and yet there was no hole in the ground, and
if one should try to put his foot into the lighted perforation he would
find it as solid as any other part of the earth.

CHAPTER IV. THE MISSION OF SAMUEL BLOCK

Not far from the works at Sardis there was a large pond, which was
formed by the damming of a stream which at this point ran between high
hills. In order to obtain a sufficient depth of water for his marine
experiments, Roland Clewe had built an unusually high and strong
dam, and this body of water, which was called the lake, widened out
considerably behind the dam and stretched back for more than half a
mile.

He was standing on the shore of this lake, early the next morning, in
company with several workmen, examining a curious-looking vessel which
was moored near by, when Margaret Raleigh came walking towards him. When
he saw her he left the men and went to meet her.

"You could not wait until I came to your house to tell you what I was
going to do?" he said, smiling.

"No," she answered, "I could not. The Artesian ray kept me awake nearly
all night, and I felt that I must quiet my mind as soon as I could by
giving it something real and tangible to take hold of. Now what is it
that you are going to do? Anything in the ship line?"

"Yes," said he, "it is something in that line. But let us walk back a
little; I am not quite ready to tell the men everything. I have been
thinking," he said, as they moved together from the lake, "of that
practical enterprise which we must take up and finish, in order to
justify ourselves to the public and those who have in various ways
backed up our enterprises, and I have concluded that the best thing I
can do is to carry out my plan of going to the north pole."

"What!" she exclaimed. "You are not going to try to do that--you,
yourself?" And as she spoke, her voice trembled a little.

"Yes," said he, "I thought I would go myself, or else send Sammy."

She laughed.

"Ridiculous!" said she. "Send Sammy Block! You are joking?"

"No," said he, "I am not. I have been planning the expedition, and I
think Sammy would be an excellent man to take charge of it. I might
go part of the way--at least, far enough to start him--and I could so
arrange matters that Sammy would have no difficulty in finishing the
expedition, but I do not think that I could give up all the time that
such an enterprise deserves. It is not enough to merely find the pole;
one should stay there and mak