The Lost Continent · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Lost Continent by C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne.
Chapter 1
Prefatory
The narrator and Dr. Coppinger discover a set of ancient wax-on-talc sheets in a cave on Grand Canary. Coppinger identifies the manuscript as Atlantean, written by Deucalion, and recognizes its immense historical value. The narrator later learns that Coppinger donated the find to the British Museum and provided a translation, leading to a dispute over ownership.
Chapter 2
My Recall
Deucalion learns from Tatho that he has been recalled from his governorship of Yucatan to Atlantis by Empress Phorenice. Tatho recounts Phorenice's rise from a swineherd's daughter to a military leader who deposed Zaemon, defeated multiple armies, and now threatens the old order. Deucalion expresses reluctance to leave his colony and skepticism about the changes in Atlantis.
Chapter 3
Back to Atlantis
Deucalion reflects on his departure from Yucatan after being replaced by Tatho, who criticizes his lack of personal wealth and power. Despite their philosophical differences, Tatho provides a ship for Deucalion's return to Atlantis. During the voyage, Deucalion observes the refitting of the navy and contemplates the future of the colony and his own spiritual studies.
Chapter 4
A Rival Navy
Deucalion's fleet, reduced to five ships after storms and scurvy, approaches Atlantis and encounters a hostile navy of six vessels. After a parley with Dason, who demands Deucalion's surrender, Tob refuses and a fierce sea battle ensues. The fighting is brutal, with ships ramming and burning, but Tob's leadership and the crew's courage keep the fight centered on the Bear.
Chapter 5
The Welcome of Phorenice
Deucalion arrives in Atlantis and is welcomed by Empress Phorenice, who elevates him above all other men. During a procession through the city, Phorenice reveals that Atlantis is under siege by rebels and shows Deucalion a wound she received in battle, demonstrating her seriousness. Deucalion observes the stark contrast between the city's magnificence and the poverty of its people.
Chapter 6
Zaemon's Curse
Deucalion confronts Empress Phorenice about his loyalty to the old gods, is given chambers in the pyramid, and later attends a decadent feast. During the feast, the old priest Zaemon appears, declares Phorenice deposed by the High Gods, and curses Captain Tarca with leprosy when he tries to arrest him. Deucalion is torn between his oath to the Priests' Clan and his duty to Phorenice.
Chapter 7
VI: The Biters of the City Walls
Deucalion, newly returned to Atlantis, reflects on the political turmoil between Empress Phorenice and the Priests' Clan led by Zaemon. He decides to assess the rebel faction before choosing sides. After a tense banquet where Tarca is cursed with leprosy, Deucalion leaves the pyramid and tours the city at night, witnessing the oppression and suffering of the people under Phorenice's rule. At the city gate, he intervenes to save a woman from being thrown to cave-tigers, confronts the captain of the gate, and secures her safety.
Chapter 8
VII: The Biters of the Walls (Further Account)
Deucalion and Nais engage in a philosophical debate about tyranny, authority, and freedom. Nais accuses Deucalion of being a tyrant by virtue of his strength, and reveals that Phorenice seeks to marry him. Nais, once high in Phorenice's favor, now leads a rebel siege against the city, advocating for a rule of no-rule. Deucalion counters that order and leadership are necessary for civilization, citing his observations of savage Europe. The chapter ends with an earthquake, Deucalion's imprisonment in a desecrated temple, and a brutal rebel attack on the gate, during which prisoners are subjected to horrific torture via a war engine.
Chapter 9
VIII: The Preacher from the Mountains
An old priest, Zaemon, preaches to a crowd about the Gods' punishment of Atlantis through Phorenice and calls for repentance. A young rebel challenges him but is struck dumb. Zaemon identifies Deucalion as a priest, and the crowd turns hostile. Zaemon and Deucalion speak privately in the sacred tongue, with Zaemon declaring Deucalion the last hope against Phorenice. They part, and Deucalion enters the capital via a secret passage.
Chapter 10
IX: Phorenice, Goddess
Phorenice formally declares herself a goddess and performs a sacrificial ceremony, defying the old gods. The narrator, one of the Seven Priests, emerges from a secret underground passage and encounters Ro, a faithful but disillusioned priest, who recounts the decline of the old religion and a recent attack by a giant bird during a sacrifice.
Chapter 11
X: A Wooing
Deucalion faces public pressure to worship the newly deified Empress Phorenice but refuses, standing alone in the stone circle. Ylga pleads for his life but is rebuked. Phorenice pardons Deucalion and they ride back together, discussing politics and marriage. She reveals her intention to marry him for policy and her own growing desire, but demands a cruel wedding gift: that Deucalion entomb Nais alive under a granite throne. The chapter explores the tension between Phorenice's imperial will and Deucalion's secret loyalty to the old gods and Zaemon's commands.
Chapter 12
An Affair with the Barbarous Fishers
After the mammoth ride and spill, Phorenice, jealous of Nais, orders her guarded. Deucalion agrees to obey Phorenice's wishes. Phorenice takes Deucalion on a litter ride around the harbor, playing at lovers. They are attacked by barbarous fishers who covet Phorenice's jewels. A fierce fight ensues on the beach and in the water, with Phorenice and Deucalion fighting off the fishers and a turtle. They escape in a boat, with Deucalion paddling while Phorenice shields them from thrown stones.
Chapter 13
The Drug of Our Lady the Moon
Deucalion navigates the pyramid's secret passages to reach the temple of the Moon, aided by Ylga, while reflecting on his mission to save Nais from total sacrifice. He recalls a recent outing with Phorenice where she engineered a fight to test his skills, contrasting her ruthlessness with Nais's compassion. He receives an omen from the High Gods through a wave that clears their boat of reefs, interpreting it as a sign to continue his course. Later, he visits Nais in her entombment shaft, giving her a drug to induce suspended animation, and they exchange a tender farewell, agreeing to sacrifice personal desires for Atlantis.
Chapter 14
The Burying Alive of Nais
Phorenice's edict to bury Nais alive is carried out with brutal efficiency. Deucalion is forced to participate in the construction of a granite throne and the subsequent ceremony where he marries Phorenice and then entombs Nais beneath the throne-stone as a public spectacle.
Chapter 15
Again the Gods Make Change
Deucalion bids farewell to Tob and his crew as they sail away to found a new colony, rejecting the old gods in favor of worshipping Deucalion as a hero-god. Meanwhile, Ylga helps Deucalion escape the camp and arranges for him to meet Tob's ship, leading to his eventual departure into the Dangerous Lands of Atlantis.
Chapter 16
XV: Zaemon’s Summons
The narrator describes the perilous, volcanic wilderness of Atlantis bordering Europe and Africa, where he has lived in exile. Zaemon appears and summons him back to the Sacred Mountain to lead the defense against Empress Phorenice, who has besieged the mountain. The narrator bargains for Nais's safety as his reward, and Zaemon reluctantly agrees. Zaemon departs supernaturally, leaving the narrator to follow.
Chapter 17
Siege of the Sacred Mountain
Deucalion returns to the Sacred Mountain after years of war and is greeted by Zaemon, who hails him as King of Atlantis. Zaemon reveals that the High Gods have decreed Phorenice's death for discovering the Secret of Life and Death and defying divine authority. Deucalion insists on rescuing Nais before fully committing to his role. He then surveys the defenses, encounters the priest Ro who was coerced by Zaemon into delivering a message, and later takes a solemn oath of loyalty to the High Gods before the Ark of the Mysteries.
Chapter 18
Nais the Regained
Deucalion, with Zaemon's guidance, descends from the Sacred Mountain into the earthquake-ravaged city to retrieve Nais from the granite throne. Amidst chaos and terror, he finds her still in her drugged sleep, frees her from the stone, and escapes with her body through the panicked crowds, while Phorenice remains eerily calm.
Chapter 19
Storm of the Sacred Mountain
Deucalion tends to the newly awakened Nais, who recovers her strength and beauty. As the battle for the Sacred Mountain intensifies, Deucalion confronts Tatho, a former comrade now serving Empress Phorenice, in a parley that fails to avert further bloodshed. Deucalion asserts his kingship and warns of the catastrophic power stored in the Ark of the Mysteries, but Tatho remains loyal to Phorenice, refusing to betray her.
Chapter 20
Destruction of Atlantis
Deucalion is ordered by the Three to abandon the defense of the Sacred Mountain and enter the Ark of the Mysteries, where Nais awaits. Despite his desire to fight, he obeys, witnessing the final stand of the priests and the catastrophic flood that destroys Atlantis. He seals the Ark with Nais as the waters overwhelm the land, and they are swept away, the sole survivors of the doomed civilization.
Chapter 21
XX: On the Bosom of the Deep
The narrator and Nais endure a harrowing journey in the Ark, which is guided solely by the High Gods. After a week of storms, they emerge to a calm sea, find the Ark well-stocked and marvelously constructed, and the narrator destroys the ancient writings of the Mysteries, later rewriting the chronicle of Atlantis's fall.
Chapter 22
Endnotes
The endnotes provide a translator's note referencing a recent paleontological discovery of a Brontosaurus skeleton, emphasizing its immense size and weight.
