"That's pretty hard to estimate," said the doctor. "We have walked perhaps fifteen miles altogether, besides the climb down. I suppose we actually came down five or six thousand feet." "And at the size we are now it would have been twelve thousand feet down, wouldn't it?" "Yes," answered the Doctor, "it would." "And just think," went on the Big Business Man, "right now, based on the size we were when we began, we've only gone some six feet altogether from the place we started." "And a sixteenth of an inch or less since we left the surface of the ring," said the Doctor smiling. "Gee, that's a weird thought," the Very Young Man said, as he gazed in awe at the lofty heights about them. "I've been thinking," continued the Big Business Man. "You say we must be careful not to get lost in size. Well, suppose instead of taking twelve pills here, we only take six. That should be enough to get us started--possibly enough to get us all the way down. Then before we moved at all we could take the other six. That would keep it straight, wouldn't it?" "Great idea," said the Very Young Man. "I'm in favor of that." "It sounds feasible--certainly if we can get all the way down with six pills we will save a lot of climbing." "If six aren't enough, we can easily take more," added the Big Business Man. And so they decided to take only six pills of the drug and to get down to the bottom of the pit, if possible, without taking more. The pit, as they stood looking down into it now, seemed quite impossible of descent, for its almost perpendicular wall was smooth and shining as polished brass. They took the drug, standing close together at the edge of the pit. Immediately began again the same crawling sensation underfoot, much more rapid this time, while all around them the rocks began very rapidly increasing in size. The pit now seemed widening out at an astounding rate. In a few minutes it had broadened so that its opposite side could not be seen. The wall at the brink of which they stood had before curved in a great sweeping arc to enclose the circular hole; now it stretched in a nearly straight, unbroken line to the right and left as far as they could see. Beneath them lay only blackness; it was as though they were at the edge of the world. "Good God, what a place to go down into," gasped the Big Business Man, after they had been standing nearly half an hour in silence, appalled at the tremendous changes taking place around them. For some time past the wall before them had become sufficiently indented and broken to make possible their descent. It was the Doctor who first realized the time--or perhaps it should be said, the size--they were losing by their inactivity; and when with a few crisp words he brought them to themselves, they immediately started downward.