, 1880-10-04
escaping, must have filed the bell in q

the confined air in the bell kept us
suspended about two feet above the bot
tom of the sea.
The air of our floating prison had by
this time become almost unbearable,
not only from its being so densely COM
pressed, but also from long confne-
ment.
Terror stricken we glanced at each
other. The eyes of Randolph, protrud-
ing from his head, looked blood-sho
and tinged with strange green color,
while his dusky skin seemed to shrink
like shriveled parchment. The most
startling change in mis- appearance was
the sudden apparently superannuated
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 clutching at something.
How horribly useless this pantomime
seemed to me! He wanted fresh air
to clutch st air! What a mockery!
"Starbuck," he presently gasped.
"I-I-wouldn't know you. You look
to be fifty! You and l are a-dying.
God have mercy on us! What shall we
do?' l could only stare at him, stupid
with despair.
The air in the bell became more and
more sitting. The boatswain flew to
my side, and squeezed me in mad
agony. until my bones felt as if they
would crack
"Air! air! air. be shr;eked in my
70 k,,t
hoarse rattling in my throat obeyed my
will. My brain began to whirl. l
gasped hard for breath. A terrible op-
preston was upon my lungs. The boat
swain had now released me. l stag
gered against the side of our prison;
my senses gradually seemed deserting
me.
Through one of the glass bases in
the instrument, Randolph now pointed
out to me huge shark, which, with
red, gloating eyes, peered down upon
US, as if anticipating our fate, and
considering how it should get at us.
Gradually, however, the eyes of the
monster seemed to my confused sight,
to my whirling brain, to mingle with
the water; to vanish in dark. red,
misty cloud, that hoated NJ all arouud
the bell. My head now felt as if it
would burst; it sank upon my shoul-
der. Terribly oppressed, fell upon
my knees, and would have fallen alto
gether but for the boatswain, who now
held me.
"Star- -Star-buck, dying" were the
words family reverberating upon my
brain. Then all began to grow dark
around me, and knew that 1 was los
ing consciousness. My name was again
shrieked into my ear. With a super
human effort half raised myself and
looked around me, feeling like one
cropping in the dark. Bewiidered, full
of the most agonizing pain, became
aware that something was swaying up
and down before my sight; up and
down in the red mist cloud, mingling
with the water. l made another effort
"a great effort to comprehend what it
was, this swaying thing, and 1 at last
did so; understood that it Was hook
attached to the end of rope, lowered
to us from the Virago, SO far above
Starbuck!' gasped the boatswain,
" will dash open the lens-this was of
glass-in the top of the bell; then you
stand by to hook it on the inside!"
I just managed to hear the words.
and they strengthened me with wild
hope, although 1 was still so bewil-
dered that [ could scarcely now see the
swaying hook. The boatswain's arm
was before my eyes. With one power
full blow of his huge fist, dealt with
the remains of his great strength, he
shivered the lens.
thunder; it was the upward rushing of
the water into the bell as the air es-
capped.
There was no time to lose. | thrust
my arm through the aperture and drew
in the hook, quickly attaching it to the
top of the inside of the instrument.
The next moment the water came
bubbling over the head of the boat
swain and myself and that was the last
1 remembered of what transpired in
the bell.
When recovered my senses I found
myself in the steerage, with the ships
doctor bending over me.
A narrow escape" we're his first
words.
Where is Randolph? % I Exclaimed.
"Hore," answered feeble voice, and
rising, 1 beheld the boatswain in q
bunk under me.
He had a narrower escape than you
had," said the doctor. "The thumb
of the right hand was bitten off by q
shark. which made a spring for it just
as we pulled you two into the cutter,
after the diving-bell was hauled to tie
surface"
The shark, l doubted not, was the
same one had seen on the outside Of
the bell while under water.
You may both feel very thankful
for your safety" continued the doctor;
and, by the way. here is your guinea" :"
putting gold piece into my hand, and
giving another to the boatswain. (which