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There was a little globe on the sandy floor, the source
of the bright warmbody glow visible from the other side
of the underwater passage. Never had I seen anything
like it, for there was no fire on it, although it was far too
hot to touch. According to the outline of scientific investigation
taught to me by Mr. Birdsong, I began to form theories that
I might test: Perhaps it was the egg of a dragon or sea monster,
in which case if I broke it I would likely find a partially
formed animal. I broke off a rock horn and gave the thing
a sound whack, which resulted in not even a scratch. Then I
thought it might be some sort of gazing crystal of grandmothers,
in which case I was happy not to have broken it. Yet I could see
nothing in it. Perhaps it was a drop of hot lava that had rolled
there from another chamber? I decided to return to it later.
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Between two boulders, little gold pyrimids, each with four
points, were stacked together to form one large, three foot hight
pyrimid of four points. A few extra small pyrimids were scattered
about nearby. I picked one of these up, and its weight convinced
me that it was, indeed, solid gold. There were easily enough of
these little ingots in the stack to fill the hold of a small skiff.
I thought that this might be the gold that the light people, of whom
Henry had spoken, had given Grandmother in trade. All of this treasure
being clearly in the family, I took no samples; instead, I continued
my search for other passageways. The sound of surf came from
the only one I could find. In a few paces it opened out directly
out into a vertical wall of rock, fifty feet above the ocean.
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