e with one hand, the
youngest son advanced into the blackness. Creatures of the sea, with
round shining eyes, stared at him from shallow pools, and now and then
his hand, running along the wall, would touch and shake from its place a
starfish or great snail.

Down and down and down went the sailor. Presently he heard the lapping
of wavelets in the darkness, and a few minutes after, he felt himself
advancing into deepening water. Stopping for an instant, he put on the
golden ring. Then, walking on again, he felt the water rise from his
ankles to his waist, and from his waist to his throat. One step more,
and the water closed over his head.

Once under the waves, the sailor hesitated, uncertain as to which way to
turn. Little by little, however, his eyes grew accustomed to the touch
of the water, and he saw, lying on the bottom a few feet ahead of him, a
small ball glowing with a pale phosphorescent light. Stooping to touch
this strange object, the sailor discovered it to be a small round
sea-plant which had anchored itself to a stone, and presently he
discovered that this light was but one of thousands which together
formed a long straight line across the level floor of the sea. Rightly
imagining these lights to be signs of a sea-world road, the sailor
advanced along them. A slow walk of ten long leagues brought him to the
gate of the City under the Sea.

There was very little light there, save for that which came through the
waters from the world above, and this was but a faint, pale green glow,
which lay, more like a shadow than a light on the roofs and tower-tops
of the submerged town.

The sailor walked unchallenged through the gate, and found himself in
the great street of the city. Along the broad avenue grew giant
sea-plants with brown leaves, set out in rows like trees; and through
the foliage which moved heavily in the currents, little fish darted like
birds. Many people walked slowly to and fro--strange people of the sea,
all dressed alike in tight-fitting garments of shining, fish-like
scales.

The sailor looked into their faces and saw that a broad golden ring
encircled the pupils of their eyes. Suddenly two men of the sea,
distinguished from the others by swords of red stone, moved through the
water, and seizing the sailor in their webbed hands, hurried him before
the King of the Under-Waters.

On a coral throne, in a great hall roofed with a high circular dome, sat
the King. The flowing waters withi