Suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath his
feet. He fell down a vertical shaft, his head hitting
a sharp rock. He lost consciousness. On opening his
eyes he found himself with the Professor and their
guide. And looking around him he saw an ocean
stretching as far as 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.