Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-07-25
Captain Boytop'. Adventures a, a DIver.

Captain BOytOn's Adventures as a Diver.
Gentleman's Magazine
Soon afterward | worked down into
the Gulf of Mexico. The first coral /
raised was in CatoChe. Knocking round
about there, heard OF the loss Of the
schooner Foam. The first mate and
three men got saved, but the captain,
his daughter and three men got lost. l
slung round to zee if she could be raised.
After we'd spent the best part OF the
week, We sailed over her and dropped
anchor. 1t was q lovely Sunday morn
ing when We struck her. She lay in
sixty feet of water, on bottom as white
as the moon. Looking down / could
see her leaning over on one side upon
the coral reef. When l got down to her
| saw she'd torn a great gap in the reef
when she ran against II. The msinmast
was gone and hung by the fore; l clam
bsred up; l saw whole shoals Of fish
playing in and out of the matches. First
| went to look for the bodies, for | never
| like TO work while there's any OF them
about. Finding the fo'castle empty, l
went to the two little state cabins. 1t
was rather dark, and had to feel 10 the
| lower hunks. There was nothing in the
| first, and in the other the door was
| locked. pried it open and shot back the
| lock with my adZe. it flew open and
out something fell right against me. l
| felt at once il was the wOman's body,
l was not exactly frightened, but
| it shook me rather. I slung il
| from me and went out into the
| light bit until I got hold of myself.
Then I turned back, aud brought her
out-poor thing! She'd been very
pretty, and so | carried her in my arms;
with her white face nesting against my
shoulder, she seemed as if she was only
sleeping. l made her fast to the line as
carefully as 1 could to send her up, and
the fish played about her as if they were
sorry she was going. At last | gave the
| signal, and she went slowly up, her hair
! floating round her head like pillow of
golden sea-weed. That was the only
body l found there, and l managed
after to raise pretty considerable of the
cargo. One Of my expeditions was
among the silver banks of the Antilles,
the loveIiest place I ever saw, where the
white coral grows into curious tree-like
shapes. AS [ stepped along the bottom
1t seemed as il l were in 8 frosted forest.
Here and there trailed long fronds q
green and crimson sea-Weed. Silver
bellied fish flashed about among the deep
brown and purple sea ferns, which rose
high 80 my head. Far as 1 could see all
round in the transparent water were diff
ferent cOlOTed leaves, and on the floor
piles OF shells so bright in color that
it seemed as if ] had stumbled on a
place where they kept q stock of broken
rainbOws. could not work for q bit,
and had a quarter determination to sit
down awhile and wait for q mermaid.
[ guess if those sea girls hive anywhere,
they select that spot, After walking the
inside out Of hS.f an hour, thought /
had better go TO work and blast for
treasure. A little bit from where l sat
were the remains of treasure ship. 1t
was Britisher, think, and cOTals had
formed all about her, or rather about
what was left Of her. The coral on the
bottom and around her showed black
spots. That meant deposit of either
iron or silver. made fairly good hauls
every time | went down, and sold one
piece [ found to Barnum, of New York.
After left there I had curious adven-
tuTe with a shark. / was down on a
nasty rock bottom. a man never feels
comfortable on them; he can't tell what
big creature may be hiding under the
huge quarterback sea leaves which
grows there. Part Of the time l was
visited by porcupine fish, which kept
sticking his quilts up and bObbing in 1
front OF my hamlet. Soon after saw a
big shadow fall across me, and looking
up, there was an Internal shark playing
about my tubing. It makes you feel
chilly in the back when they are about. |
He came down to me slick as | looked
up. I made at him, and he
sheered off. For an hour he worked at
it, till [ could stand it no longer. II you
can keep your head level, it's all right, |
ana you're pretty safe, if they are not
on you sharp. This ugly brute was
twenty feet long, l should think, for
when | lay down all my length on the
bottom, he stretched a considerable way !
ahead of me, and could see him be- !
yCnd my feet. Then l waited. They
must turn over 10 bite, and my lying
down bothered him. He swan over
three or four times, and then skulked off |
to a big thicket of sea-weed, to consider. |
l knew he'd come back when he'd set |
tied his mind. 1t seemed long time |
waiting for him. At last he came Wig !
OrOusly over me, but, like the time be- |
fore, too far for my arms. The next |
time I had my chance, and ripped him
with my knife as neatly SIS l could. A |
shark always remembers he's got BUSH |
ness somewhere else when he's cut, |
so off this fellow goes. 1t is a Curl
GUS thing, too, that all the sharks about
will follow in the trail that he leaves. I
I got on nay hands and knees, and as he |
swan off ] noticed four dark shadows |
slip after him. ! saw no more that time. |
They didn't ike my company.