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'It's a special sacrifice, he said; usually it's only done on the justice days every five years and six years
alternately. And then they drink the cup of wine with some of the bull's blood in it, and swear to judge
truly. And they wear the sacred blue robe, and put out all the Temple fires. But this today is because the
City's so upset by the odd noises from the sea, and the god inside the big mountain speaking with his
thunder-voice. But all that's happened so often before. If anything could make ME uneasy it wouldn't be
THAT.'
'What would it be? asked Jane kindly.
'It would be the Lemmings.'
'Who are they-enemies?'
'They're a sort of rat; and every year they come swimming over from the country that no man knows, and
stay here awhile, and then swim away. This year they haven't come. You know rats won't stay on a ship
that's going to be wrecked. If anything horrible were going to happen to us, it's my belief those Lemmings
would know; and that may be why they've fought shy of us.'
'What do you call this country? asked the Psammead, suddenly putting its head out of its bag.
'Atlantis, said the priest.
'Then I advise you to get on to the highest ground you can find. I remember hearing something about a
flood here. Look here, you'-it turned to Anthea; let's get home. The prospect's too wet for my
whiskers. The girls obediently went to find their brothers, who were leaning on the balcony railings.
'Where's the learned gentleman? asked Anthea.
'There he is-below, said the priest, who had come with them. Your High Ji-jimmy is with the Kings.'
The ten Kings were no longer alone. The learned gentleman-no one had noticed how he got there-stood
with them on the steps of an altar, on which lay the dead body of the black bull. All the rest of the
courtyard was thick with people, seemingly of all classes, and all were shouting, The sea-the sea!'
'Be calm, said the most kingly of the Kings, he who had lassoed the bull. Our town is strong against the
thunders of the sea and of the sky!'
'I want to go home, whined the Psammead.
'We can't go without HIM, said Anthea firmly.
'Jimmy, she called, Jimmy! and waved to him. He heard her, and began to come towards her through
the crowd. They could see from the balcony the sea-captain edging his way out from among the people.
And his face was dead white, like paper.
'To the hills! he cried in a loud and terrible voice. And above his voice came another voice, louder, more
terrible-the voice of the sea.
The girls looked seaward.
Across the smooth distance of the sea something huge and black rolled towards the town. It was a wave,
but a wave a hundred feet in height, a wave that looked like a mountain-a wave rising higher and higher
till suddenly it seemed to break in two-one half of it rushed out to sea again; the other
'Oh! cried Anthea, the town-the poor people!'
'It's all thousands of years ago, really, said Robert but his voice trembled. They hid their eyes for a
moment. They could not bear to look down, for the wave had broken on the face of the town, sweeping
over the quays and docks, overwhelming the great storehouses and factories, tearing gigantic stones from
forts and bridges, and using them as battering rams against the temples. Great ships were swept over the
roofs of the houses and dashed down halfway up the hill among ruined gardens and broken buildings.
The water ground brown fishing-boats to powder on the golden roofs of Palaces.
Then the wave swept back towards the sea.
'I want to go home, cried the Psammead fiercely.
'Oh, yes, yes! said Jane, and the boys were ready-but the learned gentleman had not come.
Then suddenly they heard him dash up to the inner gallery, crying
'I MUST see the end of the dream. He rushed up the higher flight.
The others followed him. They found themselves in a sort of turret-roofed, but open to the air at the
sides.
The learned gentleman was leaning on the parapet, and as they rejoined him the vast wave rushed back
on the town. This time it rose higher-destroyed more.
'Come home, cried the Psammead; THAT'S the LAST, I know it is! That's the last-over there. It
pointed with a claw that trembled.
'Oh, come! cried Jane, holding up the Amulet.
'I WILL SEE the end of the dream, cried the learned gentleman.
'You'll never see anything else if you do, said Cyril. Oh, JIMMY! appealed Anthea. I'll NEVER bring
you out again!'
'You'll never have the chance if you don't go soon, said the Psammead.
'I WILL see the end of the dream, said the learned gentleman obstinately.
The hills around were black with people fleeing from the villages to the mountains. And even as they fled
thin smoke broke from the great white peak, and then a faint flash of flame. Then the volcano began to
throw up its mysterious fiery inside parts. The earth trembled; ashes and sulphur showered down; a rain
of fine pumice-stone fell like snow on all the dry land. The elephants from the forest rushed up towards
the peaks; great lizards thirty yards long broke from the mountain pools and rushed down towards the
sea. The snows melted and rushed down, first in avalanches, then in roaring torrents. Great rocks cast up
by the volcano fell splashing in the sea miles away.
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