‘A huge silver whale chased us, a whale larger than any we had ever seen. It came out of those cliffs.’ And the mackerel turned and pointed with his tail.
‘Come on,’ said Raphael. ‘I don’t like this.’
Together the sea horse and the boy rushed westward. After a time they came to the cliffs themselves rising sheer and black.
Here they stumbled over a wire cable which ran along the ocean floor, and stopped for a moment out of breath.
‘I’m afraid the Sorcerer may have gone,’ panted Raphael to his companion.
The sea horse did not answer him, but stared intently into the gloom. At first Raphael could see nothing, but at last he made out the outline of a black doorway which gaped open in the cliff.
‘The door! The door!’ shouted Raphael.
He swam closer and felt one of the edges with his hand. It was made out of metal. Again he tripped over the cable which led into the depths of the chasm.
Raphael decided to follow it, and had started forward when the sea horse warned him.
‘Be careful. That water is poisonous and foul.’