That afternoon when he went down he saw many very strange fish, some bright orange and black with a white cross like a belt, others dark gray with yellow tails. [[55]]
Of course there is always a chance in these waters to see octopus, big sting rays or devil fish and sharks. So the cage with three heavy wire sides one can stand in, is pretty nice.
One day I went down. I was a little scared because the helmet weighs forty pounds or more and the stuffy feeling of having something over one’s head is unpleasant. I went over the stern of a rowboat in about fifteen feet of water near shore, and climbed down a heavy iron ladder, holding onto the rounds. There is a kind of roar from the air coming in, and a curious feeling against the ears, but otherwise it is grand fun to be down underneath the sea and see all the rocks and ledges and fish swimming past.
Your feet seem to float out around you and the distances under the water all look different. You think you can reach out and take hold of something, not believing it is far away.
It must be fun to go down often enough [[56]]to get used to the feeling and then walk all around on the bottom like the pearl divers do, or the men who go way down below to salvage wrecks.
[[57]]
THE SHIPWRECKED MAN
