“Well, have your own way, lad, have your own way,” he told Oscar; “only if you do get into any trouble don’t try to shove the blame on to me.”
“Everything will work all right, Captain, I promise you that,” said the boy, who felt a thrill pass over him at the thought of being about to go down, just as these veteran divers had been doing, and prowling around there amidst that strange waving growth, where all sorts of queer creatures might have their abiding places.
And then there was the old hulk of the Spanish galleon, too, with all its romantic association; Oscar wondered whether he would run across any grisly reminder of the fact that human beings once walked that sloping deck, and that they had gone down centuries back with the ancient ship to an ocean grave.
The two divers had listened to all this talk with more or less interest. They knew that if the captain figured they should work throughout the night, taking turns, they would have all they could reasonably do; and if Oscar was able to “spell” them as he suggested doing it would be something gained. Besides this, they had come to take a great interest in the trio of venturesome chums, having, with considerable interest, heard them tell of their previous undertakings.
They commenced rigging the boy up in the suit worn by Hicks, the first man who had gone down. As they worked they told Oscar many things, both with regard to how he should manage the air pipe, and the life line. Besides this they explained to him as well as was possible, just how the wreck lay, and what he must do in order to keep from getting caught in the same.
Finnegan, a warm-hearted Irishman, also told the boy where he had discovered the three bars which came up by rope.
“Sure the trend all sames to be in thot direction, me bye,” he concluded, as he got ready to affix the headpiece that would complete Oscar’s diving armor. “Look beyant the place where I set three stones, wan on top av the rist. ’Twas mesilf meant to continue me labors in the same quarrter av I wint down agin.”
“I’ll remember that, Finnegan,” the boy told him thankfully.
Ballyhoo insisted on shaking hands with Oscar.
“Look here, don’t get the notion in your head,” the latter told him, laughingly, “that it’s good-bye this time for good. I expect to come up again in good shape. If you keep your head about you there’s little danger, Hicks says.”