in magnitude and power by an armed race of human beings, before
whose awful might other tribes are but as ants in the pathway of
an elephant."

Waldo let escape a low, prolonged whistle of mingled wonder and
incredulity, but Bruno gave him a covert kick, himself too deeply
interested to bear with a careless interruption just then.

"Of course there may be something of exaggeration in all this,"
admitted the enthusiastic professor. "Undoubtedly, there is at
least a fair spice of that; but, even so, enough remains to both
waken and hold our keenest interest. Listen, and take heed, my
good lads.

"You have often enough, of late days, noticed these mountains,
and if you remark their altitude, the vast scope of country they
dominate, the position they fill, you must likewise realise one
other fact: that an immense quantity of snow in winter, rain in
spring and autumn, surely must fall throughout the Olympics.
Understand?"

"Certainly; why not, uncle Phaeton?"

"Then tell me this: where does all the moisture go to? What
becomes of the surplus waters? For it is an acknowledged fact
that, though rivers and brooks surely exist in the Olympics, not
one of either flows away from this wide tract of country!"

The professor paused for a minute, to let his words take full
effect, then even more positively proceeded: