To the captain's questions he could only say that a little while before, Mok had come running to him, and told him that, being thirsty, he had gone down to the edge of the lake to get a drink, and found that there was no water, only a great hole, and then he had run to tell Maka, and when Maka had gone back with him, so greatly surprised that he had deserted his post without thinking about it, he found that what Mok had said was true, and that there was nothing there but a great black hole.

Mok must have been asleep when the water went away, but it was gone, and that was all he knew about it.
There was something so weird and mysterious about this absolute and sudden disappearance of this great body of water that Mrs.Cliff became very nervous and frightened.
"This is a temple of the devil," she said, "and that is his face outside.
You do not know what may happen next.

This rocky floor on which we stand may give way, and we may all go down into unknown depths.

I can't think of staying here another minute.

It is dark now.