The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-05-10

"Why don't l keep tnohi
mn" he said. Because they're great
deal better the way they are. A SHINY
new helmet is one eternal nuisance
Won never get any peace till it's coated
over. When I'm wearing one
WAYS feel as If my head was SOFT Vi
trolling spoon; anyhow, most fsh re-
gard It that way. And | must say they
do certainly seem to be Trying 0neA
level best to be caught.
81 often think that with the ma
,oritv of seabeasts life must be one
long struggle between natural war;
ness and a more than natural curlos-
itv They've all been brought up TO
give a wide ofing to things they, don
understand; but it's bred In their
hone to want to see and keep up Win
everything that's new. And when It's
something that's got glitter or polish
to it. all that their parents ana guar
dams have taught them from the De-
ginning of time isn't going TO hoio
them back.
And no one has such opportunities
to find that out as the diver. AT hrst'
when you're being lowered, there's
nothing but a flicker of tails dlsap-
pearing in every direction; but after
q while, and very soon If you're wear
ing a new headpiece, you pegin U
make out big pairs OF google eyes
Istaring at you from the under-sea
twilight, and they gradually move IN
closer and closer. In few minutes
probably they'll be making little darts
at your fingers and swishing their tails
across your face.
"And yet in some cases they may
not be at all hesitating about introduc-
ing themselves. Down in the west
Indies there's a fish Of the forward
sort. That's The BOBBY. Did you ever
see a skate when a fishman's tied
cord around his neck, bent his silly
. face forward, and set him up on
table to keep things gay and humor-
GUS in the market? Well, a BOBBY
looks something like that
"But with all his amazing ugliness'
liz isn't the booby's looks so much as
his overwhelming suddenness that
makes him unpopular with deep
sea men. A diver goes down, and along
with the other fish the BOBBY hears
of Il. But is he shy and ttmid about
coming forward? The minute he hears
of a miraculous stranger In MS miost'
my. but he does more than want 10
knowr He's not even content 10
wait for the extrys,' as you might
say: he's got to rush straight down.
town to see the bulletinsl
"The first thing the unsuspecting
diver knows, he's hit plump In the
forward face-plate; and between his
being Jared like ship In bow-on
collision. and his being given the firm
belief that he's had a visit from the
very old grinning demon of the under
sea himself. he's ready to put foi
the surface like a stampeded derrick
hoist and do his recovering slow ano
. az leisure. He's lucky II the pooD9
hasn't tried the thickness OF both Ms
4 side-plates, too, before he's safe ovel
. the gunwale!
"There's another sea beast that ma
y his own peculiar curiosity, and that's
the giant squid; but there's nothing
so very humorous about their htti'
!. prying inquisitiveness. Once IN I'M
Mediterranean one gave me hall
!, bour which thought would leave M
] gray-headed. Just how near 1t was U
! being my last dive I'll never know.
. at happened in the end OF the sum
mer. when I'd been on that job nea
shanghai and L was coming home D.
way of Suez when / got a wire a
Port Said from headquarters direc'
ing me to take my gear and side
J. track myself direct to Palermo. Sicily
When l got there-and | didn't los
any imesmaking connections foun
that a badly moored liner had pfnche
7 a big lighter between herself and tn
y mole-the long stone wharf and breal
water the Palermese are SO proud OF
anu, smashing it abeam, had sent
= to the bottom. 1t was a governmer
= lighter, and it's cargo was an UNUSUAL
valuable one-would run $4,000 {
70 SEC. 900 in our money--and was to d
8 what | could toward hosting a goo
e fat salvage out OF it.
81 at was simple, easy work. Thei
. were two or three hundred medium
sized cases to derrick up, and for me
il wasn't much more than snap-to tt
= chain-hooks and give the word to ha
: away.
sTn fact, there was only one thin
which kept the job from being exact
the kind l like; j couldn't seem I
make good tenders of the Italian Sc
men they'd given me to work wit
They would pump steadily enoug
4 but had no head at all for signal tai
\ ing; and before long was practical
n regulating my air supply. and timiI
4 my descents for myself.
81 never got too little wind, al
3 when got too much simply open,
q a wristband and f1abbied out in !
n time Then, too, had a loaded {
Z BILE ladder dropped from the side
\ the mole to the deck of the light
h and climbed up and down that wi,
q out any useless telegraphing. Aft
B the first week told them not to both
n looking for any signals but those
4 let down and haul up the hoisti
II tackle.
For all the Italians were stug
4 about a diving hose and line,' tn
4 were mighty goou fellows; and in I
\ evenings, when they could get OF
had great times with them and th
friends. Queerly enough. too, m,
I Eof my fun was in going fishing for I
4 squid. They way of catching it v
y new idea TO me. They take 20-f,
- cane poles and fasten punches of st
geon hooks to the ends of them, /
; lot of very short lashes on very lc
y whip-stocks; and they manage to
RN 'Signor Pulpu'--as the polite Pal
ep- | meSe call the beaSt-tangled uD
a p them pretty badly.