“He said that we could stay here till the island sank, for all he cared, and added that Diaz had been driven out of Mexico, and that he was off to Europe with those gems.” “Dat dere coffee-colored man is de worst no ’count trash I ebber done heard of,” announced Jupe solemnly, while the others stood thunderstruck at such pitiless behavior. Before they could utter a word of comment, however, another shock struck the island. And this time it caused an amazing thing to happen. The centre of the isolated spot of land had been quite an elevation. During this spasm of the earth, however, an astonishing change took place in the form of the island. The “crown” of the sandy little place sank until it was depressed into a sort of cup. On the outer rim of this odd subsidence of the island, were the adventurers who looked with alarmed eyes on this freak of the earthquake. It mean only one thing, and that was that if another shock occurred and the land sank any further, that the sea must overwhelm it utterly. While they were still looking over the altered scene. Captain Andrews gave a shout. “Shiver my timbers,” he cried, “look yonder, will you?” The subsidence of the centre of the island, of course, gave them a clear view of the distant shore and of the neck of water between it and the island. An astounding thing had happened, as the adventurers could now see. Although they had not known it, the island had once formed part of the mainland, and a narrow neck still connected it at a depth of only a few feet at low water. It was now low tide, and the earthquake, while it depressed the central part of the island, had performed a still more astonishing freak. It had raised this narrow neck linking it to the shore till it was quite a few inches above the level of the water, making a causeway of wet sand between the island and the mainland! Jack was the first to grasp the significance of this. He gave a glad shout as he did so. “Hurrah! We are saved!” he cried. “The earthquake has saved us!” “What?” demanded his hearers, not quite so quick-thinking as Jack. “Don’t you see?” exclaimed the boy. “We can drive the Flying Road Racer ashore over that neck of sand as easily as if we were taking a spin in the park.” “But suppose another shock causes the neck of sand to subside again?” asked Mr. Jesson skeptically. “We must take our chances of that,” Tom answered him. “In any case, it means death to remain where we are.” CHAPTER XXVI—AN ASTOUNDING DISCOVERY As Jack spoke, the island gave another trembling shake. It was only a slight one, but it warned them that, in all probability, there were to be more violent shocks succeeding it. It was plain enough that their escape, if it was to be made at all, must be made quickly. Jack and Tom at once set about dismantling the wireless station and packing the apparatus.