"No more, Mr. Ward, than if you had charged me to investigate the
surface of the moon," answered I. "We found ourselves face to face
with purely natural obstacles insurmountable with the forces then at
our command."

"I do not doubt that, Strock, I do not doubt that in the least.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that you have discovered nothing of
what is going on within the Great Eyrie."

"Nothing, Mr. Ward."

"You saw no sign of fire?"

"None."

"And you heard no suspicious noises whatever?"

"None."

"Then it is still uncertain if there is really a volcano there?"

"Still uncertain, Mr. Ward. But if it is there, we have good reason
to believe that it has sunk into a profound sleep."

"Still," returned Mr. Ward, "there is nothing to show that it will
not wake up again any day, Strock. It is not enough that a volcano
should sleep, it must be absolutely extinguished unless indeed all
these threatening rumors have been born solely in the Carolinian
imagination."