Year: 1875

A correspondent who has interviewed
Captain Boyton sends a report of the
Captains statements to the Gentleman's
Magazine; Soon afterwards l worked
down into the Cult of Mexico. The
first coral / raised was at Catoche.
Knocking round about there, | heard the
loss of the schooner Foam. The first
mate and three men got saved, but the
captain. his daughter, and three men
got lost | slung round to see if she
could be raised. After we'd spent best
part of a week we sailed over her and
dropped anchor 1t was a lovely Sunday
morning when we struck her. She lay
in sixty feet OF water on bottom as
white as the moon. Looking down |
could see her leaning over on one side
upon the coral reef. When | got down
TO her saw she'd torn great gap in
the reef when she ran against it.


The mainmast was gone and hung by
the FORE | clambered up; | saw whole
shoals Of fish playing in and out of the
matches. First | went to look for the
bodies, for | never like to work while
there's any Of them about Finding the
70 castle empty, | went to the two little
state cabins. 1t was rather dark, and |
had to feel in the lower hunks. There
was nothing in the first, and in the other
the door was locked, priced it open
and shot back the lock with my adze.
It flew open, and out something fell
right against me. / felt at once it was
the woman's body. | was not exactly
frightened, but it shook me rather. |
slung it from me, and went out into the
light bit until | got hold of myself.
Then | turned back and brought her out


poor thing Shed been very pretty,
and as / carried her in my arms, with
her white face nesting against my
shoulder, she seemed as If she was only
sleeping. | made her fast to the line, as
carefully as | could, to send her up


and the fish played about her as If they
were sorry she was going, At last gave
the signal, and she went
slowly up, her hair floating
round her head like pillow OF
golden sea weed. That was the only
body / found there, and | managed after
to raise pretty considerably Of the
cargo. One of my expeditions was
among the silver banks of the Antilles
the loveliest place | ever saw, where the
white coral grows into curious tree-like
shapes. As stepped along the bottom
it seemed as il / was in a frosted forest


Here and there trailed long fronds Of
green and crimson sea weed. Silver.
bellied fish flashed about among the deep
brown and purple sea ferns, which rose
high as my head. Far as | could see all
round in the transparent water were diff
ferent colored leaves, and on the floor
piles of shells so bright in color that it
seemed as il / had stumbled on Q place
where they kept stock of broken rain
bows. / could not work for bit, and
had quarter determine to sit down
awhile and wait for mermaid. guess
if those sea girls live anywhere, they
select that spot After walking the in
side out Of half an hour, thought / had
better 90 to work and blast for treasure.
A little bit on from where sat were the
remains of treasure ship. 1t was a
Britisher, think, and corals had formed
all about her, or rather what was left OF
her, The coral on the bottom and round
her showed black spots. That meant a
deposit on either iron or silver. | made
fairly good hauls every time l went down
and sold one piece found to Barnum Of
. New York. After / left there | had a
curious adventure with shark. / was
down on a nasty rock bottom. A mar
never feels comfortable on them; he
cant tell what creature may be hiding
under the huge quarter deck sea leaves
which grow there. The first part of the
time was visited by a porcupine fish
which kept sticking its quills up anC
bobbing in front Of my helmet, Soor
after l saw big shadow fall across me
and looking up there was an inferna


shark playing about my tubing, i


makes you feel chilly in the back wher
they're about. He came down to mt
slick as l look up. made at him and
he sheered off For near an hour hi
worked at it, till l could stand it nj
longer. If you can keep your head leve
it's all right, and you're pretty safe i


they're not on you sharp. This ugly
brute was twenty feet long shoult
think for when l lay down all my lengtl
on The bottom he stretched considera
HE wav ahead of me, and | could SCI