'But either it led to a higher ledge which has fallen away, or Tagua's story of the opening appears to be sheer legend. 'There is no doubt but that has been built up with a masonry of boulders and cement,' he said. 'I suppose so,' he answered, scanning closely the stairway with his binoculars. Laidlaw shrugged his shoulders resignedly. 'We could get down the cliff with ropes, but to cross that flood is a different proposition, even if we had a raft ready built and at water level.' 'We'll have to wait a day or so until the water goes down,' said Morse. As they gazed, great logs came riding down the current, tossed about like matches in a mill stream, rearing half their length out of the wild race of tawny waters as they struck against submerged rocks, plunging, splintered and sullen, back into the tide to be carried on the circle of the whirlpool till they were sucked into the vortex or spurned from the outer eddies into the main current. Opposite the stairway, which led only to a narrow ledge, the Caxoeira surged in a great whirlpool, part of the giant eddy evidently occupying a hollow in the cliff directly below them. In the present high condition of the water, the torrent lapped either precipice without indication of a beach from which to launch whatever craft they might use in crossing. The descent from where they stood appeared impossible, nor, as far as they could see in either direction, could they determine any natural trace of a trail.

Turbulent waters far below them was plainly heard. In the still morning air the hissing rush of the But, as they gazed into the depths of the gorge, evidence that the real difficulty of the quest was just making itself manifest was very clear. To both of them its timely appearance upon their arrival seemed a happy harbinger. Evidently the vision occurred only during certain atmospheric conditions. Morse and the scientist were on the canyon rim before sunup, but no mirage greeted them. Sacred Texts Atlantis Index Previous Next

Atlantis sky patrol torrent