Near morning, the shackled children finish greasing their locks as the clockwork drill has almost penetrated the rock wall. Water leaks through fissures in the rock, drenching the children and slowly filling the cavern with sea water. Then, Peg notices that the apes have retreated to another chamber. Sensing a trap, she commands the children to stop working the drill; however, they cannot hear her over its loud noise. Frantic, she gives the chains a mighty pull, yanking all the children off their feet and grinding the clockwork beast to a halt. The ape Maul reappears, wondering why the drill has stopped drilling. Seeing the Princess, he grabs her by the throat until she passes out.

When Peg regains consciousness, the cavern is teeming with ravens, some freeing the children and others driving the apes back. Their brief moment of victory is interrupted by the sea serpents, now loosed from their restraints. The children climb atop the clockwork beast, out of reach of the serpents’ jaws, but the monsters tear at the machine, trying to pull the entire structure into the water. Just then, another serpent enters the fray, driving the others away from the children.