The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-08-14
UNDER THE SEA.

In a late number Of Household
Words, we find brace of those extra
ordinary and amusing '.yarns" for
which sailors have been famous from
time impemorial. They were related
to the writer. in his youth, by one
Thomas Headfurst an old oliver;
whose family had been divers for
centuries before him-even when the
poor
''Ccylon Diver held his breath,
And went all naked to the hungry shark"
This MI. Thomas Headfurst was, it
seems, in his latter days, the landlord
OF q popular tavern in one of the sea-
coast districts of England; and it was
in the parlor Of this house that the old
gentleman whiled away the long win
ter evenings by relating the profess
sional adventures of his family and
himself ''in the deep, deep se;.''-as
instance the following:
'lt was in the year fourteen, or it
may be, fifteen, when the Diomede
went down, off Deal, and the guv'nor
and chum of his, named Blutfy, was
appointed to be under the sea; for we
be captains, like, and masters and all,
when ship once goes to the bottom,
and wears, by consequence, very
singular uniform. Now, there was no
better watcr-workman in tic channel
than them two; and they would have
been employed still more constantly,
and been yet better to do in the world,
but for being so precious fond of their
game of cribbagc. All day long, in
some little parlor like this present,
they'd be knobbing, and 'hcclng, and
going, SO that they was seldom ready.
when they was wanted, ard went by
the name Of tho Fifteen Two. How
ever, the Diomede had bars Of gold in
her, aud it was Of the utmost consc-
quence to work at her as hard and fast
as might be. So Bluffy and the guv'-
nor was hauled out of their snug par
lor to the minlte, never mind where
the game was and out they was rowed
to the lugger moored above the wreck,
and down they was lowered III the bell.
On one of these mornings, especially,
they had a great mind to throw up
their commissions, and go on pegsing
away all their ife-tnnes; but they
thought better of it, and went aboard.
Now, they was accustomed to be below
q good long time, only this day they
stayed a precious deal longer, and the
crew above began to be alarmed, and
to think there was something wrong
with the aif-tube. Howsomever, us
no signal had been given to draw up,
they sent down third man in a he'll
met, to see what had become of 'em,
and 81 precious sight he sees-Blutfy
and the guv'nor in their diving dress
es, sitting in the bell like couple of
ma3nifed tadpoles, and cutting, and
showing, and cribbing, with the cards
and the board between them, just as
though they were in the inn parlor,
except that now and then they was
nearly being suffocated, having for
gotten to turn the air-eock SO the
end of it was, Fifteen Two was never
allowed to 90 down in the bell toge-
ther no more"
''Dear mer' said I, ''Mr. Headfurst,
"that seems O. very extraordinary
story"
"Xtrorniry, I believe you" said he,
"but nothing like fight [ had once
with a. Electrical eel, in fifty fathom of
water, West-by-South Of St. Michael's
Mount, in Cornwall. 1t was one Of
my earliest jobs, and l wasn't
thoroughly used to the work at that
time; and I hadn't mate, either, to
20 down with me. It's fright ming
thing that sinking, sinking cnt Of
sight of everything, am ost, without
knowing where you're 6 'ing to, nor
what you may find when you get there:
This time the bell missed the wreck I
was after entirely, (which, as it hap
pend, however, was very fortun ate
circumstance and was lowered down
to the very bottom Half way down,
Master James, what should come into
the machine but an enormous 'lectri-
cal eel. He came in, young master,
and he stopped in; and the higher the
water rose in the bell, the higher 1 got