purple, and then
into gray, and slowly hints of pink appeared in the skies. It was dawn.
Johnston touched his companion. The man awoke and looked at him from his
great swollen eyes.

"It is day," he yawned, rising and stretching himself.

"But the sun is not in sight."

"No; it shows itself only in the middle of the day, and then but for a
few minutes. We must go now and search for food. I will show you how to
catch the eyeless fish in the black caverns over there." And he led the
American into the blackness behind them. Every now and then, as they
stumbled along, Johnston would look longingly back toward the faint pink
light that shone above the high black wall. But Branasko hastened on.

Presently they came to the edge of a black chasm and the American was
filled with awe, for, from the seemingly fathomless depths, came a great
roaring sound like that of a mighty wind and the air that came from it
was hot, though pure and free from the odor of gas.

"What is this?" he asked.

"They are everywhere," answered Branasko, "if it were not for their hot
breathing the Land of the Changing Sun would be cold and damp."

"Then the sun does not give out heat?"

"No."

"It is cold?"

"I believe so, I have never thought much about it."

The American was mystified, but he did not question farther, for
Branasko was carefully lowering himself into the hot gulf.

"Follow me," he said; "we must cross it to reach the caves. I will guide
you. I have been over this way before."

"But can we stand the heat?"

"Oh, yes; when we get used to it, it is invigorating. I perspire in
streams, but I feel better afterward. Come on."

Branasko's head only was above the ground. "I am standing on a ledge,"
he said. "Get down beside me. Fear nothing. It is solid; besides, what
does it matter? You can die but once, and it would really be better to
fall down there into the internal fires than to starve slowly."

Johnston shuddered convulsively as he let himself down beside Branasko.
His foot dislodged a stone. With a crash it fell upon a lower ledge and
bounded off and went whizzing down into the depths. Both men listened.
They heard the stone bounding from ledge to ledge till the sound was
lost in the internal roaring.

"It is mighty deep," said Johnston.

"Yes, but follow me; we cannot stop here; we must go along this ledge
till we get to the point where the chasm is narrow enough to jump
across. I have done it."

"The American h