I remember that I looked over the brink¹ into the yeasty abyss with a mind hovering² between perplexity and tears. I wanted to sit down and cry — why, I did not know, except that some great thing had happened. My brain was quite clear as to my own position. I was shut in this place, with no chance of escape and with no food. In a little I must die of starvation, or go mad and throw myself after Laputa. And yet I did not care a rush. My nerves had been tried too greatly in the past week. Now I was comatose³, and beyond hoping or fearing.

I sat for a long time watching the light play on the fretted⁴ sheet of water and wondering where Laputa’s body had gone. I shivered and wished he had not left me alone, for the darkness would come in time and I had no matches. After a little I got tired of doing nothing, and went groping among the treasure chests. One or two were full of coin — British sovereigns, Kruger sovereigns, Napoleons, Spanish and Portuguese⁵ gold pieces, and many older coins ranging back to the Middle Ages and even to the ancients. In one handful there was a splendid gold stater, and in another a piece of Antoninus Pius. The treasure had been collected for many years in many places, contributions of chiefs from ancient hoards⁶ as well as the cash received from I.D.B. I untied⁷ one or two of the little bags of stones and poured the contents into my hands. Most of the diamonds were small, such as a labourer might secrete⁸ on his person. The larger ones — and some were very large — were as a rule discoloured, looking more like big cairngorms. But one or two bags had big stones which even my inexperienced eye told me were of the purest water. There must be some new pipe, I thought, for these could not have been stolen from any known mine.

After that I sat on the floor again and looked at the water. It exercised a mesmeric influence on me,

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