“Well, Cyrus,” said the reporter, “there seems to be nothing suspicious in this water.”

“No, my dear Spilett,” replied the engineer, “and I really do not know how to account for the incident of yesterday.”

“I acknowledge,” returned Spilett, “that the wound given this creature is, at least, very strange, and I cannot explain either how Top was so vigorously cast up out of the water.  One could have thought that a powerful arm hurled him up, and that the same arm with a dagger killed the dugong!”

“Yes,” replied the engineer, who had become thoughtful; “there is something there that I cannot understand.  But do you better understand either, my dear Spilett, in what way I was saved myself—­how I was drawn from the waves, and carried to the downs?  No!  Is it not true?  Now, I feel sure that there is some mystery there, which, doubtless, we shall discover some day.  Let us observe, but do not dwell on these singular incidents before our companions.  Let us keep our remarks to ourselves, and continue our work.”

It will be remembered that the engineer had not as yet been able to discover the place where the surplus water escaped, but he knew it must exist somewhere.  He was much surprised to see a strong current at this place.  By throwing in some bits of wood he found that it set towards the southern angle.  He followed the current, and arrived at the south point of the lake.

There was there a sort of depression in the water, as if it was suddenly lost in some fissure in the ground.

Harding listened; placing his ear to the level of the lake, he very distinctly heard the noise of a subterranean fall.

“There,” said he, rising, “is the discharge of the water; there, doubtless, by a passage in the granite cliff, it joins the sea, through cavities which we can use to our profit.  Well, I can find it!”

The engineer cut a long branch, stripped it of its leaves, and plunging it into the angle between the two banks, he found that there was a large hole one foot only beneath the surface of the water.  This hole was the opening so long looked for in vain, and the force of the current was such that the branch was torn from the engineer’s hands and disappeared.

“There is no doubt about it now,” repeated Harding.  “There is the outlet, and I will lay it open to view!”

“How?” asked Gideon Spilett.

“By lowering the level of the water of the lake three feet.”  “And how will you lower the level?”

“By opening another outlet larger than this.”

“At what place, Cyrus?”

“At the part of the bank nearest the coast.”

“But it is a mass of granite!” observed Spilett.

“Well,” replied Cyrus Harding, “I will blow up the granite, and the water escaping, will subside, so as to lay bare this opening—­”

“And make a waterfall, by falling on to the beach,” added the reporter.

“A fall that we shall make use of!” replied Cyrus.  “Come, come!”