“Carried unanimously,” cried Drew, and Panton and Oliver remained silent and ready to acquiesce, for the arrangement certainly promised well.
The next minute they were on their way back down to the lower ground, where before reaching the forest patch below they came upon the remains of a group of what must have been well-grown trees, which had been so calcined that though the trunks retained their shape, they were so fragile that a kick given by one of the men brought the first down in powder which partly rose in a cloud, the remainder forming a heap of ashes.
This was the more curious from the fact that within twenty yards there was a clump of vegetation evidently of greater age, growing in full luxuriance. But the reason was soon shown by Panton, who after a few minutes’ examination pointed to a narrow, jagged rift in the earth, running for twenty or thirty yards, and whose sides upon their peering down showed that fire must have rushed up with such intensity that in places the rock was covered with a thick glaze, such as is seen upon earthenware.
“Strikes me, Tommy Smith—” said Wriggs, after he and the other men had had their turn at examining the earth crack.
“Well, what strikes yer, and whereabouts?” replied Smith, turning to give his companions a wink as much as to say, “Hark at him and don’t laugh.”
“Hidees, Tommy,” said Wriggs, “and they hits me in the head—hard.”
“Well, then, matey, let ’em out again and tell us what they mean.”
“Tommy, my lad, you’re trying to be werry wise and to show off, but don’t do it, mate. This here aren’t a place for cutting jokes and making fun o’ your messmate. What I says is—this here place aren’t safe, and the sooner we digs a canawl and takes the old Planet out to sea the better it’ll be for all consarned.”
“I knowed it,” said Smith, oracularly. “I felt sure as something werry wise was a coming. How many spades have we got aboard, mates?”
“Not none at all,” said one of the men.