Dennis Wheatley - They Found Atlantis

'The capital of Atlantis was a mighty city beneath a great mountain in the northern part of the island. It was ringed by three broad canals, and three defensive zones each of which had high walls strengthened with plates of brass and copper. In the city itself stood the vast temple of Poseidon which was roofed and walled in pure red gold and contained life-size images fashioned from the same precious

metal so that-'

He broke off suddenly as Slinger and the German came out on to the terrace. The latter had lost his cheerful look. He now appeared a fat, hunched, dejected figure while Slinger exclaimed:

'The Doctor's had a rotten break. He feared it from a radio message he received a week ago but now it's been confirmed by mail. Klemo Farquason has crashed on Wall Street, so the whole show's off.'

'Seven years I prepare,' bleated the little Doctor, 'then for three more years I search for a rich financier who will back my great exploration. Everyone says I am a mad hatter but at last I convinced Mr. Farquason that I am not. Another year while we manufacture the super-bathysphere and have the ship outfitted. He is to meet me here—then I get a radiogram that there may be delay—now this.'

A general murmur of sympathy went round and Slinger remarked: 'I'm afraid it's not going to be easy for you to find another man with sufficient cash to finance a thing like this where the results are so problematical.' 'But the loss to science,' moaned the Doctor. 'Never mind the science,' said Nicky, 'how about the gold? Though I don't see how you'd ever find it. Even if it's get-at-able, and not buried under five hundred feet of mud, it might be anywhere between Lisbon and Miami. There must be ten thousand square miles of ocean where that continent was before it sank. You might go diving for a life time and not hit the spot where that city was.'

'No—that is not so,' protested the Doctor angrily. 'Eleven years ago, when I was an archaeologist on the Euphrates, 1 dug up a scroll at Eridu which gave me the great secret. The bearing of the stars which fixed the position of the city. The stars in ten thousand years do not vary more than a fraction. I will get within a mile of the temple at the first dive, then I dredge and within a week I will come to it.'

Nicky stared at him. 'That makes all the difference,' he said slowly, then he looked sharply at Camilla. 'How about it? People have staked worse bets than this. Why don't you cut in on it?'

Camilla straightened and they all watched her in silence for a moment, then: 'It would be rather fun,' she said slowly.

'If the expedition succeeds it will make history,' remarked the Count, 'and you, Madam, as the leader of it, will remain famous long after you are dead.'

It was a subtle piece of flattery and tickled Camilla's vanity. 'Chartering the yacht wouldn't harm the trust any,' she said thoughtfully, 'but I'd have to cut various engagements. How long is it going to take, Doctor?'

'The work of excavation may go on for years, but I will find the city in a fortnight—less Gniidige Herzogin.'

'That means I'll have to cancel my visit to Scotland,' Camilla hesitated, looking round at the ring of intent faces.

'Oh let's—do let's, please 1' Sally exclaimed.

'All right,' Camilla smiled and exclaimed suddenly: 'Will you all come as my guests on this party to discover the lost continent?'

Only the McKay's voice rose above quick murmurs of acceptance that greeted her invitation. 'If you're including me I hope you don't expect me to go under water in that bathysphere?'

'No, we'll let you play with a sextant on the bridge, but it would be nice to have the British Navy with us!'

'Well, what could be fairer than that,' he laughed. 'I'd love to come.'

"Ach! Himmel!' the Doctor cried. 'You mean this? You will finance my exploration with your money?'

'Certainly I will,' Camilla assured him a little pompously.

An ecstatic smile spread over the German's face as he grabbed her hand in his pudgy fingers and kissed it.

Half an hour later the party had broken up. Only Rene P. Slinger and the Doctor remained on the terrace. The latter no longer smiled. His pink face showed doubt and distress.

'I haf agreed to do this only to save my exploration,' he said heavily.

'Sure,' nodded Slinger cheerfully, 'but haven't things panned out just as 1 said. The moment I heard Farquason had fallen down on you a month back I knew that if you brought your outfit here Camilla would jump right into it. Once we get her up to the Azores in that ship of yours and the big boy comes on board you'll see things happen. Then you can go hunting your lost Atlantis until it rises out of the water again to hit you in the pants.'

The Doctor ignored the gibe and nodded gloomily. 'But there must be no bloodshed mind—no bloodshed—you haf promised me that.'

Signs, Sounds, and a Worried Little Man

That night, the lovely Camilla, Duchess of Solento-Ragina —nee Hart, expended some infinitesimal portion of her millions by giving a party to those friends and retainers who were to accompany her on Doktor Herman Tisch's mystery ship.

The retainers, her cousin Sally and her man of business Rene P. Slinger, were in excellent spirits. Sally because she felt that however mad the quest might appear it should prove amusing and Slinger, because he had succeeded in his secret design of getting Camilla to undertake the expedition for his own dubious purposes.

The McKay punished the champagne and blessed his luck that he had chanced to be present when Camilla offered the invitation to her intimates. As a Naval Captain, just retired, he was already finding it a difficult business to live in comfort on his pension and his inclusion in the party meant a few weeks' free keep in pleasant company.

Camilla's three would-be second husbands—the Roumanian, Prince Vladimir Renescu, the film-star crooner Nicky Costello, and the Swede, Count Axel Fersan—were equally cheerful at the prospect of this voyage, which meant that the heiress to the Hart millions would be safe for some time from the pursuit of other suitors who might arrive upon the scene at any moment; moreover each was visualising in advance the delightful opportunities which mignt occur to get slender, blue-eyed, Camilla alone upon a moonlit afterdeck, persuade her to accept him, and thus finally rout his rivals before Doktor Tisch's ship returned to port. The little German doctor alone remained moroseand uneasy, tortured by his secret thoughts.

When dinner was over the whole party migrated to the little Casino which lies half way down the hill between Reids Palace Hotel and Funchal. It was early yet and only about fifty people were scattered about the low cool rooms. The young Roumanian carried Camilla off to dance and Nicky secured Sally solely because he knew that by dancing with her he would be able to keep an eye on Camilla without actually giving his rival the pleasure of seeing him lounge sulkily in the doorway of the dance room. The others passed through the far door and sitting down at a table on the terrace, ordered drinks.

The night was fine, the air soft and scented by the semi-tropical moon flowers which open their great white bells only after the sun had set. A sheer cliff dropped from the terrace to the bay, now shrouded in darkness, but out on its gently heaving waters the lights of the shipping, riding at anchor for a few hours after having dropped their passengers and mails for Madeira, twinkled cheerfully. To the left they could catch a glimpse of the lights on the foreshore down in Funchal town, and to the right those of Reids Palace Hotel glimmered from its eminence on the headland of the bay.

When they had finished their first drink Slinger suggested a stroll to Doktor Tisch leaving the McKay and Count Axel on their own. The sailor immediately broached the topic which was foremost in all their minds and asked: