Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-01-31

rlblc ringing and hamner1ng that the
rapid Tightening of the pressure was be-
ginning to cause. but meantime was
somewhat reassured by the fact that
they were giving me air with the pump
felt faint and stru ssgled as desper-
ately as | could to prevent my unseen
and unknown enemies from dragging me
upward to suffocation and perhaps
death, but I course it was in vain.
Then | felt myself jerkei sidewise
and pulled rapidly through the water
laterally as well as upward. Then a
strangely agreeable sensation came over
me. feI, as if | were walking on air.
The hammering in my ears was pitched
at higher and higher key. Then my
senses reeled, and l was unconscious.
do not like to deal in mysteries. |
had simply tainted awcy as the result
of being drawn upward quickly, instead
of regulating my own ascent, and Of not
getting enough air. Unlucky for me,
as it seemed when opened my eyes, ]
had not parted company with my con-
sciousness for good and all, and that fact
proved that they were getting air to
me. | came to my senses at the sur
face and found myself half out of the
water, half in it, still in my diving suit.
was being drawn backward through
the water. and through tue front win
dow of my helmet | saw tho strangest
sight that ever met my eyes
Not 40 rolls away, and plowing to-
ward me, were a great nan vessels of
singular construction, having tall sails
that looked to me like the side of an
outstretched accordion, and upon the
prov of every boat was painted Il huge,
staring eye, with black streaks diverg
ing from it.
The more | looked at these strange
objects the more | became convinced
that they were Chinese junks, such as l
had seen few days before in the Woo
sung river off Shanghai On the for
ward junks I saw several armed men
gesticulating wildly. They were evil
IDENTIFY Cinnamon, and they were greatly
excited.
After watching their movements for
few moments, it occurred to me that
the men were acting as if they did not
like my appearance. If it were pos
sible, | might even have supposed that
they were afraid of me, but the fact
that they were pursuing me at a good
rate of speed shut out any such supposi-
tion as that.
As | rose upon a crest Ct Il wave, and
at the same instant came into a position
almost erect. | was asto.. iShed to see,
behind these vessels in advance, large
fleet of others like them.
Then the whole situation flashed up
on me- The vessels which were pursu-
ing me were manifestly pirate junks,
which at that time occasionallyswarmed
up, seemingly out of nowhere, in the
Chinese seas. While / had been at the
bottom, this fleet of pirates had sudden
ly hove in sight around the cape. There
were, in fact 200 or 800 iunks.
The people in our boat, when they
saw the pirates swoop down upon them,
had no course but to take to flight. But
what were they to do with me down
there at the bottom? 1t V as wonder
they did not cut my lifeline and leave
me to my fate AS the laws of human
conduct go, they would have been JUS
titled in sacrificing my life in order to
save their own.
] learned all this afterward, when
Cowles told me how he stood at the
gunwale with his revolver in one hand
keeping the men off the line, while
with the other hand he now jerked
crazily at the rope to signal me, and
now worked the airpump.
Then, with all hands at the oars that
could grasp them, they bore away for
the forts of tho Woosung Of course
they really had no chance to get there.
They were 10 inen in big whaleboat
with weight of machinery and gold,
and dragging behind them a man from
the bottom of the sea, and they were
chased by fleet Of pirates, sailing on a
quartering but very good breeze.
Meantime was being dragged
through the water on my back. Through
my bit of plato glass could see the
pirates in advance, who seemed to be
bearing down upon me rapidly.
The more | realized the situation the
luOIt lIlSuGSDGd OuI uicA
could never row away from those
junks. They would overhaul me first,
and when they had done that the men
in the boat would cut me off. Then l
should drown in a moment from the
water rushing into the air pipe and
through the inlet valve into my breast
plate.
own that l hoped the boys would do
that very thing-my situation was so
horrible. And | actually welcomed
little dash of water that l got in my
face though my heart stopped beating
for an instant when l felt the water.
But it was only little which | shipped
through the outlet air valve.
When the pirates should have over
hauled me, they would go on after the
boat and the recovered treasure, the
taking up of which they must have
somehow got wind Of. though they
knew nothing of diving. I hoped from
my heart that the boys had already
thrown the gold verboard-though
what should happen after my air pipe
was cut was Of very little consequence
to me.
l came upon another full view of the
feet from the top of the wave. | could
see the pirates looking at ne as their
sailing craft steadily overhauled NE.
Their black eyes were almost bursting
from their sockets as they looked at
me. It occurred to me that they were
frightened at something.
| went under wave again, and the
whole scene was out of sight for two OF
three minutes
When | came to the surface again,
and saw the same thing-pale visaged
Cinnamon and the staring round eyes
painted on the bows of their vessels
bearing down on me--the truth flashed
upon me. The pirates had taken me
/ for the demon of the ocean, which they
are always fearing and fighting away,
with offerings and incantations, or
board their junks.
A man in a diving it-especially
fiat on his back in the water that way
was new sight to them. | had sim
ply frightened them out of their wits.
There was my great, glittering heat
Of red copper, three times lis large Al
the head of an ordinary man. In 1T
front was big staring eye OF plat
| cJoes Nth q Irirbt brass ring arOun(