The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-02
IN A DIVING BELL.

shoulder, and informed me that Lieut..
Bardolph wanted to see me.
81 have heard that you are something
of a naturalist, Starbuck," said the Of
icer, smiling.
"No, sir" I replied; "no naturalist, al
though ] take interest in"
"Oh. we'll, never mind" quoth the
Lieutenant. "You have seen our div
ing-bell?"
Ianswered eyes," when the Lieutenant
informed me that he wanted me to 60
duwn under the sea with our boatswain,
Randolph, formerly pearl-diver, to look
for a curious fish, which, on the day pre-
yious, had been pierced and killed with
pike. In form the fish resembled a
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 peculiarly,
however, was one eye. of greenish color,
situated on the top Of its head. On be-
ing struck with the pike the creature had
rolled over, apparently dying, and then
dove outof sight.
II think" continued the Lieutenant,
"that such curiosity is worth obtaining
and have picked you out to go go with
Randolph, believing that you Are are in
terested in natural history. Besides,
will pay you guinea if you will CO."
My mouth watered; bottles of aguar-
diente, and the black eyes of pretty
Chilean damsels, danced before my mind.
l 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 little damaged,
but neither Randolph nor anticipated
danger.
We were presently in our places, sing.
ing out GAIL rightW when the bell began
to descend.
Down, down, down--lower and lower.
We glanced round us on all sides, but as
yet saw nothing of the strange fish. Gu.
rious looking specimens Of the fnny
tribe, however, greeted us in many di.
rections. 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 fish, and the spite.
ful-looking shark swept through the green
waters, almost brushing our bell with
tails and fins
"How singularl" I calculated. "Like
vision of the delirium tremens, as
have heard that disease described"
"Dont talk of the 'delirium tremen.
dous' herel" growled Randolph, with a
dissatisfied air. "Grog is too scarce, do
you see, for that. Tauts is tauts ev-
erywhere, but blow me if they don't
somehow seem to have dwindled mighty
small aboard the Virago."
Now we hung suspended in mid-sea.
The air was become somewhat impure,
50 we opened the stop-cock and let it out,
feeling, moment after, a fresh supply
sent down to US through the India-rub-
ber pipe or hose secured into the top of
the bell. Rudolph was about touching
the signal cord, to intimate our desire to
be lowered still further, when we felt a
sudden 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 mo-
ment, and we only saved ourselves from
instant destruction by stopping UP the
aperture thus left in the top with a thick
handkerchief. Otherwise, the water be-
meath, no longer meeting the resistance
of the air, that element escaping, must
have filled the bell in brief space.
| We heard the water roaring and gurg.
ling round us as we descended; our de.
scent, however, became each instant
slower, until finally the resistance of the
confined air in the bell kept us sus
pended about two feet above the bottom
of the sea.
The air in our floating prison had by
this time become almost unbearable, moi
only from its being so densely com
pressed, but also from long confne
ment.
Terror-stricken, we glanced at eacl
other. The eyes of Randolph, protrud
ing from his head, 10 jked bloodshot anG
tinged with a strange green color, while
his dusky skin seemed to shrink like
shriveled parchment. The most start
ling change in his appearance was the
sudden apparently superannuated lool
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 almos
double, he threw his arms round him ir
agony as if elutching at something.
How horribly useless this pantomimt
seemed to mel lie wanted fresh air
What mockery!
"Starbuck," he presently gasped. g.
I-I-wouldn't know you. You lool
to be fiftyl You and l are a-dyin'
God have mercy on us! What shal
we do?'
What could we do? could only
stare at him stupid with despair.
The air in the bell became more ant
more sitting. The boatswain few to m.
side, and squeezed me in mad agony
until my bones felt as if they woult
crack.
+'Airl airl ARP he shrieked in m!