For some moments, Professor Stevens prowled about without comment, examining the huge basal blocks of the structure and glancing up its sloping sides.
“You see, I was right!” he declared at length. “This is not only a man-made edifice but a true pyramid, embodying the same architectural principles as the Mayan and Egyptian forms. We see before us the visible evidence of a sunken empire—the missing link between Atlantis and America.”
No comments greeted this profound announcement and the professor continued:
“This structure appears to be similar in dimensions with that of the pyramid of Xochicalco, in Mexico, which in turn approximates that of the “Sacred Hill” of Atlantis, mentioned by Plato, and which was the prototype of both the Egyptian and Mayan forms. It was here the Antillians, as the Atlanteans had taught them to do, worshipped their grim gods and performed the human sacrifices they thought necessary to appease them. And it was here, too, if I am not mistaken, that—”
Suddenly his vibratory discourse was broken into by a sharp signal from the submarine:
“Pardon interruption! Hurry back! We are attacked!”
At this, the trio stood rigid.
“Captain Petersen! Captain Petersen!” Larry heard the professor call. “Speak up! Give details! What has happened?”
But an ominous silence greeted the query.
Another moment they stood there, thoroughly dismayed now. Then came the professor’s swift command: