I thought over the matter while Williams raved and rolled in his sweltering bunk, and the sun shone down upon that dead ocean full of crawling life and hidden treasure.
"Gimme the gloves and plenty of air," I finally said, after waiting three days, hoping that some of the wrecking crew would get their nerve back.
They all showed willingness to work if I went down, and I was soon incased in the suit of Williams.
If you think I was not nervous, you should have had an inside photo of my mind as I stood there upon the rounds of the ladder waiting for Rokeby to screw fast the front glass. I would have given it up but for the looks of the men. They seemed to gaze upon me with a sort of awe and amazement, but they made no comment whatever.
The kroo boys swung the pump handles with a will, and when I heard the hiss of the air I must say my heart gave two jumps and came near landing overboard—at least, it felt that way; but I would have died rather than let those men see that I was afraid. Such is the ego, the vanity of us all.
"Shall I screw her on, sir?"
The voice was Rokeby's, and it aroused me from the contemplation of the thing to do. I tried to look bored and annoyed.
"Yes, screw it down—mind the lines tenderly, and pull me right up if I give the signal," I said.
"Aye, aye, sir," he answered, and he screwed in the front glass.
The air whistled into the helmet back of my head, and the noise aroused me to a sense of the danger should it suddenly cease. I put one foot and then another upon the ladder rungs, and went down until I swung off.