to some place where we can get a view of
the city," said Jim. "Then we can make up our minds what to do. We've
got to get somewhere out of this jungle."

* * * * *

Parrish rose to his feet, mumbling. "If we go round the base of the
volcano we can see Atlantis," he said. "It's always light there. In
the daytime they drive away the fogs by some means they've got, and at
night they have an artificial sun. But we'll be killed, we'll all be
killed."

Mumbling and muttering, he began groping his way through the
undergrowth in the direction of the volcano, whose flashes were again
becoming more frequent, affording a means of directing their route.
Obscure rumblings were again beginning to shake the earth. For an hour
the three picked their way steadily upward through the ferns, until
the ground became more open.

They were approaching the base of the volcano, whose side now towered
above them, the upper part glassy with vitreous lava.

Suddenly Parrish, who was still leading, stopped and began to tremble
with fear. Stepping to his side, Jim heard the low muttering of voices
not far away.

Very cautiously he moved forward through the thin fern scrub, until
the glow of burning embers caught his sight. He stopped, hearing the
voices more distinctly, and again moved forward.

Three Drilgoes, huge, bestial men, and evidently an outpost, were
squatting around the ashes, devouring something with noisy gusto.

Softly as Jim had moved, their acute ears had caught the sound of his
footsteps. They rose, still holding what they were eating in their
hands, and, grasping their stone spears, moved in three separate ways
toward the edge of the clearing.

The man nearest Jim uttered a guttural exclamation and, after sniffing
a moment, began to lope in his direction. Suddenly he stopped short,
petrified with astonishment and fear at the sight of a man who,
instinct told him, was neither Atlantean nor of his own kind.

* * * * *

Jim leaped, tackling him about the knees, and brought him heavily to
the ground. As the Drilgo fell, the spear clattered from his hand, but
from his snakeskin girdle he pulled a long, curved knife of chipped
obsidian, sharp as a razor.

Jim grasped the Drilgo's wrist, but in a moment he saw that he was no
match for the creature in strength. He drew back his right arm and
delivered a punch to the solar plexus with all his strength.

As the D