But as the inspection progressed it became more and more certain that the metal case was not among the contents of the stomach.
Some foreign substances were found. A pewter cup, a knife worn dull, and what looked like a marling-spike, but so consumed that it could hardly be identified.
Certainly the metal case was not among the contents of the stomach. It looked as if the theory and the enterprise had signally failed.
The divers sat down for a moment to rest.
They were deeply disappointed.
Conversation was out of the question, for one could not make himself heard except when the helmets were placed close together.
But as they sat there the water current lifted a part of the lining of the whale’s stomach and deposited it across Stanhope’s knee.
He was about to brush it away when something caused him to halt. Instantly he lifted the shred of flesh and membrane and passed his hand over it.
There, grown into the lining, was an object a trifle larger than a man’s hand.
From outward appearance it looked like a tumor growth, but Stanhope’s fingers detected the hard substance underneath.