Ibrahim moved so uneasily that Max was afraid he would capsize the boat. He held him firmly on his seat, and shouted in his ear: “Wake up!” “Where am I?” “Uncover your head and see.” When Ibrahim was sufficiently awake to do so, he was as charmed as if he had awoke in an enchanted land. “Allah be praised!” he exclaimed. “Yes, old fellow, but how are we going to get out?” “Allah will save us.” “I believe it, Ib; but we have a saying in my country that ‘God helps only those who try to help themselves.’” “Where is the fire?” asked the Persian, not noticing the American’s quotation. “I don’t know, but I have an idea.” “What is it?” “The fire we saw was an erratic eruption of some volcano. We are in the crater----” “Wha-at?” “We are in the crater, I repeat, at the present time. The boat is stationary, and if----” “What?” “If the eruption starts again we shall go ge-whiz, ker-slush, up there.” As Max spoke Ibrahim looked up the shaft and shuddered. The slang expressions used by Max had raised him much in the estimation of the Persian, for he imagined the American was speaking in some language of which Ibrahim was ignorant. “How can we get out?” “Could you climb that shaft?” asked Max. “No, not if my life depended on it.” “Could you, Selim?” The Arab was staring upward at the clear sky, and had to be asked several times before he would answer. He shook his head, and Max shrugged his shoulders. “I could.” “You could climb those walls?” “Yes; it is easy.” “Easy!” Ibrahim could only repeat the word in an inane manner. “Yes; the surface is so irregular that there are plenty of footholds.” “Shall you do so?” “No.” “Why not?” “Because----” Max stopped. He was hesitating whether to tell the whole truth or not. “Because what?” “It seems our only chance of safety.” “Then why not seek it?” “You cannot climb.” “What of that?” “We will be saved together or die in each other’s company.” “And you could save yourself?” “Perhaps not.” But Max was confident he could do it. “Since you think that is impracticable, we must find some other way out.” Ibrahim pleaded with Max, and implored him to save himself, but the American was firm. When once he had resolved on a thing, nothing could cause him to change. “If we had only some oars----” “But we have not.” “No, and yet we must get away from here.” “How?” “In the way our ancestors did before they invented oars.” “How was that?” “With our hands.” And the three set to work, leaning over the sides of the boat with their hands agitating the water and acting as oars. It was slow--very slow work--but the boat moved. “Get it to the side.” To do so was a work of considerable time; but when they succeeded progression was much more rapid. The only chance of escape seemed to be in following the current; that is, if they were able to find it. It seemed certain that the water did not empty itself into the crater of the volcano alone, as the natives believed.