Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1869-02-18
A Diving-BeIT Adventure.

While in the harbor Of Valparaiso,
aboard the slOOp-Of-war ViragO, one Of
our midshipmen touched me on the
shoulder, and informed me that Lieu
tenant Bardolph wanted to see me.
II have heard that you are some
thing Of naturalist, Starbuck," said
the officer, smiling.
''NO, SIR replied; "no naturalist,
although take interest in
''Oh, well, never mind, y quOth the
lieutenant You have seen our di-
ving-bell ?"
1 answered ''Yes,n when the lieu
tenant informed me that he wanted
me to 20 down under the sea, with our
old hoatswain, Randolph, formerly a
pearl-diver, to lmSk for a curious fish,
which, on the day previous, had been
pierced and killed with a pike, In
form the fish resembled q serpent, was
about thirty inches in length, and had
upon both sides of its neck a pair of
singular appendages, something like
wings. Its most striking popularity,
however, was one eye, of a greenish
color, situated on the top of its head.
On being struck by the pike, the crea-
ture had rolled over, apparently dy-
ing, and then dove out of sight.
Il think" continued the lieutenant,
'that such a curiosity is worth obtain
ing, and / have picked you out to 90
with Randolph, believing that you are
interested in natural history. Besides,
/ will pay yeu guinea if you will 60. !"
Ny mouth watered; bottels ofdguor-
dieg5fe, and the black eyes of pretty
Chilean damsels, danced before nay
mind. / bowed acquiescence, and
went away to make preparations.
The diving-bell soon was on deck,
ready to be hOisted and swung over the
side. The instrument was a little
damaged, but neither Randolph nor ]
anticipated danger.
We were presently in our places,
singing out ''All rightv' when the
bell begun to descend.
Down, down, down-lOwer and low
er. We glanced round Us on all sides,
but yet saw nothing of the strange
fish. Curious-looking specimens of
the finny tribe, however, greeted us
in many directions. We could see the
swOrd-fish dart past, with its long,
prOtruding, bone weapon the globe
fish, the sun-fish, the mOOn-fish, the
ballOon-fsh, and the spiteful-lOOking
shark, swept through the green wa
ters, almost brushing our bell with
tails and fins.
"How singulari" I CALCULATED.
Like vision of the OyeLiFiltDl tTeBleIls,
as have heard that disease described. "
"DOn't talk Ofthe 'delirium tremen-
dOus' here!" gTOWled Randolph with
dissatisfied air. 'GrOg is too scarce,
do you see, for that. Tauts is tauts
everywhere, but damme, if they don't
somehow seem TO have dWindled
mighty small aboard the ViragO."
Now we hung suspended in mid-sea.
The air was becoming somewhat inn
pure, so we opened the stop-cock, and
let it out, feeling, a moment after, q
fresh supply, sent down to US through
the india-rubber "pipep or hose Sc
cured into the top of the bell Ran
dolph was about touching the signal
cord, to intimate our desire to be low
cred still further, when we felt a sud-
den jerk, felt the bell going down
faster than we had anticipated, and, /,
to our horror, realized that the rope by
which the instrument was suspended
had parted from the hook to which it
was attached.
Away went the "pipe" at the same
moment, and we only saved ourselves
from instant destruction by stopping
up the aperture thus left in the top
with a thick handkerchief. Other
wise, the water beneath, no longer
meeting the resistance of the air, that
element escaping, must have filed the
bell in brief space.
We heard the water roaring and
gurgling round US as we descended /;
our descent, however, became each in
slant slower, until finally the resist
anee of the confined air in the bell
kept us suspended about two feet
above the bottom of the sea.
The air in our floating prison had
by this time become almost unbeara-
ble, not only from its being so densely
compressed, but also from long COLI
finement.
Terror-stTicken, we glanced at each
other. The eyes of Randolph, protrud-
ing from his head, looked blOodshOt,
rnd tinged with a strange green color,
while his dark skin seemed to shrink
like shriveled parchment. The most
startling change in his appearance
was the sudden apparently supperan-
nuated look of his visage. A man of
fifty, he seemed at least thirty years
older
Presently his teeth began to rattle in
| his head, his form was bent almost
double, he threw his arms round him
in agony, as if elutching at something.
How horribly useless this pantO-
mine seemed to me! He wanted fresh
air-to clutch at air! What mock
cry!
'iI-I-wouldn't know you. You look
to be fifty! You and 1 are a-dyin'
God have mercy on US! What shall
we do?"
What could we do2 / could only
stare at him, stupid with despair.
The air in the bell became more and
more sitting. The bOatswain flew tC
my side, and squeezed me in his mad
agony, until my bones felt is if they
would crack.
'iAir! air! air!n he shrieked in my
ear.
/ endeavOred to speak, but only ;
hoarse rattle in my throat Obeyed my
! will. Ny brain began TO Whirl
gasped hard for breath. A terrible op
preston was on nv lungs. The boat
swain had now released me. / stag
i gered against the side Of our prison
my senses gradually seemed DESERVING
me.
/ Through one Of The glass-cases i
/ the instrument, Randolph now point
ed out to me a huge shark, which
with red, glOating eyes peered dow