"This declaration," continued Norrena, "when fully understood, is seen to contain every element of a speedy uplifting of any people who are oppressed by the power of wealth. Any person with a fair understanding of business methods can work out the details for the application of these principles in actual business, and any fifty families who are able to purchase and pay for supplies to the extent of five dollars per week, would provide an aggregate sale of over two thousand dollars' worth of goods per month, which would be ample to start business, pay necessary expenses and have something left. Such a business properly managed, could, by a comprehensive educational movement, be made to absorb the trade of any community for the benefit of the customers, and thus create an object lesson that would be speedily adopted by other communities, and become general. The people would be masters of the situation, and the power of money to dictate terms would have passed away forever." "I should think," I said, "that everything pertaining to the organization which won such a victory for humanity would be carefully preserved in this Museum of Universal History." "It is," said Norrena, "but it will be found in the story above and we will hardly have time to extend this visit any further to-day." "Nor to-morrow, either," interposed Oqua. "We have important work at Byblis to-morrow, or at least there may be. Huston and Dione, want to register as man and wife, and for some reason, Huston thinks that Captain Ganoe will have objections, and if so, they must be taken into account. Besides, we propose to have an excursion around the lake on the Ice King. So we had better return to our rooms, take a rest and be prepared to start early to-morrow morning." "And I propose," said Norrena, "that we extend our excursion to Kroy and complete the object lesson that records the victory of Equity over Greed." CHAPTER XIV. THROUGH THE AIR TO LAKE BYBLIS--ON THE ICE KING ONCE MORE--CAPTAIN GANOE IN COMMAND--MET BY THE VIKING, SILVER KING AND SEA ROVER--A WEDDING--HUSTON AND DIONE THE PRINCIPALS--GANOE OBJECTS--NORRENA INVESTIGATES--OBJECTION OVER-RULED--EXCURSION BENEATH THE WATERS OF THE LAKE--DOWN THE COCYTAS--THE RUINS OF KROY--ABANDONED GOLD--THE LAST RELIC OF BARBARISM. [Illustration] THE journey by airship from Orbitello to Lake Byblis was as usual most interesting. I never tired of these aerial flights. My first was from the deck of the Ice King in the middle of the Oscan ocean to the continent, and now I was returning to the Ice King from the middle of the continent. Our course was an airline, several points south of east, over the fertile valley of the Cocytas. For a distance of twelve hundred miles, we were first on one side of the river and then on the other, with a bird's eye view of this highly improved valley.