caught
in the ridges of the plates? That is gold. And my fellows here melt it
with fire into bars, and take it to my smith's in the city. The tides
vary constantly, as you priests know well, as the quiet moon draws them,
and it does not take much figuring to know how much of the sea passes
through these culverts in a month and how much gold to a grain should be
caught in the plates. My fellows here at first thought to cheat me, but
I towed two of them in the water once behind a galley till the cannibal
fish ate them, and since then the others have given me credit for--for
what do you think?"

"More divinity."

"I suppose it is that. But I am letting you see how it is done. Just
have the head to work out a little sum, and see what an effect can be
gained. You will be a God yet yourself, Deucalion, with these silly
Atlanteans, if only you will use your wit and cleverness."

Was she laughing at me? Was she in earnest? I could not tell. Sometimes
she pointed out that her success and triumphs were merely the reward
of thought and brilliancy, and next moment she gave me some impossible
explanation and left me to deduce that she must be more than mortal or
the thing could never have been found. In good truth, this little woman
with her supple mind and her supple body mystified me more and more the
longer I stayed by her side; and more and more despairing did I grow
that Atlantis could ever be restored by my agency to peace and the
ancient Gods, even after I had carried out the commands of the High
Council, and taken her to wife.

Only one plan seemed humanly possible, and that was to curb her further
mischievousness by death and then leave the wretched country naturally
to recover. It was just a dagger-stroke, and the thing was done. Yet the
very idea of this revolted me, and when the desperate thought came to my
mind (which it did ever and anon), I hugged to myself the answer that if
it were fitting to do this thing, the High Gods in Their infinite wisdom
would surely have put definite commands upon me for its carrying out.

Yet, such was the fascination of Phorenice, that when presently we
left her gold collectors, and stumbled into such peril, that a little
withholding of my hand would have gained her a passage to the nether
Gods, I found myself fighting when she called upon me, as seldom I have
fought before. And though, of course, some blame for this must be laid
upon that lust of battle which thrills even the coldes