"Four minutes and forty seconds," said Helen. "I kept track by my wrist watch. It was awful, Joe, to see the seconds ticking off. I could hardly do it—but—I did," she finished with a smile.
"Four minutes and forty seconds," murmured Joe. "Then I've beaten the world's record."
"Yes," said Helen.
"If it had only been in the circus tank," Joe went on. "It would have been a big advertisement for the show."
"I fancy you'll get advertisement enough out of it as it is," said Mr. Blair significantly, as he glanced at the enthusiastic crowd which the constables had hard work to prevent from overwhelming Joe, the diver and others on the wall of the reservoir. "And here come the newspaper men to have a talk with you. They've been here ever since word went out that the diver was held down there under the water."
But Dr. Wertz, who had been giving some medicine to the diver, now came over to Joe and insisted on examining him before he would allow the reporters to interview the boy fish.
"Oh, I'm all right," Joe said. "Thank you just the same. All I need is a little fresh air."
"But my dear young man, you were under water a long while—nearly five minutes. You may be injured."
"Oh, I guess not," Joe said. "I am used to it, you see," and he quickly explained.
"Ach! So? Yes!" exclaimed Dr. Wertz, who spoke at times with a pronounced German accent. "And have you felt no ill effects of the water pressure on your vocal chords or your ear drums?"