By now he was conscious of a faint glow of light in the subaqueous chamber more remote than the pencil rays of his own flash. This, he figured, was the light of Weddigen. A slight turn to the left and he stepped into the erstwhile domain of the Dominion's chief executive.
Through the blur of water a startling picture was unfolded before his eyes. Crouched over a square iron chest, playing the rays of his flashlight over an iron strong box, was the figure of a diver. The cover of the chest had been pried off. The diver was transferring the contents of the chest into a long narrow slit of a pocket that bulged from the side of his diving armor!
CHAPTER VI Jay Fights for His Life
"WEDDIGEN helping himself to the diamonds!"
Could it be possible that this fellow was a submarine pickpocket who was playing his own little game? Was he a pirate of the deep who pretended to be working for others and all the time seeking covertly to appropriate reclaimed treasure solely for himself? Certainly it appeared so to Jay Thacker as he stood watching the dramatic scene.
The diver determined to see it through without making the other acquainted with the fact that he was being watched. Very quickly Weddigen was working, seemingly on the theory that Jay might arrive on the scene any moment, and that he must lose no time.
Jay noted that Weddigen was slipping something like tiny pebbles into the tiny pocket of his diving suit, letting them in very slowly and patting them down to make sure the currents would not wash them out.
"Diamonds!" gasped Jay, remembering instantly that part of the treasure to be reclaimed from the Dominion was to be diamonds.