But if this overflow was alarming, the full extent of the disaster was not evident until we approached the glass wall itself. This time it did not require any searchlight to reveal the nature of the injury; our ears might have told us if our eyes had not--but our eyes had sufficient to report. As we strode along the little, clay path toward the wall, we became aware of a broad, gleaming, greenish expanse between--a sheet of water where all had been dry land! And into that sheet of water, with a continuous thunder equal to that of the floods from the river valve, a long, white torrent spurted in a gracefully curving jet, shooting outward hundreds of yards from the glass bulwark, and descending with a splashing as of some gigantic fountain. It was impossible to estimate the volume, except to say that it was enormous; nor could we see the nature or extent of the leak, since the intervening water forbade our close approach. But we observed how the overflow worked its way circuitously into the Salty River in a sort of channel of its own choosing; and occasional swift-moving lights, which even from our distance we could see flashing from beyond the glass, showed us that the repair ships were busy trying to seal up the crack. But from the beginning we knew how hopeless were their efforts--with their midget vessels and midget tools they were like ants trying to stem the flood of a Niagara. And the utter helplessness of their plight--and of ours--became tragically apparent when suddenly a great elongated, gray mass came flying in with the torrents from the sea, and fell with a splash and a clatter in a battered heap projecting above the waters--a rescuing submarine that had been hurled in through the gap in the wall! * * * * * [Illustration: Almost before I realized that the ultimate moment had come, I found myself assisting Aelios up the half-submerged gangplank and on to the deck of the grim, low-lying, shadowy ship ... we mounted to the deck, cast a last glance at the darkness that hid the marble temples of Atlantis, and waved for the last time to the dim watching figures.] * * * * * CHAPTER XXXIV Swollen Torrents It was five days later that I received the summons from the High Chief Adviser ... and made ready for the most extraordinary of all my adventures.