Slowly the net ascended until it was out of sight and only the occasional blinking of the fish's light lit up the path he was taking to the outside world. Then even this died out.
"A good haul," said Amos Fearless, in the sign language. "Now for that ray of fire and our day's work will be done. And I will be glad of it."
"So will I be glad," answered Dave. "We'll want several days down here in order to get used to deep-sea work once more."
The diving bell was supplied with a second net—smaller and of a much tighter mesh, and this they now put out in the hope of catching one of the rays of fire.
Two were in the vicinity and eying the bell and those inside with much curiosity.
"Nasty, snaky-looking things," observed Dave, as he helped to bait the net. "And they look wicked, too."
"All of the deep-sea fish are wicked-looking," was the answer. "I never saw anything different."
They waited for fully ten minutes before one of the strange fishes came up to the net.
Then it darted inside and began biting at the bait.
"We've got him!" cried Dave, and began to pull on the string which shut the net up.