“I don’t know; only a passing fancy, but it’s not possible!” “What is it?” they asked, excitedly. “Nothing, only a foolish fancy; but it cannot be,” he replied, musingly, still looking out. “Tell us then!” they persisted. “I thought it might be the _Regina!_” he said slowly, pausing between each word. “But she could not know where we are.” “Impossible!” interjected Holt. “She could never single one planet out of millions, not knowing the direction we took, and especially now we have changed again. It is absurd.” “I said so,” said Congreve, reflectively, still at the opening. “And as we are not near the orbit of Venus at all, she could not find us; it is impossible!” put in Keeth. “No; I told you it was a foolish idea,” murmured Congreve, still lost in thought and still closely watching. Then he came and sat down with the rest, and one after another each one fell asleep where he was. How long they slept they had no means of telling, but nature had applied her own remedy and they awoke considerably refreshed; even Dawson was now conscious, though too ill to move. After a while the air became so charged with electricity that their cave was like an electric oven, so stifling as to be painful, and they crawled to the opening for relief and to watch the weird effect outside, and endeavour to locate their position by the stars, and in the black and starry sky they beheld what they took to be a comet. “What can that be?” asked several, indifferently. “A comet,” replied Keeth, briefly. “I did not know there was one due there,” said Bolford, musingly,—and then suddenly they all cried,— “Can it be?—can it! Oh! good heavens!—It IS the _Regina!!_” CHAPTER XVII SMALL PROFIT AND QUICK RETURN “Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?” (+Job.+)