The Sunken Isthmus

chooner were lost below the horizon. When daylight

of Mexico," said Frank, with some

ll a thrill o

of the "ever-faithful isle," and then t

y by the next noon. The Meta would be certai

ty Frank 21had every reason to believe. But he

ver ran. At length land wa

of Cuba!"

. Those are some little cays which lay off the

l. It was a coast lugger and carrie

careless sort of way and then

raid of us,"

k la

t boat or war vessel," he said. "The

tainly got out of the way very r

he Yucatan Channel. Wilbu

drawing his lines for exploration. The S

op. It was at this point t

istence as the Sunken Isthmus this was

Isle of Mona," said Wade. "Why might i

d Frank. "We may be

a start. "And if we should

looked at

lly ours as well as Poole's," said Fra

gets it he will make no good use of it. It would be a merc

does not count. It is not b

at chance of our finding any treasure. Let it stay down the

m agre

ttled t

and now a remarkable scene was pr

t was seen that the hypothesis of the

n exciti

hills. And upon the sides of those hills there were leafless

as had doubtless caused a species of petrifaction. Ast

ight in hi

tion. It only needed more extensive research

that this might be a part of the sunken Is

am very sure. Now, to locate its coasts and c

it being an easy matter to trac

?" asked Frank. "To Cape San

"then we'll come back and mak

rocky heights the submar

ing hither and thither, and every new o

thmus began to change. The rocky hil

o the bed of the sea and Wade outline

submersion of the isthmus, was not to be easily explained.

let us change our course to the south; I would

iled over the deep-sea plain. Then indications 23were plainly se

e consulted the gauge; "that is the

ade, "although it is not impossible that it

the east. It was not a great

sual signs of the surface, and Frank brought the

trended upwards. That they ultimately rose above th

s," declared Frank, "or at least that

said Wade, "suppose we

the boat sprung upward. The nex

a. The hour was 4 A. M. and the

he cliffs distant not quite a half mile. That it

he coast until daybreak. Then bearings were t

or a fact that the coast was

o the peninsula of Yucatan. All doubt will then be settled. My frie

is not pig-head

k-lever when Barney from the

ank, shure, it's a s

sai

en both gave a violent start. A small scho

eyes

e exclaimed; "they

s piratical schooner it was, and t

sails set. Frank and his companions w

ooner to come within cannon shot. One ball striki

efiance. It was seen by Poole,

into the cabin and Frank s

en isthmus her prow was tu

they had first descended was

wing success. No serious mi

the future they would have experienced no

events wer

evidence of the possible existence of inhabitants on the i

a goodly distance between them and the Yuc

d for t

rty-eight hours, so they were glad enough to turn in, Barney

he usual a

elf, and in spite of his efforts to

he mystic Land of Nod when

red a monster black form. It glided once or

y was aroused and it ventured in

strange

seemed a cross between a shark and a whale. But he failed to see it at tha