The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-31

not standing but rising ana falling, some
times being above me, and then sinking
until their watersoakt d boots touched the
clay. Their arms sway I'd about, as if strik-
ing at me, their heads nodded end swayed,
and through their pared lips caught the
CLEAN of white teeth hard shut.
recovered from my fright in moment;
but the company was disagreeable, and l
clarnbered up the cable as fast as possible.
The bodies followed me part of the way
up and then sank down again. had been
down long time, and but for the job be-
fore me should have gone to the surface
for rest | did not wish TO come down
again, and believed that few minutes
would finish my work.
Inow determined to go up. There were
the pantry, the rooms of the officers and
the kitchen yet to Visit, all doubtless con-
tanning the dead; bat the pumps were not
giving me air enough and | was tired out.
opened the pantry coor as passed, but
saw no one. Walking aft, swung myself
over the rail, hung 2 moment and then
dropped down. As ! found my feet an
arm was passed around my neck and a
corpse settled on my shoulders. / strug-
gled TO shake of the burden and another
corpse confronted me. its CLASSY eyes at my
helmet window. threw out my arm and
my hand rested on the head of a woman,
whose fingers caught ct my glove as if to
hold ne.
/ crept close to the screw, not afraid bus
annoyed, and in moment could count
twenty corpses. I'll were floating in up
right positions, al svaying their arms
and all looking at me with their big eyes
knew that some current had drawn them
there and that they we're harmless; but
dreaded TO move out, knowing that my
wake" would draw them. The dead stood
on all sides, as if an audience assembled to
hear me speak. If | pushed one back he
took his place again or rose up and grasped
his bony fingers at my head.
But l moved at last. ! pushed away
those in my path and had just left the YES
sci when right in front of me came the
negro cook, a huge fellow, in his shirt
sleeves and having in his right hand large
carving knife. He gave me u fearful shock,
as he seemed TO dispute my progress and
dreaded his knife As tried to move him
away he struck at me and tried to fling the
other arm around my neck! The Others
came to help him. They grasped at my
legs; they clutched at my arms; they set
tied down on my shoulders, and shrieked
for help! | struck at them; pushed them
away, and jerked savagely at the floating
tresses of the woman, feeling that they
wanted to hold me down there!
Running up the slope they all came after
me, the negro first OF all. | fought him
back as | clutched the anchor rope and
gave the signal; but they pushed him at
me again, and he felt over my face and at
my throat
| remembered the knife and pulled it
out. He was grasping at me, and | stabbed
him again and again in my frenzy! The
men hauled at the rope and went up, but
the dead followed, drawn by the eddy
The negro came faster shan the rest and
his white eyes glared through the glass; /
kicked him and he clutched my feet; |
stabbed him and ne grasped at the knifel
As reached the surface he shot high above
it, flourished his arms and then fell and
foated with the score of others, one hand
raised high out of the water and the knife
glittering in the sun.
would not 30 down again; the other
divers refused, and we left the Wave TO
rock with the swells A year later other
divers went down for the machinery-one
diver. What he foand down there no one
will ever know Something pricked
through his hose, and he was drawn up .
corpse.-New York u orld.