The Tigress is at sea longer than its crew would like but Belit insists on staying on the water despite the rumblings of the crew and the advice of Conan and N'Yaga. When a ship is spotted moored by the Dark Cliffs, the crew investigates and finds the vessel abandoned and carrying treasure from the east. Belit believes even more treasure was taken into the cliffs and organizes a search party into a nearby cavern. deep inside the cliffs they find a colony of crab-men hauling the treasure chests past a prison containing several sailors from Argos. Conan speaks to their leader, Florannus, through a window, and he tells them that the crab-people's telepathic abilities called him and his ship, and once captured they have been experimented on by the creatures. Conan manages to break the sailors