I had never seen swiftly moving water before. I felt as _you_ would feel gazing from a great height into a dizzy abyss. And this water I could see, was boiling hot down there. But for those bars, I should have been whirled down into it! And from far below I could hear a faint sizzling, as of water dropped on a bed of embers. I forced myself away from the grating, back into the center of the room; and now I was aware that all the water in the room was coming from the tunnel and passing in a current through those bars. “You see,” said Atar, trying to speak calmly. “You see now—” But Og abruptly entered from the tunnel. He hovered before us, leering. Nona shrank against me, and I folded her in my arms. Og did not glance at Nona. He said to Caan: “Have you decided?” “No,” Caan answered. “He is but this moment recovered. We—” “Tell him now. I will wait.” Og turned away, swam over to the grating and gazed through it to that boiling, tumbling water. Then Caan told me. Og offered us freedom—us three men. He would send us back to Rax. The price of it was Nona’s promise to be his Queen—a willing, smiling Queen, none other would the Maagogs have. I could feel Nona shudder against me, but she said no word. “No!” I shouted. “No! No!” Og heard me and smiled. “There is another way. Tell him, Caan.” And if we did not agree—if Nona did not give her promise—Og, the Executioner, would open the grating and let us three men slip out—down into that boiling water our helpless bodies would be sucked. . . As Caan said it, my Nona burst out: “And Nona, too. _That_ is best.” But even that, Og heard. “No,” he smiled. “Not Nona. She will stay here with me—to rule as Queen when I have coaxed the smiles back to her pretty face.” I was suddenly aware of another figure in the room. That Maagog girl had slipped in from the tunnel. She heard Og’s words. Her face smouldered with fury; but it was Nona, not Og, at whom she gazed so balefully. And I knew then that if ever Nona were left with Og—if we men were killed—this woman would kill Nona if she could. Og faced the girl. “Well, Maaret? Why do you come here?” He addressed her gruffly. “Did I not tell you to stay away?” She gestured behind her. “The time is on us. They are ready—coming now. And Og, I knew that you had forgotten.” Og grinned. “Yes, girl, you speak well—I had forgotten.” It was doubtless very amusing; he was chuckling as he whirled on us who were hovering in a huddled group. “A fortunate occurrence, my friends from Rax. You shall swim aside now—and watch me as I perform this little duty of mine. You shall see how cleverly, how gracefully I do it.” He was still grinning; his voice was ironical, mocking—but his eyes were gleaming at Nona. “It will help _you_ to decide, my Queen—help you to choose the fate of your Nemo, your little toy Prince Atar, and your Caan the shell-gatherer!”