Suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath his feet. He fell down
a vertical shaft, his head hitting a sharp rock. Hhe lost
consciousness. On opening his eyes, he found himself with the
Professor and the guide, and, looking around him, he saw an ocean
stretching as faras the eye could see, a giant forest of
mushrooms, a line of huge cliffs, and strange clouds hung
overhead, as he lay on a deeply indented shore of golden sand
strewn with shells. For a moment, he thought he was back on the
surface of the earth, but soon realised that they had reached a
world within a world.
