"They are," said Oqua, "only the relics of the great money center which held the people in bondage during the Transition Period. When Kroy was deserted by the money kings, the people determined to preserve it, subject only to the ravages of time, as a warning and a lesson to future generations."
As Oqua ceased speaking, the Sea Rover arose to the surface by the side of the Silver King, the hatches were opened, and in a few minutes we were welcomed on board the electric yacht by Captain Thorfin, and invited to an elegant supper. The day had certainly been most agreeably spent but its lessons were too suggestive and far-reaching in their character to be adequately presented in this small volume. I was fatigued by the incessant activity since early morning and was glad of an opportunity to retire to my state-room and rest.
I was awake early next morning and after a hearty breakfast, we were soon speeding down the Cocytas between two lofty walls of granite. There was nothing to be seen but these towering cliffs for the first few miles and Captain Thorfin gave us a specimen of the speed of the Silver King. The cliffs seemed to dart past us as if we were on board of a lightning express train, and yet we could scarcely feel the motion of the vessel. I confess that I felt a little nervous at such astonishing speed, but Captain Thorfin assured us that there was no danger, as the submarine patrols removed every obstruction and preserved a uniform depth of water.
I asked the Captain what was the greatest speed of his vessel and he replied that he had never tested it. He had made one hundred miles an hour but the excursionists generally preferred to travel slowly. On this trip we would average fifty, and so reach Kroy in about three hours.
During the last two hours of our journey we were passing through a densely populated country. Great communal homes appeared on either side and large manufacturing plants at frequent intervals. But our interest was centered at the mouth of the river and our attention was chiefly directed over the bow. Soon a point of land appeared where the river seemed to part in twain. This I recognized as the island I had seen from the airship which had brought us to the continent, and here is where the city of Kroy had been situated. My interest had been aroused and as the Silver King turned into the northern channel, the island became the center of attraction. On the larboard side the same scenes of sylvan beauty, palatial buildings and groups of happy, joyous people continued, but it was now the uninhabited island that absorbed my attention.
I could see, in places, through the tangled brushwood and tall trees which lined the shore, glimpses of shattered walls and tumuli, over-run by vines and briers, such as in many parts of the outer world are so attractive to archeologists, as the ruins of some ancient civilization. At one point I noticed what appeared to have been costly monuments to the dead and I said to Norrena:
"Surely that must have been a cemetery."
"And so it was," he responded. "In those days, millions were expended in decorating the graves of the rich, while the masses of their fellow beings who had toiled to create what the few had absorbed, lived in poverty, and large numbers died in alms houses or by the wayside, and found their last resting place in a Potter's field. More was often expended on a single tomb than could possibly have been earned in any useful service to society, in a life-time. They sought to secure a sort of immortality by polished granite columns and laudatory inscriptions. This has all been changed for centuries. We cremate the dead body in the most speedy and economical manner possible, and seek to secure longevity and happiness for all, by creating the best possible conditions for the living."
At another place I caught glimpses of monuments of another description, mingled with what had evidently been palatial structures adorned with the artistic work of the sculptor in great profusion. Obelisks of polished stone towered above the surrounding trees, giving the forest a peculiar appearance not easily forgotten, but difficult to describe. Noticing my interest in the scene Norrena remarked:
"This was once a magnificent park, and was ornamented by works of art from foreign lands representing the most ancient civilizations, as well as the most artistic products of their own sculptors and painters. One of those Obelisks dated back to pre-historic ages. It was transported from its original site in the Old World, at great expense as a monument to the wealth and munificence of the money kings. They had conquered the world then existing and held the people in subjection. To commemorate their success they sought to compel the Past to proclaim their greatness and gratify their vanity. But they had no future. They passed away. And now the descendants of the millions whom they oppressed, visit these ruins and gather lessons of wisdom from their contemplation."