"
At sight of Metak and the girl, the king rose from his throne and
started across the chamber, all semblance of royalty vanishing in
the maniac's uncontrollable passion. And as he came he shrieked
orders and commands at the top of his voice. No sooner had Metak so
unwarily opened the door to this hornets' nest than he immediately
withdrew and, turning, fled again in a new direction. But now
a hundred men were close upon his heels, laughing, shrieking, and
possibly cursing. He dodged hither and thither, distancing them for
several minutes until, at the bottom of a long runway that inclined
steeply downward from a higher level, he burst into a subterranean
apartment lighted by many flares.
In the center of the room was a pool of considerable size, the
level of the water being but a few inches below the floor. Those
behind the fleeing prince and his captive entered the chamber in
time to see Metak leap into the water with the girl and disappear
beneath the surface taking his captive with him, nor, though they
waited excitedly around the rim of the pool, did either of the two
again emerge.
When Smith-Oldwick turned to investigate his hiding place, his
hands, groping upon the rear wall, immediately came in contact with
the wooden panels of a door and a bolt such as that which secured
the door of the outer room.
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