As far as the eye could reach out the sea continued and upon its
bosom floated tiny islands, those in the distance reduced to mere
specks; but ever beyond them was the sea, until the impression became
quite real that one was LOOKING UP at the most distant point that
the eyes could fathom--the distance was lost in the distance. That
was all--there was no clear-cut horizontal line marking the dip of
the globe below the line of vision.

"A great light is commencing to break on me," continued Perry,
taking out his watch. "I believe that I have partially solved the
riddle. It is now two o'clock. When we emerged from the prospector
the sun was directly above us. Where is it now?"

I glanced up to find the great orb still motionless in the center
of the heaven. And such a sun! I had scarcely noticed it before.
Fully thrice the size of the sun I had known throughout my life,
and apparently so near that the sight of it carried the conviction
that one might almost reach up and touch it.

"My God, Perry, where are we?" I exclaimed. "This thing is beginning
to get on my nerves."

"I think that I may state quite positively, David," he commenced,
"that we are--" but he got no further. From behind us in the vicinity
of the prospector there came the most thunderous, awe-inspiring
roar that ever had fallen upon my ears. With one accord we turned
to discover the author of that fearsome noise.

Had I still retained the suspicion that we were on earth the sight
that met my eyes would quite entirely have banished it. Emerging