ejaculation
of "Here goes!" he jumped over the intervening crack of space and landed
in the middle of us like a sack of coal. Had I not been seated really I
think he would have knocked me off the rock. As it was, with one hand
he gripped me by the beard and with the other grasped Yva's robe, of
neither of which would he leave go for quite a long time, although we
forced him on to his face. The lantern which he held flew from his grasp
and descended the shaft on its own account.

"You silly fool!" exclaimed Bickley whose perturbation showed itself in
anger. "There goes one of our lamps."

"Hang the lamp!" muttered the prostrate Bastin. "We shan't want it in
Heaven, or the other place either."

Now the stone which had quivered a little beneath the impact of Bastin,
steadied itself again and with a slow and majestic movement sailed
to the other side of the gulf. There it felt the force of gravity, or
perhaps the weight of the returning air pressed on it, which I do not
know. At any rate it began to fall, slowly at first, then more swiftly,
and afterwards at an incredible pace, so that in a few seconds the mouth
of the pit above us grew small and presently vanished quite away.
I looked up at Yva who was standing composedly in the midst of our
prostrate shapes. She bent down and called in my ear:

"All is well. The heat begins, but it will not endure for long."

I nodded and glanced over the edge of the stone at Bastin's lantern
which was sailing alongside of us, till presently we passed it. Bastin
had lit it before we started, I think in a moment of aberration, and it
burned for quite a long while, showing like a star when the shaft
grew darker as it did by degrees, a circumstance that testifies to the
excellence of the make, which is one advertised not to go out in any
wind. Not that we felt wind, or even draught, perhaps because we were
travelling with it.

Then we entered the heat zone. About this there was no doubt, for the
perspiration burst out all over me and the burning air scorched my
lungs. Also Tommy thrust his head from beneath the cloak with his tongue
hanging out and his mouth wide open.

"Hold your breaths!" cried Yva, and we obeyed until we nearly burst. At
least I did, but what happened to the others I do not know.

Fortunately it was soon over and the air began to grow cool again. By
now we had travelled an enormous distance, it seemed to be miles on
miles, and I noticed that our terrific speed w