The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-05-10

age OF vision and sensation, as 4 drown
ing man does-all the nightmare i'm
aginings the captains black tales and
warnings had projected into my
dreams Of the night before seemed
about to be realized in double terror
then, in q flash, all mental distress
was blotted ont by overpowering
physical sensations, suffocating press
ure. to which Poe's inquisition chamber
were paradise.
II struggled spasmodically, be-
lieve shrie5ed. Then with a clash
the agony ceased, and my lead
weighted feet pressed the air within
my armor, and went bounding over
the sea bottom like an India rubber
tennis ball
I'm the midst of this exhilarating
squirt pulled up suddenly.
''As if it had instantly materialized
| from the sea water, was face to face
with gigantic shark. quickly re-
membered, however, that while naked
native divers are occasionally devoured
by these demons of the deep, they
never attack the armored diver.
Indeed! fancy now that the shark
was quite as startled as the diver, for
| after a second he wheeled and glided
| off to one side.
"As ! started on once more I was
stopped a second time, not by an OBJ
stacle before, but by sharp pull on
the air pipe behind my helmet, which
jerked me over sprawling on my back.
my first thought was that the shark
had attacked me in the rear, but on
scrambling to my feet and facing about
/ saw that the air-pipe, which, in my
first sudden stop, had probably slack
ened till it lay ON the bottom, was APP
parently caught against some protrud-
ing object.
II fastened back to release it, when,
to my surprise, found it held fast be-
tween the shells Of giant clam.
II gave the stout wire-lined tubing
twitch. then strong pull, bracing my
feet against the great bivalve. Then
I clutched the rims of the shell and
strove to separate them.
But the vise-like jaws were relent-
less. As easily might have rended
granite ledge at some seam in it's
center.
"Then turned to the lifeline to sig |
nal the tender in the boat. AS did SO
saw that it. too, had become slack,
and was tangled in branching coral
l dashed forward to disengage it, but
before Preached it / was again twitched
backward by the air-pipe.
Then, for the first time, realized
the full significance of the situation.
My air supply was stopped, communi-
cation with the upper world cut off,
and l, Jack Ballantine, in all the vigor
of young manhood, chained to my
death at the bottom of Torres strait.
And now sudden sense of suffoca-
ton warned me that my struggle was
limited to seconds.
I'm flash of memory recalled the
tale of one like disaster, where the
diver cut his air-tube with dash freed
mis- lifeline, and was drawn up half
lead. But had no knife; in that sud-
len backward fall had lost hold of it.
''Then, as lifted my eyes in last
lespairing search for succor, beheld,
resting in the branching coral before
to this day l marvel at the
miracle of tan iron bar, pointed at
,ne end-a veritable crowbar.
In an instant was prying at tie
laws OF the giant clam, with the lever
lge of the bar and the strength of des-
,eration. For suffocating moment
he struggle was unavailing, then one
i'm split away and the pipe was free.
Il turned toward the lifeline, stag
,ered and fell across it, insensible!
II suppose the weight Of my falling
'ody gave the line the one jerk which
vas the signal to the tender to pull
Ip.' Anyway. the tender got the sig
lal, and the next knew l was lying
IN the deck of the lugger, the old Nan
ucketer on his knees at my side, and
IL the scared crew standing about"
"Truly most extraordinary tale, as
veil as a terrible experience" / ex- s
laimed, as Ballantine ended his story, q
md the waiter brought on the dessert.
That crowbar, for instance, is strain
IN an everyday businessman's creduli-
"" and looked past my friends face
Inc pronZe lace u rrdnhlln across
he street. 4,
"And yet it is only another instance
f truth stranger than fiction" assert
d Ballantine. "Why, the first time
he old Nantucleter have mentioned
rent down, on recovering from the
axe of sudden descent, he saw in a
rotch of the coral before him bottle
f pale ale, and if beer, why not a
Globe.