"By God! Mr. Blair, I cannot understand it," broke out Cathie in a paroxysm, as he stood over the bodies of two of his men from the _Torch_. "What had we done to deserve this?" "Cathie, Cathie! Come to your senses, man! This is no punishment of God's. Rather let us be thankful we are still alive." "I'd almost as lieve be dead," said Cathie stubbornly. "Ships gone, men gone, everything gone, and all our work undone. Say what you will, Mr. Blair, it's bitter hard." "These," said Blair, raising his hands reverently over the dead at their feet, "have gone home--beyond the reach of storms. The ships can be replaced. If there are any people left, the work can be rebuilt. If they are all gone, they are the better off, and they have gone further than if we had never come here." "It's bitter hard, all the same----" And then a faint, muffled cry reached them, apparently from the ragged hillside whose débris lay all over the beach, and they both ran towards it. The cries were repeated, and led them at last to an out-jutting rock round which the sliding earth had flowed and settled. "Where are you?" cried Blair. "Here!" came from under their feet, and they spied a small hole in the earth, and set to work at once to enlarge it with their hands. Cathie ran down to the beach and came back with some pieces of wood which made the work go quicker. The cries from the inside had ceased, and they worked the harder, and at last they had the hole large enough for Blair to get his head and shoulders in. With his hand he felt the body of a man fallen in a heap, and by great exertions managed to drag it out through the hole. It was the body of Captain Pym, white and senseless. They carried him down to the beach and dashed water in his face, and presently he came to, and lay for a minute looking dazedly up at them. Then he sat up. "I apologise," he said, with an attempt at cheerfulness. "Been dead and buried all night--thought of coming to life again bowled me out. Saw you in the distance, and shouted and shouted--like being in a coffin--just room to stand, but couldn't move, and been holding up that hill all night. My God!" as it all came back on him. "What a horror it has been! Are you the only ones left?" "I hope not," said Blair. "Can you walk? We've got a fire over there and something to eat." "Bit shaky yet," said Pym, as he staggered along on their arms. "Never expected to walk again in this life." "How was it?" "When I saw that devilish thing smash the ships, and the other coming towards me, I made for the hill. I was just under that rock when it broke. It was like being under Niagara, only worse. It jammed me flat and beat the breath out of me. Then the earth came rolling down, and cased me in tight except a hand's space through which I could breathe. I've been seeing those ships go smash every minute since. God! It was awful!" and he hung slackly on their arms and glanced over the placid lagoon.