the same terrible scene that we had viewed, through
the amazing phenomenon of distortion of light through space-time, four
thousand miles away and twelve hours before.

In a few minutes the time would come when Charlie had ended our view
of the scene by his attempt to draw the girl through the fourth
dimension to our apparatus in Florida. What terrible thing might
happen then?

Charlie brought the ship about so quickly that we were flung against
the sides. Down we came toward the mad waves in a swift glide. In
sudden apprehension, I dropped my hand on his shoulder.

"Man, you can't land in a sea like that! It's suicide!"

Without a word, he shook off my hand and continued our steep glide
toward the rock. I drew my breath in apprehension of a crash.

* * * * *

I do not blame Charlie for what happened. He is as skilful a pilot as
I know. It was a mad freak of the sea that did the thing.

The gray waste of mountainous, white-crested waves rose swiftly up to
meet us, with the rock with the girl clinging to it just to our right.
The _Golden Gull_ struck the crest of a wave, buried herself in the
foam, and plunged down the long slope to the trough. We rose safely to
the crest of the oncoming roller, and I saw the black outline of the
rock not a dozen yards away.

Charlie had landed with all his skill. It was not his fault that the
blustering wind caught the ship as she reached the crest of the wave
and flung her sidewise toward the rock. It is no fault of his that the
white-capped mountain of racing green water completed what the wind
had begun and hurled the frail plane crashing on the rock.

I have a confused memory of the wild plunge at the mercy of the wave,
of my despair as I realized that we were being wrecked. I must have
been knocked unconscious when we struck. The next I remember I was
opening my eyes to find myself on the rock, Charlie's strong arm on my
shoulder. I was soaked with icy brine and my head was aching from a
heavy blow.

Virginia, shivering and blue, was perched beside us. I could see no
sign of the plane: the mighty sea had swept away what was left of it.
Clinging to the lee side of the rock I saw the black tentacles of the
giant octopus--waiting for a wave to dash us to its mercy.

"All right, Hammond?" Charlie inquired anxiously. "I'm afraid you got
a pretty nasty bump on the head. About all I could do to fish you out
before the _Gull_ was swept away."