cial
hour, his great love for her overshadowed every other feeling, and no
thought of self was in his mind--his care was all for her. There was a
long farewell caress. Both knew that it might be goodbye, but both were
silent as the violet eyes and the gray looked into each other's depths
and conveyed messages far beyond the power of words. Once more he
adjusted her helmet and strapped her into place.

As Crane had in the meantime cared for the other girl, the men again
took their places and Seaton started the motor which would automatically
advance the speed levers, one notch every five seconds, until the full
power of both motors was exerted. As the power was increased, he turned
the valve as before, until the helmets were filled with pure oxygen
under a pressure of five inches of water.

Margaret Spencer, weakened by her imprisonment, was the first to lose
consciousness, and soon afterward Dorothy felt her senses leave her. A
half-minute, in the course of which six mighty surges were felt, as more
of the power of the doubled motor was released, and Crane had gone,
calmly analyzing his sensations to the last. After a time DuQuesne also
lapsed into unconsciousness, making no particular effort to avoid it, as
he knew that the involuntary muscles would function quite as well
without the direction of the will. Seaton, although he knew it was
useless, fought to keep his senses as long as possible, counting the
impulses he felt as the levers were advanced.

"Thirty-two." He felt exactly as he had before, when he had advanced the
lever for the last time.

"Thirty-three." A giant hand shut off his breath completely, though he
was fighting to his utmost for air. An intolerable weight rested upon
his eyeballs, forcing them backward into his head. The universe whirled
about him in dizzy circles--orange and black and green stars flashed
before his bursting eyes.

"Thirty-four." The stars became more brilliant and of more variegated
colors, and a giant pen dipped in fire was writing equations and
mathematico-chemical symbols upon his quivering brain. He joined the
circling universe, which he had hitherto kept away from him by main
strength, and whirled about his own body, tracing a logarithmic spiral
with infinite velocity--leaving his body an infinite distance behind.

"Thirty-five." The stars and the fiery pen exploded in a wild
coruscation of searing, blinding light and he plunged from his spiral
into a black abyss.