“Nothing, only if another whirl of the waters took place again like that we might have to swim.”
“I am willing to risk it,” said Randall, looking at Frank.
“It will probably not occur again,” declared the young inventor.
“Then we will go ahead.”
“Yes.”
Randall and the sailor gave way at the paddles. The coracle sped on and every moment drew nearer the fiery furnace.
Then it was seen that the cavern here enlarged into a mighty, yawning pit, which was filled with smoke and flames, and from which arose fearful fumes.
It was evidently a volcano.
A gallery ran from the lake shore to this pit and divided the two by about fifty feet of solid rock. The heat of the furnace was intense.
But the voyagers did not hesitate to draw the coracle up on the shore and walk over to the fiery pit.