The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-05-13
By Beatrice Crimshaw|


scene was so wonderfully beautifu
that I almost forgot the grim srrans
that had brought me down into tn,
midst Of IL. ...
Coral beds. when you see them from
the surface on a calm day. are liks
a garden OF flowers below the water
Seen from beneath the ocean itself
they take on the huer Of actuAl
Jewels: the huge fans and mush.
rooms and ferns Of the reef glow with
lights OF emerald. sapphire and anne
thyst: tho sun that falls through the
water makes magical fires Of gold
and green. Fish come gently pas,
tho windows Of your helmet. hurryins
not at all. and look In with thsar
cold eyes as they 20 by: their bodies
shine with all the colors Of . paiatsd
butterfly. and they make broken little
rainbows In the water a. they move.
You are walking on the coral: II
crumbles away like over. baked bis
cults under your boots and keeps you
slipping and stagssrins. and you
must keep e. sharp lookout over those
ugly indigo. colored CULTS that open In
It's surface fIere and thers. for coral
reefs shelter many . dangerous guest.
All this ! saw. treading with the
long. soft pace Of tho diver at tho
bottom OF tho sea, breathing short
with the weight OF the seventy feet
above me. and trying not to think
about the Invisible nails that kept
boring Into my ears. I had taken my
bearings whom I dropped down from
the lugger. and I could sec her now
far above me. like q shadowy whale
basking on tho surface. A good way
ahead ! could dirniy discern another
OF Gertrude. So Tar.
not a sign OF her divers.
i trod on. balancing with my hands
like an acrobat rs I passed the edges
OF deep crovasses In the coral, and
Watching carefully for the scrrated
double edge that marks the presence
OK the formidable Tridacna gigas-
the huge shell that most people have
seen In museums. from three TO six
or seven feet long. and a. heavy a.
tho great stone basin OF fountain In
q park. Small ones I saw every
where: bigger ones. a foot or two In
length. now and then. but mono Of
the giants was to be seen.
niiiaf hauo haau a..... s..n..
minutes and was beginning to feel
tho effects o: my submersion, In 4
certain Rlddlnsss Of the head and
numbness Of tho limbs. when I aw
somethinS a good way In front Of me
that was not rock. nor coraI, nor Ash.
What II was could not tell, for It
WAS In rapid motion and aEitated tho
water 50 much that one could only
sec something waving ana bending
about. took a good grip Of my axe
and went on faster. BE Il what IL
might. l had got to have u look n. Il.
The water seemed to clear US {
drew nearer. and then | began to run
As ono runs ut the bottom Of the
sea- sprawling and waving ana half
winning. working arms and legs
together. For now I saw. There were
Two divers n little way ahead, at
lached spiderwise to their ship by
ong threads Of lifeline and air.tube,
ma they were fighting. l foundered
~ close to them and they never saw
ne; hear me they could not. for ys
we're all Isolated In our metal sbe1s
me from the other.
IL was awful to see them struggling
Ind Keeling and gripping at each
at the bottom Of tho
Yea. where a tangled lifeline or Q
Tipped air-tube meant certain death.
The silence-the mufrled. stined si.
ence OF tho deep-made tho horror
more horrible yet. II was like q
truggls Of lost souls among the
hades.
! made my way Al close as ! dared,
ieepins my lifeline and air tube well
uf OF the way. and snatched at the
'rm OF the nearest diver. But In the
Unfamiliar medium OF tho water I
missed. and the tight went on, tho
wo dark monsters with their round
assai heads and hideou huge glass
yes lodging. slipping. striking. I
aw now with a thrill Of horror that
9th were using their knives. or try
az to.
They had an immense advantage
yer me In being accustomed to the
'ater; they moved easily where I
ould hardly stir for fear OF losing
~ balance. Something. however.
ad to be done. I hung myself for
ard anyhow and made another
match at the reelinE fSnrss. Crunch
'ent the coral under my feet and
'ent down right into the blsck Gre
asss.
! caught my signal line and hauled
fell. They were doing their duty
pom the Dawn; my tender answered
18th sturdy haul that sent me
toward the surface again.
siGnslied Lower" and they lot me
'wn. But the sWing had carried me
little way from the scene of the
sht.
with horrible fear humping at
v heart ! tapped and stumbled for
a rl throuuh tho "a a vo rl,,,. ...aa. .