s raged, white and
angry, and little threads of white crawled outward from those
shores--the crests of tidal waves that must have towered into the air
twice the _Ertak's_ length.

Slowly, the shore-line changed form as fresh portions arose, and others,
newly-risen, sank again beneath the gray water. The wisps of steam
darkened still more, and seemed to shrivel up, as though the fires that
fed them had been exhausted by the travail of a new continent.

"Think, sir," breathed Correy, "what we might find if we landed there on
that new continent, still dripping with the water from which it sprang!
A part of the ocean's bed, thrust above the surface to be examined at
will--Couldn't we leave our course long enough to--to look her over?"

I confess I was tempted. Young John Hanson, Commander of the Special
Patrol ship, _Ertak_, had his good share of natural curiosity, the
spirit of adventure, and the explorer's urge. But at the same time, the
Service has a discipline that is as rigid and relentless as the passing
of time itself.

Hydrot lay off to starboard of our course: Arpan, where we were to
re-outfit, was ahead and to port, and we were already swinging in that
direction. The _Ertak_ was working on a close schedule that gave us no
latitude.

"I'm afraid it can't be done, Mr. Correy," I said, shaking my head.
"We'll report it immediately, of course, and perhaps we'll get orders to
make an investigation. In that case--"

"Not the _Ertak_!" interrupted Correy passionately. "They'll send a crew
of bug-eyed scientists there, and a score or so of laboratory men to
analyze this, and run a test on that, and the whole mess of them will
write millions of words apiece about the expedition that nobody will
ever read. I know."

"Well, we'll hope you're wrong." I said, knowing in my heart that he was
perfectly right. "Keep her on her present course, Mr. Correy."

"Present course it is, sir!" snapped Correy. Then we bent together over
the old-fashioned hooded television disk staring down silently and
regretfully at the continent we had seen born, and which, with all its
promise of interest and adventure, we must leave behind, in favor of a
routine stop at the sub-base on Arpan.

I think both of us would have gladly given years of our lives to turn
the _Ertak's_ blunt nose toward Hydrot, but we had our orders, and in
the Service as it was in those days, an officer did not question his
orders.

* * * *