The Mena star., 1899-06-22

natter, just ahead. Flfty-four miles; hauled in my log line and screw, lest they should catch on the rocks and be lost. Two minutes more; 1 lowered away the sail until there was just enough pulling 10 give the proa a gen tle beadway. Over went the lead: my heart was in my mouth as l watched the line disa ppear. At 12 feet the two leather strips went under. then the three strips; then there was jerk, a series of gentle taps as the lead dragged along the rock, and l knew that at last had found the Santa Rosa shoal. was absolutely alone upon the broad expanse of ocean not even a gull in sight. There was noth- ing to indicate that the ocean bottom was any nearer to me than the three mile depth over which had just sailed. and could have tossed pebble into that from where l sat. Yet had actually found and under the impene- trabe mask of these long, glassy waves was touching, through the lead line, a mystery of the sea which for nearly a century and a half had baf- fled all investiga The fact seemed so wonderful that for some time 1 sat there letting it soak in where my mind could grasp it.
 According 10 Halstead's figures. my
 my position was then about twelve thirty three. porth by one-forty-four, twenty-two. east. The figures in Fray ignacio's document had been 12 de- yrees 30 minutes 30 seconds north by IA degrees 23 minutes no seconds east. So the approximate position of the wreck was one mile farther east, and two and half miles to the s'uth ard. from where was. From the drag of my lead on bottom. calculated the headway 10 be about six miles an hour. and steered due south for twenty minutes: then l headed east until it seemed as though the 'proa had gone an even mile. and was just about to st ow away he sail. when the lead-line flashed over the side like lightning. as if shark were making off with it. But upon grasping the coil found only the natural resistance of it's own weight. and knew must have reached the weather side of the ledge. paid out the whole thirty fathoms, but the pull was as strong as ever. Then. talk ing the linen line from the chest, 1 bent it on to the other and kept paying out for several minutes; but no bottom. Being afraid to lose it, began hauling in, measuring on the gunwale as did so, and found that it had gone down over nine hundred feet. Well, when a man is alone in mid-ocean, on nothing but few sticks, and finds himself over an unfathotnable abyss, the sensation is something like that of worms crawl ing around in his gizzard-a sort of ticklish feeling through his insides.
 Heading out to the west ard, I crept slowly back over my course, leaving the lead fathoms under water. In three minutes it struck bottom and dragged. Then l lowered away the lump of coquina which served as an anchor-leaving fifty feet of slack line, which l secured to the mast with run hing loops-after which I ate m orange. took few swallows of wine. and fished out the diving-suit.
 l remember once. when a boy of IS, being invited to a very swell ball at which 1 expected to meet a girl who had produced a strong impression upon me, and spending in consequence, nearly two hours over my toilet before was satisfied with it. But that wasn't a circumstance to the care with which got into tha1 diving suit, though the time consumed was ap- preciably less. The recollection of my sensations when first trying it on gave me feeling of apprehensiveness which 1t was impossible to shake off. pumped air into the knapsack until 1t wouldn't stand another inch. eX- amined every rivet and clamp, every seam and strengthening hoop. before putting it on. But at last I was com pletely bottled up, with the sole ex- ception of the lens in front of my face. This l left open to get another bite of orange and at least half the bottle of wine, realizing that no matter how much l might want either, under wa ter, they would be simply out of the question.
 Then l screwed on the lens. opened the valve from the knapsaek. and start ed to step over the gunsale; but my feet seemed giued fast; had for gotten that the leaden soles of my shoes weighed 10 pounds each. and that There were weights attached to my ehonf1n..- .-...7 1..4. - ...lg rf.t.ssr