Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-21

-, she wandered in a dim.
III Maryland of jewclcd forests. fish as beau
iiiul as gaily colored birds. queer monster,
ana COLLINS. II a great h,mmcr.headod
Sharh sometimes noscd by. or a cuttlcfieh
I'ilc pTO"ilnS with its serpent like fen
'"cleS ana shlinicd off quickly into the dark
MSS S'c was not undUly frightened for She
hhc" "hai sort Of monsters she should
encounter ana had been told that not
once In million hines would one OF These
creatures venture TO attack n moying I'm.
man lgure in Il diving suit
FROM llihe 10 time she signallcd by
Jerking the life line, that all was we'll
ana finally decided it was about time To-
SIsnai To be hauled 10 the surface.
TO do this she turned to face tho di-ec
ton OF the barge, and in turning. her
foot caugh, in the crevicc of :. coral rock
WIN "A slight tug and jerk she sought
TO release hcrsclf-therc was n sLar,
twinGe OF pain, but the foot remained i'm
prsonod.
Beginning now to he frightened, she
kne!t as we'll she could on ono knee
and tried to discngagc herself with tho
aid OF her hands.
IL was no use. She was caught, Ike
an animal In a steel trap Her foot was
TANNED in the crcvice in such a way
that she couldn't get at the buckles OF
the heavy lcad-solcd boot
BESIDES, TO tear II off would have been
even as FAR down as the foot, would have
let IN the water and drowned her before
she could have been dragged to The sur
face.
She was trapped, fettered rs securely Az
II her ankle had been fastened with an
iron chain-forty feet beneath the ocean
The thought OF drowning filed her with
terror. But not with so great n terror
as The presence Of the sharks and writhinc
creatures, which seemed 10 sense her helm.
leSsness and to be coming closer Than
they had dared before.
An enormous cuttefish cmboldoned nv
her inimobility. approached and advanced
one OF its snakc-like tcntacles toward tho
terrified wonans neck When she threw
up her arms to defend herself, the mon.
stcr sluggishly moved away
No tortured movie heroine in n serial
thriller" ever went through so horrible an
ordeal in make-bclieve as Lady Mackenzie
endured in reality beneath the waves.
She had signalled trouble" on The life
rope, but she didn't dare to give the signal
to be hauled up, for fear the rope would
break or the diving suit be torn apart.
All she could do was continue signalling
that she was in distress, and wonder, with
trembling horror. what the end might be
Meanwhile, on the barge. the men were
moving with feverSh but efficient sDeed
Despite the fact that no signal to 'puIl
up" had been given, they tried tentatively
to draw her to the surface, and realized
at once that either she or the line had
become stuck.
AS quickly as the other suit could be
adjusted, a professional wrecking-crew
diver was in the water, cropping his way
along the life line to Lady NIackenZie's
side. II took him only an instant to real
ize her plght--but releasing her was not
SO quick matter.
After Juggling as much as he dared to
release her foot without risk Of tearing
the suit, while she watched with anguish
drawn face through the glass of her he'll
met, lie made signs for her to wait, and
had himself drawn TO the surface
In less than ten minutes-each one of
which seemed hours of agony to her-he
was at her side again with sort of
torniquet OF heavy rubber, which he fas.
tened and tied tight above her foot. Then,
with the aid of a knife, he ripped off
the heavy shoe and she was free.
She was haggard and half fainting when
tho huge helmet from her head, but she
were now more frightened than she-tbat
everything was all right.
And so it was. Except for tho nervous
shock, she was fully recovered within
twenty-four hours. and to-day her physI
clans assure her that she experienced No
permanent il-effccts whatever from bor
terrifying experience.
Lady Mackenzie may renew her tiger
and elephant hunts in the Indian Jungle
But her friends have her own word for II
that she Will never again go diving in the
deep blue sea.