Chapter Two

The Cavern Under the Sea



The circles were so much smaller at the bottom of the
basin, and the boat moved so much more swiftly, that
Trot was beginning to get dizzy with the motion, when
suddenly the boat made a leap and dived headlong into
the murky depths of the hole. Whirling like tops, but
still clinging together, the sailor and the girl were
separated from their boat and plunged down -- down --
down -- into the farthermost recesses of the great
ocean.

At first their fall was swift as an arrow, but
presently they seemed to be going more moderately and
Trot was almost sure that unseen arms were about her,
supporting her and protecting her. She could see
nothing, because the water filled her eyes and blurred
her vision, but she clung fast to Cap'n Bill's
sou'wester, while other arms clung fast to her, and so
they gradually sank down and down until a full stop was
made, when they began to ascend again.

But it seemed to Trot that they were not rising