CONTENTS

PREFATORY:THELEGATEESOFDEUCALION

1MYRECALL

2BACKTOATLANTIS

3ARIVALNAVY

4THEWELCOMEOFPHORENICE

5ZAEMON’SCURSE

6THEBITERSOFTHECITYWALLS

7THEBITERSOFTHEWALLS

（FURTHERACCOUNT）

8THEPREACHERFROMTHEMOUNTAINS

9PHORENICE，GODDESS

10AWOOING

11ANAFFAIRWITHTHEBARBAROUSFISHERS

12THEDRUGOFOURLADYTHEMOON

13THEBURYINGALIVEOFNAIS

14AGAINTHEGODSMAKECHANGE

15ZAEMON’SSUMMONS

16SIEGEOFTHESACREDMOUNTAIN

17NAISTHEREGAINED

18STORMOFTHESACREDMOUNTAIN

19DESTRUCTIONOFTHEATLANTIS

20ONTHEBOSOMOFTHEDEEP

PREFATORY:

THELEGATEESOFDEUCALION

Wewerebothofusnotalittlestiffastheresultofsleepingoutintheopenallthatnight，foreveninGrandCanarythedew—fallandthecomparativechillofdarknessarenottobetrifledwith。FormyselfontheseoccasionsIlikeabitofarunasanearlyrefresher。Buthereonthisroughgroundinthemiddleoftheislandtherewerenotthreeyardsofleveltobefound，andsoasCoppingerproceededtogothroughsomesortofdumb—bellexerciseswithacoupleoflumpsofbristlylava，Ifollowedhisexample。Coppingerhasdoneagooddealofroughingitinhistime，butbeingadoctorofmedicineamongstotherthings——hetakesoutanewdegreeofsomesortonanaverageeveryotheryear——heisgreatonhealththeories，andpractisesthemlikeareligion。

Therehadbeenraintwodaysbefore，andastherewasstillabitofstreamtricklingalongatthebottomofthebarranca，wewentdownthereandhadawash，andbrushedourteeth。Greatestluxuryimaginable，atoothbrush，onthissortofexpedition。

"Now，"saidCoppingerwhenwehademptiedourpockets，"there’spreciouslittlegrubleft，andit’snonethebetterforbeingcarriedinalocalSpanishnewspaper。"

"Yoursismostlytobaccoashes。"

"It’llgetworseifweleaveit。We’vealotmorebadscramblingaheadofus。"

Thatwasobvious。Sowesatdownbesidethestreamthereatthebottomofthebarranca，andateupallofwhatwasleft。Itwasaten—miletramptothefondaatSantaBrigida，wherewehadsetdownourtraps;andasCoppingerwantedtotakealotmorephotographsandmeasurementsbeforeweleftthisparticulargroupofcaves，itwaslikelyweshouldbeprettysharpsetbeforewegotournextmeal，andournexttasteofthePATRON’Ssplendidoldcountrywine。Myfaith！IfonlytheyknewdownintheEnglishhotelsinLasPalmaswhatmagnificentwinesonecouldget——withdiplomacy——upinsomeofthemountainvillages，theoldvintagewouldbecomeathingofthepastinaweek。

Nowtotellthetruth，thetwomummieshehadgatheredalreadyquitesatisfiedmysmallambition。Thegoatskinsinwhichtheyweresewnupwereasbrittleaspaper，andthepooroldthingsthemselvesgaveoutdustlikeapuffballwhenevertheyweretouched。ButyouknowwhatCoppingeris。Hethoughthe’dcomeupontracesofanoldGuancheuniversity，orsacredcollege，orsomethingofthatkind，liketheonethereisontheothersideoftheisland，andhewouldn’tbesatisfiedtillhe’dransackedeverycaveinthewholefaceofthecliff。He’dplentyofstuffleftfortheflashlightthing，andtwenty—eightmorefilmsinhiskodak，andsaidwemightaswellgetthroughwiththejobthenasmakeareturnjourneyallonpurpose。Sohetookthecrowbar，andI

shoulderedtherope，andawaywewentuptotheridgeofthecliff，wherewehadgotsuchabakingfromthesunthedaybefore。

Ofcoursethesecaveswerenoteasytocomeat，orelsetheywouldhavebeenraidedyearsbefore。Coppinger，whoonprinciplemakesoutheknowsallaboutthesethings，saysthatintheoldGuanchedaystheyhadladdersofgoatskinropewhichtheycouldpullupwhentheywereathome，andsokeepoutundesirablecallers;andasnootherplanoccurstome，perhapshemayberight。Anywaythemouthsofthecaveswereinamoreorlesslevelrowthirtyfeetbelowtheridgeofthecliff，andfiftyfeetabovethebottom;andSpanishcuriositydoesn’tgoinmuchwhereitcannotwalk。

Nowladderingsuchcavesfrombelowwouldhavebeencumbersome，butalightknottedropeiseasilycarried，andthoughitwouldhavebeenhardtoclimbupthis，ourplanwastodescendoneachcavemouthfromabove，andthenslipdowntothefootofthecliffs，andstartagainABINITIOforthenext。

Coppingerispluckyenough，andhehasagoodheadonaheight，butthereisnogettingoverthefactthatheisportlyandnearerfiftythanforty—five。Soyoucanseehemusthavebeenprettykeen。OfcourseIwentfirsteachtime，andgotintothecavemouth，anddidwhatIcouldtohelphimin;butwhenyouhavetowalkdownaverticalclifffacefly—fashion，withonlyathinbootlaceofaropeforsupport，itisnotmuchrealhelpthemanbelowcangive，exceptofferyouhisbestwishes。

IwantedtosavehimasmuchasIcould，andasthefirstthreecavesIclimbedtoweresmallandempty，seemingtobemerelystore—places，Iaskedhimtotakethemforgranted，andsavehimselftherest。Butheinsistedonclamberingdowntoeachoneinperson，andashedecidedthatoneofmygranarieswasaprison，andanotherapot—makingfactory，andanotheraschoolroomforyoungpriests，henaturallysaidhehadn’tmuchrelianceonmyjudgment，andwouldhavetogothroughthewholelothimself。Youknowwhatthesethorough—goingarchaeologistsareforimagination。

Butasthedaywenton，andthesunrosehigher，Coppingerbeganclearlytohavehadenoughofit，thoughhewasverygame，andinsistedongoingonmuchlongerthanwassafe。ImustsayI

didn’tlikeit。Youseethedropwasseldomlessthaneightyfeetfromthetopofthecliffs。However，atlasthewasforcedtogiveitup。IsuggestedmarchingofftoSantaBrigidaforthwith，buthewouldn’tdothat。Therewerethreemorecave—openingstobelookedinto，andifIwouldn’tdothemforhim，hewouldhavetomakeanotherefforttogettherehimself。Hetriedtomakeouthewasconferringaverygreatfavouronmebyofferingtotakeareportsolelyfrommyuntrainedobservation，butIflatlyrefusedtolookatitinthatlight。Iwasprettytiredalso;Iwassoakedwithperspirationfromtheheat;myheadachedfromtheviolenceofthesun;andmyhandswerecutrawwiththerope。

Coppingermightbetired，buthewasstillenthusiastic。Hetriedtomakemeenthusiasticalso。"Lookhere，"hesaid，"there’snoknowingwhatyoumayfindupthere，andifyoudolayhandsonanything，rememberit’syourown。Ishallhavenoclaimwhatever。"

"Verykindofyou，butI’vegotnouseforanymoremummiesdoneupingoatskinbags。"

"Bah！That’snotaburialcaveupthere。Don’tyouknowthedifferenceyetintheopenings？Now，beagoodfellow。Itdoesn’tfollowthatbecausewehavedrawnalltherestblank，youwon’tstumbleacrossagoodfindforyourselfupthere。"

"Oh，verywell，"Isaid，asheseemedsosetonit;andawayI

stumbledoverthefallenrocks，andalongtheledge，andthenscrambledupbythatfissureinthecliffwhichsavedusthetwo—mileroundwhichwehadhadtotakeatfirst。Iwrenchedoutthecrowbar，andjammeditdowninanewplace，andthenawayI

wentovertheside，withhandssmartingworseateverynewgripoftherope。Itwasanawkwardjobswingingintothecavemouthbecausetherockaboveoverhung，orelse（whatcametothesamething）ithadbrokenawaybelow;butImanageditsomehow，althoughIlandedwithanawkwardthumponmyback，andatthesametimeI

didn’tletgotherope。Itwouldn’tdotohavelosttheropethen:

Coppingercouldn’thaveflickeditintomefromwherehewasbelow。

NowfromthefirstglanceIcouldseethatthiscavewasofdifferentstructuretotheothers。Theywereforthemostpartmeredens，roundedoutanyhow;thishadbeenfacedupwithcuttingtools，sothatalltheangleswereclean，andthesidessmoothandflat。Thewallsinclinedinwardstotheroof，remindingmeofanarchitectureIhadseenbeforebutcouldnotrecollectwhere，andmoreovertherewereseveralroomsconnectedupwithpassages。I

waspleasedtofindthattheothercave—openingswhichCoppingerwantedmetoexploreweremerelythewindowsorthedoorwaysoftwooftheseotherrooms。

Ofinscriptionsormarkingsonthewallstherewasnotatrace，thoughIlookedcarefully，andexceptforbatstheplacewasentirelybare。Ilitacigaretteandsmokeditthrough——Coppingeralwaysthinksoneisslurringoverworkifitisgotthroughtooquickly——andthenIwenttotheentrancewheretheropewas，andleanedout，andshouteddownmynews。

Heturnedupaveryanxiousface。"Haveyousearcheditthoroughly？"hebawledback。

"OfcourseIhave。WhatdoyouthinkI’vebeendoingallthistime？"

"No，don’tcomedownyet。Waitaminute。Isay，oldman，dowaitaminute。I’mmakingfastthekodakandtheflashlightapparatusontheendoftherope。Pullthemup，andjustmakemehalfadozenexposures，there’sagoodfellow。"

"Oh，allright，"Isaid，andhauledthethingsup，andgottheminside。Thephotographswouldbeabsolutelydullanduninteresting，butthatwouldn’tmattertoCoppinger。Heratherpreferredthemthatway。Onehastobecarefulabouthalationinphotographingthesedarkinteriors，buttherewasasortofledgelikeaseatbythesideofeachdoorway，andsoIlodgedthecameraonthattogetasteadystand，andsnappedofftheflashlightfrombehindandabove。

Igotpicturesoffourofthechambersthisway，andthencametoonewheretheledgewashigherandwider。Iputdownthecamera，wedgeditlevelwithscrapsofstone，andthensatdownmyselftorechargetheflashlightmachine。Butthemomentmyweightgotonthatledge，therewasasharpcrackle，anddownI

wenthalfadozeninches。

OfcourseIwasupagainprettysharply，andsnappedupthekodakjustasitwasgoingtoslideofftotheground。Iwillconfess，too，Iwasfeelingpleased。HereatanyratewasaGuanchecupboardofsorts，andastheyhadtakenthetroubletohermeticallysealitwithcement，theoddswerethatithadsomethinginsideworthhiding。Atfirsttherewasnothingtobeseenbutalotofdustandrubble，soIlitabitofcandleandclearedthisaway。Presently，however，IbegantofindthatIwasshellingoutsomethingthatwasnotcement。Itchippedaway，inregularlayers，andwhenItookittothedaylightIfoundthateachlayerwasmadeupoftwoparts。Onesidewasshinystaffthatlookedliketalc，andonthiswassmearedacoatingofdarktoffee—

colouredmaterial，thatmighthavebeenwax。Thetoffee—colouredsurfacewasworkedoverwithsomekindofpattern。

NowIdonotprofesstoanyknowledgeonthesematters，andasaconsequencetookwhatCoppingerhadtoldmeaboutGuanchehabitsandacquirementsasmoreorlesstrue。Forinstance，hehadrepeatedlyimpresseduponmethatthisoldpeoplecouldnotwrite，andhavingthisinmymemory，Ididnotguessthatthepatternsscribedthroughthewaxwerelettersinsomeobsoletecharacter，which，iflefttomyself，probablyIshouldhavedone。ButstillatthesametimeIcametotheconclusionthatthestuffwasworthlooting，andsosettoworkquarryingitoutwiththeheelofmybootandapocket—knife。

Thesheetswereallmoreorlessstucktogether，andsoIdidnotgoinforseparatingthemfarther。Theyfittedexactlytothecavityinwhichtheywerestored，butbysmashingdownitsfrontI

wasabletogetatthefootofthem，andthenIhackedawaythroughthebottomlayerswiththeknifetillIgotthebulkoutinonesolidpiece。Itmeasuredsometwentyinchesbyfifteen，byfifteen，butitwasnotsoheavyasitlooked，andwhenIhadtakentheremainingphotographs，IlowereditdowntoCoppingerontheendoftherope。

Therewasnothingmoretodointhecavesthen，soIwentdownmyselfnext。Thelumpofsheetswasontheground，andCoppingerwasonallfoursbesideit。Hewasprettynearlymadwithexcitement。

"Whatisit？"Iaskedhim。

"Idon’tknowyet。ButitisthemostvaluablefindevermadeintheCanaryIslands，andit’syours，youunappreciativebeggar;

atleastwhatthereisleftofit。Oh，man，man，you’vesmashedupthebeginning，andyou’vesmasheduptheendofsomehistorythatisprobablypriceless。It’smyownfault。Ioughttohaveknownbetterthansetanuntrainedmantodoimportantexploringwork。"

"Ishouldsayit’syourfaultifanything’sgonewrong。YousaidtherewasnosuchthingaswritingknowntotheseancientCanarios，andItookyourwordforit。ForanythingIknewthestuffmighthavebeensomethingtoeat。"

"Itisn’tGuancheworkatall，"saidhetestily。"Yououghttohaveknownthatfromthetalc。Greatheavens，man，haveyounoeyes？Haven’tyouseenthegeneralformationoftheisland？Don’tyouknowthere’snotalchere？"

"I’mnogeologist。Isthisimportedliteraturethen？"

"Ofcourse。It’sEgyptian:that’sobviousataglance。Thoughhowit’sgothereIcan’ttellyet。Itisn’tstuffyoucanreadofflikeanewspaper。Thecharacter’savariantonanyofthosethathavebeendiscoveredsofar。Andasforthiswaxystuffspreadoverthetalc，it’sunique。It’ssomesortofamineral，I

think:perhapsasphalt。Itdoesn’tscratchuplikeanimalwax。

I’llanalysethatlater。Whytheyonceinventedit，andthenletsuchasplendidnotiondropoutofuse，isjustamarvel。Icouldstaygloatingoverthisallday。"

"Well，"Isaid，"ifit’sallthesameforyou，I’drathergloatoverameal。It’sagoodtenmileshardgoingtothefonda，andI’mashungryasahawkalready。Lookhere，doyouknowitisfouro’clockalready？Ittakeslongerthanyouthinkclimbingdowntoeachofthesecaves，andthengettingupagainforthenext。"

Coppingerspreadhiscoatontheground，andwrappedthelumpofsheetswithtendercare，butwouldnotallowittobetiedwitharopeforfearofbreakingmoreoftheedges。Heinsistedoncarryingithimselftoo，anddidsoforthelargerpartofthewaytoSantaBrigida，anditwasonlywhenhewaswithinanaceofdroppinghimselfwithsheertirednessthathecondescendedtoletmetakemyturn。Hewastolerablyungraciousaboutittoo。"I

supposeyoumayaswellcarrythestuff，"hesnapped，"seeingthatafterallit’syourown。"

Personally，whenwegottothefonda，Ihadasgoodadinneraswasprocurable，andabottleofthatoldCanarywine，andturnedintobedafterafinalpipe。Coppingerdinedalso，butIhavereasontobelievehedidnotsleepmuch。AtanyrateIfoundhimstillporingoverthefindnextmorning，andlookingveryheavy—

eyed，butbrimmingwithenthusiasm。

"Doyouknow，"hesaid，"thatyou’veblundereduponthemostvaluablehistoricalmanuscriptthatthemodernworldhaseveryetseen？Ofcourse，withyourclumsywayofgettingitout，you’vedoneaninfinityofdamage。Forinstance，thosetopsheetsyoushelledawayandspoiled，containedprobablyanabsolutelyuniqueaccountoftheancientcivilisationofYucatan。"

"Where’sthat，anyway？"

"InthemiddleoftheGulfofMexico。It’sallruinsto—day，butonceitwasaveryprosperouscolonyoftheAtlanteans。"

"Neverheardofthem。Ohyes，Ihavethough。TheywerethepeopleHerodotuswroteabout，didn’the？ButIthoughttheyweremythical。"

"Theywereveryreal，andsowasAtlantis，thecontinentwheretheylived，whichlayjustnorthoftheCanarieshere。"

"What’sthatcrocodilesortofthingwithwingsdrawninthemargin？"

"Somesortofbeastthatlivedinthosebygonedays。Thepagesarefullofthem。That’sacave—tiger。Andthat’ssomesortofcolossalbat。Thankgoodnesshehadthesensetoillustratefully，themanwhowrotethis，orweshouldneverhavebeenabletoreconstructthetale，oratanyratewecouldnothaveunderstoodhalfofit。Wholespecieshavediedoutsincethiswaswritten，justasawholecontinenthasbeensweptawayandthreecivilisationsquenched。Theworstofitis，itwaswrittenbyahighly—educatedmanwhosomewhatnaturallywritesaverybadfist。

I’vehammeredatitallthenightthrough，andhaveonlymanagedtomakeoutafewsentenceshereandthere"——herubbedhishandsappreciatively。"Itwilltakemeayear’shardworktotranslatethisproperly。"

"Everymantohistaste。I’mafraidmyinterestinthethingwouldn’tlastaslongasthat。Buthowdiditgetthere？DidyourancientEgyptiancometoGrandCanaryforthegoodofhislungs，andwriteitbecausehefeltdullupinthatcave？"

"Imadeamistakethere。TheauthorwasnotanEgyptian。Itwasthesimilarityoftheinscribedcharacterwhichmisledme。ThebookwaswrittenbyoneDeucalion，whoseemstohavebeenapriestorgeneral——orperhapsboth——andhewasanAtlantean。Howitgotthere，Idon’tknowyet。Probablythatwastoldinthelastfewpages，whichacertainvandalsmashedupwithhispocketknife，ingettingthemawayfromtheplacewheretheywerestowed。"

"That’sright，abuseme。Deucalionyousay？TherewasaDeucalionintheGreekmythology。HewasoneofthetwowhoescapedfromtheFlood:theirNoah，infact。"

"TheswampingofthecontinentofAtlantismightverywellcorrespondtotheFlood。"

"IsthereaPyrrhathen？ShewasDeucalion’swife。"

"Ihaven’tcomeacrossheryet。Butthere’saPhorenice，whomaybethesame。SheseemstohavebeenthereigningEmpress，asfarasIcanmakeoutatpresent。"

Ilookedwithinterestatillustrationsinthemargin。Theywerequiteunderstandable，althoughtheperspectivewasallwrong。

"Weirdbeaststheyseemtohavehadknockingaboutthecountryinthosedays。Whackingbigsizetoo，ifonemayjudge。ByJove，that’llbeacave—tigertryingtopuffdownamammoth。Ishouldn’tcaretohavelivedinthosedays。"

"Probablytheyhadsomewayoffightingthecreatures。

However，thatwillshowitselfasIgetalongwiththetranslation。"Helookedathiswatch——"IsupposeIoughttobeashamedofmyself，butIhaven’tbeentobed。Areyougoingout？"

"IshalldrivebacktoLasPalmas。Ipromisedamantohavearoundatgolfthisafternoon。"

"Verywell，seeyouatdinner。Ihopethey’vesentbackmydressshirtsfromthewash。O，lord！Iamsleepy。"

Ilefthimgoinguptobed，andwentoutsideandorderedacarriagetotakemedown，andthereImaysaywepartedforaconsiderabletime。AcablewaswaitingformeinthehotelatLasPalmastogohomeforbusinessforthwith，andtherewasaLiverpoolboatintheharbourwhichIjustmanagedtocatchasshewassteamingout。Itwasaclosething，andtheboatmenmadeasmallfortuneoutofmyhurry。

NowCoppingerwasonlyanhotelacquaintance，andasIwasuptotheeyesinworkwhenIgotbacktoEngland，I’mafraidIdidn’tthinkverymuchmoreabouthimatthetime。Onedoesn’twithpeopleonejustmeetscasuallyabroadlikethat。AnditmusthavebeenatleastayearlaterthatIsawbyaparagraphinoneofthepapers，thathehadgiventhelumpofsheetstotheBritishMuseum，andthattheestimatedworthofthemwastenthousandpoundsatthelowestvaluation。

Well，thiswasabitofrevelation，andashehadsorepeatedlyimpressedonmethatthethingswereminebyrightofdiscovery，Iwroteratherapointednotetohimmentioningthatheseemedtohavebeenmakingratherfreewithmyproperty。Promptlycamebackastiltedletterbeginning，"DoctorCoppingerregrets"andsoon，andwithittheEnglishtranslationofthewax—upon—talcMSS。He"quiteadmitted"myclaim，and"trustedthattheprofitsofpublicationwouldbeasufficientreimbursementforanydamagereceived。"

NowIhadnoideathathewouldtakemeunpleasantlylikethis，andwrotebackaprettywarmreplytothateffect;buttheonlyanswerIgottothiswasthroughafirmofsolicitors，whostatedthatallfurthercommunicationswithDr。Coppingermustbemadethroughthem。

IwillsayherepubliclythatIregretthelinehehastakenoverthematter;butastheaffairhasgonesofar，Iamdisposedtofollowouthisproposition。Accordinglytheoldhistoryishereprinted;thecredit（andtheresponsibility）ofthetranslationrestswithDr。Coppinger;andwhateverrevenueaccruesfromreaders，goestothefinderoftheoriginaltalc—upon—waxsheets，myself。

Ifthereisafurtheralterationinthisarrangement，itwillbeannouncedpubliclyatalaterdate。Butatpresentthisappearstobemostunlikely。

1。MYRECALL

Thepublicofficialreceptionwasover。Thesentencehadbeenread，thenameofPhorenice，theEmpress，adored，andthenewViceroyinstalledwithallthatvastandponderousceremonialwhichhadgaineditspompandmajestyfromtheages。Formally，Ihaddeliveredupthereinsofmygovernment;formally，Tathohadseatedhimselfonthesnake—throne，andhadputoverhisneckthechainofgemswhichsymbolisedthesupremeoffice;andthen，whilstthedrumsandthetrumpetsmadetheirproclamationofclamour，hehadrisentohisfeet，forhisfirststateprogressroundthatgildedcouncilchamberasViceroyoftheProvinceofYucatan。

Withfoldedarmsandbendedhead，Ifollowedhimbetweentheglitteringlinesofsoldiers，andthebrilliantthrongofcourtiers，andchiefs，andstatesmen。Theroof—beamsquiveredtothecriesof"LongLiveTatho！""FlourishtheEmpress！"whichcameforthasindutybound，andthenewruleracknowledgedthewelcomewithstatelyinclinationsofthehead。Inturnhewenttothethreelesserthronesofthelessergovernors——intheEast，theNorth，andtheSouth，andreceivedhomagefromeachastheritualwas;andI，themanwhomhiscominghaddeposed，followedwiththeprescribedmeeknessinhistrain。

Itwasahardtask，butwewhoholdthehigherofficeslearntocarrybeforethepeopleapassionlessface。Once，twentyyearsbefore，thesesamefineobeisanceshadbeenmadetome;nowtheGodshadseenfittomakefortunechange。ButasIwalkedbentandhumblyonbehindtheheelsofTatho，thoughetiquetteforbadenoisysalutationstomyself，itcouldnotinhibitkindlyglances，andthesecamefromeverysoldier，everycourtier，andeverychiefwhostoodthereinthatgildedhall，andtheyfelluponmeverygratefully。Itisnotoftenthefallenmeetsuchtenderlooks。

Theformgoes，handeddownfromimmemorialcustom，thatonthesegreatceremonialdaysofchangingaruler，thoseofthepeoplebeingpresentmaybringforwardpetitionsandrequests;maymakeaccusationsagainsttheirretiringheadwithsureimmunityfromhisvengeance;ormaystatetheirownprivatetheoriesforthebettergovernmentoftheStateinthefuture。IthinkitmaybepardonedtomyvanityifIrecordthatnotavoicewasraisedagainstme，oragainstanyoftheitemsofmytwentyyearsofrule。

Nordidanyspeakoutforalterationsinthefuture。Yes，eventhoughwemadethecircuitforthethreeprescribedtimes，allpresentshowedtheirapprovalingeneroussilence。

Then，onebehindtheother，thenewViceroyandtheold，wemarchedwithformalstepovergoldentilesofthatcouncilhallbeneaththepyramid，andthegreatofficersofstatelefttheirstationsandjoinedinourtrain;andatthefartherwallwecametothedoorofthoseprivatechamberswhichanhouragohadbeenmineown。

Ah，well！IhadnohomenowinanyofthosewondrouscitiesofYucatan，andIcouldnothelpfeelingabitterness，thoughinsoothIshouldhavebeenthankfulenoughtoreturntotheContinentofAtlantiswithmyheadstillinitsproperstation。

Tathogavehisformalsummonsof"OpenyetotheViceroy，"

whichtheritualcommands，andtheslaveswithinsentthemassivestonevalvesofthedoorgapingwide。Tathoentered，Iathisheels;theothershalted，sendingvaledictionsfromthethreshold;

andthevalvesofthedoorclangedonthelockbehindus。Wepassedontothechamberbeyond，andthen，whenforthefirsttimewewerealonetogether，andtheforcedetiquetteofcourtswasbehindus，thenewViceroyturnedwithmeeklyfoldedarms，andbowedlowbeforeme。

"Deucalion，"hesaid，"believemethatIhavenotsoughtthisoffice。Itwasthrustuponme。HadInotaccepted，myheadwouldhavepaidforfeit，andanotherman——yourenemy——wouldhavebeensentoutasviceroyinyourplace。TheEmpressdoesnotpermitthatherwillshalleverbequestioned。"

"Myfriend，"Imadeanswer，"mybrotherinallbutblood，thereisnomanlivinginallAtlantisorherterritoriestowhomIhadlieferhandovermygovernment。FortwentyyearsnowhaveI

ruledthiscountryofYucatan，andMexicobeyond，firstundertheoldKing，andthenasministertothisnewEmpress。Iknowmycolonylikeabook。Iamintimatewithallherwonderfulcities，withtheirpalaces，theirpyramids，andtheirpeople。Ihavehuntedthebeastsandthesavagesintheforests。Ihavebuiltroads，andmadetheriverssothattheywillcarryshipping。I

havefosteredtheartsandcraftslikeamerchant;Ihavediscoursed，threetimeseachday，thecultoftheGodswithmineownlips。ThroughevilyearsandthroughgoodhaveIruledhere，strivingonlyfortheprosperityofthelandandthestrengtheningofAtlantis，andIhavegrowntolovethepeopleslikeafather。

ToyouIbequeaththem，Tatho，withtendersupplicationsfortheirinterests。"

"ItisnotIthatcancarryonDeucalion’sworkwithDeucalion’spower，butrestcontent，myfriend，thatIshalldomyhumblebesttofollowexactlyoninyourfootsteps。Believeme，Icameouttothisgovernmentwithathousandregrets，butIwouldhavediedsoonerthantakeyourplacehadIknownhowvigorouslythesupplantingwouldtroubleyou。"

"Wearealonehere，"Isaid，"awayfromtheformalitiesofformalassemblies，andamanmaygiveventtohisnaturalselfwithoutfearoftarnishingaceremony。Yourcomingwassomethingofthesuddenest。Tillanhourago，whenyoudemandedaudience，Ihadthoughttoruleonlonger;andevennowIdonotknowforwhatcauseIamdeposed。"

"Theproclamationsaid:’Werelieveourwell—belovedDeucalionofhispresentservice，becausewehavegreatneedofhispowersathomeinourkingdomofAtlantis。’"

"Amereformality。"

Tatholookeduneasilyroundthehangingsofthechamber，anddrewmewithhimtoitscentre，andloweredhisvoice。

"Idonotthinkso，"hewhispered。"Ibelieveshehasneedofyou。Therearetroubloustimesonhand，andPhorenicewantstheablestmeninthekingdomreadytohercall。"

"Youmayspeakopenly，"Isaid，"andwithoutfearofeavesdroppers。Weareintheheartofthepyramidhere，builtineverywaybyaman’slengthofsolidstone。Myself，Ioversawthelayingofeverycourse。Andbesides，hereinYucatan，wehavenotthenicetiesofyouroldworlddiplomacy，anddonotlisten，becausewecountitshametodoso。"

Tathoshruggedhisshoulders。"Iactedonlyaccordingtomineeducation。Athome，aloosetonguemakesaloosehead，andtherearethosewhosetradeitistocarrytales。Still，whatIsayisthis:Thethroneshakes，andPhoreniceseestheneedofsturdyprops。Soshehassentthisproclamation。"

"Butwhycometome？ItistwentyyearssinceIsailedtothiscolony，andfromthatdayIhavenotreturnedtoAtlantisonce。Iknowlittleoftheoldcountry’spolitics。Whatsmallparcelofnewsdriftsouttousacrosstheocean，readswithslenderinteresthere。Yucatanisanotherworld，mydearTatho，asyouinthecourseofyourgovernmentwilllearn，withnewinterests，newpeople，neweverything。Toushere，Atlantisisonlyafigment，ashadow，farawayacrossthewaters。ItisforthisnewworldofYucatanthatIhavestriventhroughalltheseyears。"

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫，醒来一梦似千年，重生于下堂妃身躯中的她，将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读