Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-19
T HE HER AID.
Captain Boynton's Life Beneath the
Waves.

The Gentleman's Magazine says:
Soon afterward | went down into
Mexico. The first coral | raised was
in Catoche. Knocking around about
there / heard of the loss of the
schooner Foam. The first mate and
three men got lost. | slung around
to see if she could be raised. After
we had spent the best part of the
week we sailed over herand dropped
anchor. 1t was q lively Sunday
when we struck her. She lay in
sixty feet of water on a bottom as
white as the moon. Looking down
| could see her leaning over on one
side upon the coral reef " hen |
got down to her saw she had torn
u great gapi in the reef when she
ran against it, The muiG-mast was
gone and hung on the fore | clam
bered vi; | saw whole shoals of fish
playing in and out f the matches.
1t was rather dark and had to feel
in the lower hunks. There was moth
ing in the first, and in the other the
door was looked. | pried it open
and shot back the lock with my adze.
1t few open and out something fell
right against me. | felt at once it
was the woman's body. | was not
exactly frighteni but it shook me
rather. | slung it from me and went
out into the light bit until | go
mold of myself Then | turned back
and brought her out, poor thing.
She'd been very pretty, and | carried
her in my arms, with her white face
nesting against my shoulder, she
seemed as if she was only sleeping.
| made her fast to the line as care
fully as 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 around her
head like pillow of golden seaweed.
That was the only body | found
there, and | managed after to raise
pretty considerable Of the cargo.
One of my expeditions was among
the silver banks of the Antilles; the
loveliest place | ever saw, where the
white coral grows into curious tree
like shapes. AS | stepped along the
bottom il seemed as if | were in a
frosted forest. Here and there trailed
long fronds of green and crimson
seaweed. Silver-belied fish flashed
about among the deep brown and
purple sea ferns, which rose as high
as my head. Far as | could see
all round in the transparent water
were different colored leaves, and on
the floor piles of shells so bright in
color that it seemed as if had stun
bled on a place whore they kept a
stock of broken rainbows. | could
not work for bit, and | had quar-
ter determination to sit down while
and wait for mermaid. guess if
if those sea girls live anywhere, they
select that spot. After waiting about
half an hour l thought | had better
90 to work and blast for treasure.
4 little bit on from where | sat were
the remains of a treasure ship. 1t
was the Britisher, [ think, and corals
bad formed all about what was left
OF her The coral on the bottom and
round her showed black spots. That
meant deposit Of either iron or sill
ver l made fairly good hauls every
time | went down, and sold ono piece
[ found to Barnum, of New York.
After | left there | had curious adj
venture with shark. | was down
on nasty rock bottom. & man
never feels comfortable on them; be
can't tell what big creature may be
hiding under the huge quarter deck
sea leaves that grow there. The
first part of the time | was visited
by porcupine fish, which kept stick
ing its quilts up and bobbing in front
of my helmet Soon after l saw
big shadow fall across me, and look
ing up there was an internal shark
playing about my tubing. 1t makes
you feel chilly in the back when
they're about. He came down to
me quick as | looked up. | made at
him and he sheer,d off. For an hour
be worked at it, till | could stand it
no longer. If you can keep your
head level its all right, and you're
pretty safe if the'ro not on you sharp.
This ugly brute was twenty feet
long, | should think, for when L lay
down all my length on the bottom
be stretched a considerable way
ahead Of me, and | could see him be
yond my feet. Then | waited. They
must turn over to bite, and my ly-
ing down bothered him. He swan
over me three or four times, and then
skulked off to big thicket of sea-
weed to consider. l knew he'd come
back wen he'd settled his mind. 1t
seemed long time waiting for him.
At last he came viciously over nae,
but. like the time before, too far
from my arms. The next time | had
chance and ripped him with my
knife as neatly as | could. A shark
always remembers he's got business
somew here else when he's cut, so off
this fellow goes. 1t is curious
thing, too, that all the sharks about
will follow the trail he leaves. got
on my hands and knees, and as he
swan off noticed four dark shadows
slip after him. | saw no more that
time. They did not like my COM
pany.
''Whar's de Use P"