do not anger him. I didn't mean to. And my question was perfectly sincere. Our educational system has conflicting testimony rather generously scattered through it. One of the most recently discussed theories is that Khufu, or Keops, did not build the great pyramid. In fact, modern science is striving to prove this. You are not deliberately attempting to antagonize me? You are sincere? Perfectly sincere. In my library at home, I have no less than six volumes, all accepted as authority by recognized historians. And no two of the six agree, even reasonably, as to the time of the building of the great pyramid, the part Keops played in this building, or even the fact that this was the first pyramid. So, those conditions of confusion and ignorance actually exist in your world. I have been told as much about the Western world, but it seemed incredible. We of the East are definite in our ancient history, even in the everyday world. You have aroused my interest. At some future time, I will be glad to demonstrate my proofs as to the actual building of the great pyramid. For the present, I may tell you briefly that Keops was the builder of the great pyramid, which was also the first pyramid. He started work in the year 3949 B.C., when but 20 years of age, and completed it in 20 years. The Sagala, commonly called the Step Pyramid, was not started until 3000 B.C., eight years after the death of Keops, and 29 years after the completion of the great pyramid of Keops. Is that satisfactory to you, Mother? More than that, it's amazing. And I'm beginning to wonder just how many things we accept in our world that may be poorly stated to us. Hello, everybody. Oh, Jerry. Oh, Mother, is it Jerry? Oh, it sure is. And boy, have we had some experience. Young man, do you realize you have rushed unbidden into one of the most carefully guarded rooms in Euclidia? Oh, nobody was guarding it when I came in. Hey, you been watching movie and pictures here? Well, something like that. Where is Dex? You will leave immediately. All of you, get out. Get out. Mother, come. Keops is angry. Oh, gee, I'm sorry I busted in here like that. But if he only knew what happened to me. We know, Jerry, but let us leave at once and discuss it out in the corridor. Yes, meddling fools, leave at once. Well, I guess we can talk out here all right. I didn't mean to make the old guy mad. Forget it, Jerry. That's just his Euclidean temperament. But how is Dex? Oh, he's OK. He went with G-47 to look at those ships on the surface through some kind of a periscope, I guess. Through prism reflectors, Jerry. We have just seen the ships sail away. Yeah, I guess the volcano eruption these guys put on sure scared them away. But give me a chance to tell us what happened to us. When Dex and I rushed back into the corridor, we saw a ship that was just about to crash. And what happened to us? When Dex and I rushed back into the hallway after G-47, the water started coming in. We had seen all that, Jerry. Huh? You what? That's right, Jerry. Keops took us into the room where you found us. And with some very wonderful equipment, which he referred to as prism reflectors, he showed us the room in which you were floating on the top of the water. Yes, Jerry. And we could see that you had very little space in which to breathe. Well, all that's over now, and we're all right. The important thing is those ships that were looking for the island. I'm afraid that's all over too, Jerry. It is indeed all over. Yeah, they're gone. Right now, I'll bet their radios are telling the world that the magic island was destroyed by that volcano. If they will even believe there was an island, Jerry.
