Under the Waves: Diving in Deep Waters Part 33

Rooney, who carried his shoulders, took occasion to say while on the way down:--

"David, boy, did ye find anny treasure?"

"No;--see'd nothin'."

"Ow, ow, worse luck!" sighed Rooney.

Maxwell was made comfortable with a gla.s.s of weak brandy and water-- hot--and his comrades returned on deck, where they found Edgar Berrington commencing to put on the diving-dress.

"Goin' down, sir?" inquired Joe.

"Yes. We have fortunately another air-tube, and I want to complete the work we have begun."

"Is there not a risk," whispered Aileen to her father, "that the same accident may happen again?"

"Ah, true," answered Mr Hazlit aloud; "the water appears to be very deep, Mr Berrington. Do you not think it probable that the air-tube may burst a second time?"

"I think not," replied Edgar, as he sat down to have his helmet affixed to the dress. "The best made articles are liable to possess flaws.

Even the most perfect railway-wheel, in which the cleverest engineer alive might fail to detect a fault, may conceal a dangerous flaw. There is no certainty in human affairs. All we can say is that, when we consider the thousands of divers who are daily employed all over the world, accidents of the kind you have just witnessed are not numerous.

If I were to refrain from going down because this accident has occurred, I might as well refrain evermore from entering a railway-carriage. We _must_ risk something sometimes in our progress through life, Mr Hazlit. It was intended that we should. Why were we gifted with the quality of courage if risk and danger were never to be encountered?"

The s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g on of the bull's-eye put a stop to further remark, and a few seconds later our hero went over the side, while Ram-stam, smiling benignant indifference as to the event which had so recently happened, steadily performed his duty.

As Mr Hazlit and Aileen watched the bubbles that rose in mult.i.tudes to the surface, the former repeated to himself, mentally, "Yes, we must risk something sometimes in our progress through life." He went on repeating this until at last he followed it up with the sudden reflection:--"Well, perhaps I _must_ risk my daughter's happiness in this youth's hands, even though he _is_ penniless. He seems an able fellow; will, doubtless, make his way anywhere. At all events it is quite evident that he will risk his life anywhere! Besides, now I think of it, he said something about lending me some hundred pounds or so.

Perhaps he is not absolutely penniless. It is quite certain that I am.

Curious sentiment that of his: `We must risk something sometimes.' Very curious, and quite new--at least exhibited to me in quite a new light."

While Mr Hazlit's mind ran on thus, and his eyes dreamily watched the bubbles on the surface of the sea, our hero was grubbing like a big-headed goblin among the wreckage at the bottom.

He moved about from place to place in that slow leaning fashion which the resistance of water renders unavoidable, but he found nothing whatever to repay him for his trouble. There were beams and twisted iron-work, and overturned guns, and a few bales, but nothing that bore the least resemblance to boxes or bags of money.

One or two large cases he discovered, and forced them open with the crowbar, which Maxwell had dropped when he was struck insensible, but they contained nothing worth the labour of having them hoisted up. At last he was about to leave, after a careful search of more than an hour, when he espied something shining in a corner of what had once been the pirate-chief's cabin. He took it up and found it to be a small box of unusual weight for its size. His sense of touch told him that it was ornamented with carving on its surface, but the light was not sufficient to enable him to see it distinctly. His heart beat hopefully, however, as he hastened as fast as the water would permit out of the cabin, and then, to his joy he found that it was Aileen Hazlit's jewel-box! How it came there he could not guess; but the reader partly knows the truth, and can easily imagine that when the pirate-chief sent his other valuables to the swift prow, as before mentioned, he kept this--the most precious of them all--close to his own person to the last, desiring, no doubt, to have it always under his own eye.

Not troubling himself much, however, with such speculations, Edgar returned to the cabin, placed the box where he found it, and spent full half-an-hour more in plying his crowbar in the hope of discovering more of the pirate's horde. While thus engaged he received two or three signals to "Come up" from Joe Baldwin, who held his life-line; but he signalled back "All right--let me alone," and went on with his work.

At last there came the signal "Come up!" given with such a peremptory tug that he was fain, though unwilling, to comply. Taking the box under his arm he began to ascend slowly. On gaining the surface he was made at once aware of the reason of the repeated signalling, for a sudden squall had burst upon the eastern sea, which by that time, although perfectly calm below, was tumbling about in waves so large that the gun-boat was tossing like a cork at her anchor, and it was found to be almost impossible to work the air-pump. In fact it was only by having two men stationed to keep Ram-stam on his legs that the thing could be done!

With some difficulty Edgar was got on board, and the order was immediately given to weigh anchor.

Expressing great surprise at the state of things he found above water, and regret that he had not sooner attended to orders, Edgar placed the box on the deck. Then he unrobed, and drawing on his trousers and a canvas jacket he issued from behind the funnel--which had been his robing-room--and went aft, where he found Aileen seated between her friend Miss Pritty and her father.

"Miss Hazlit," he said with a peculiar smile, "allow me to introduce you to an old friend."

He held up before her the carved steel box.

"My mother's jewel-case!" she exclaimed, with a look of intense surprise.

"My--my wife's jewels!" stammered Mr Hazlit, in equal surprise; "whereon earth--why--how--where--young man, did you find them?"

"I found them at the bottom of the sea," replied Edgar. "It is the second time, strange to say, that I have had the pleasure of fishing them up from that vast repository of riches where, I doubt not, many another jewel-case still lies, and will continue to lie, unclaimed for ever. Meanwhile, I count myself peculiarly fortunate in being the means of restoring _this_ case to its rightful owner."

So saying he placed it in the hands of Aileen.

The captain, who had watched the whole scene with quiet interest and a peculiar curl about his black moustache, as well as a twinkle in his sharp black eye, uttered a short laugh, thrust his hands into his pockets, and walked away to give the order that the steamer's head should be laid precisely "sou', sou'-west, and by south, half-south,"

with a slight--almost a shadowy--leaning in the direction of "southerly."

Note 1. We may as well state here that our information on this subject was obtained from Captain John Hewat, formerly in command of the steam gun-boat _Rainbow_,--belonging to Sir James Brooke, K.C.B., Rajah of Sarawak,--in which he had six years' experience of pirate-hunting in the eastern seas, and now captain of one of Donald Currie and Company's magnificent line of Cape steamers. Perhaps we ought to apologise for thus dragging the gallant captain into fiction, but we trust he will find that, in regard to his own particular doings, we have stuck pretty closely to fact.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS, ENDING WITH A "SCRIMMAGE" UNDER WATER.

We are back again in Hong-Kong--in the paG.o.da--with our old friends seated comfortably round their little table enjoying a good supper.

Pretty little Mrs Machowl has prepared it, and is now a.s.sisting at the partaking of it. Young Master Teddy Machowl is similarly engaged on his father's knee. The child has grown appallingly during its father's absence! Ram-stam and Chok-foo are in waiting--gazing at each other with the affection of Chinese lovers re-united.

"What a sight you are, Rooney!" said Mrs Machowl, pausing between bites to look at her husband.

"Sure it's the same may be said of yoursilf, cushla!" replied Rooney, stuffing his child's mouth with sweet potato.

"Yes, but it's what a _fright_ you are, I mane," said Mrs Machowl.

"An' it's what a purty cratur _you_ are that _I_ mane," replied Rooney, repeating the dose to Teddy, who regarded his father with looks of deep affection.

"Ah! Go 'long wid you. Sure it's your nose is spoilt entirely," said Mrs Machowl.

"An' it's your own that is swaiter than iver, which more than makes up the difference," retorted her lord.--"Howld it open as wide as ye can this time, Ted, me boy; there, that's your sort--but don't choke, ye spalpeen."

There seemed indeed some occasion for the latter admonition, for Teddy, unused to such vigorous treatment, was beginning to look purple in the face and apoplectic about the eyes. In short, there is every probability that an attack of croup, or something dreadful, would have ensued if the child's mother had not risen hastily and s.n.a.t.c.hed it away from the would-be infanticide.

"Now then, Ram-stam and Chok-foo," said Edgar Berrington, putting down his spoon, "clear away the rat's-tail soup, and bring on the roast puppy."

Grinning from ear to ear, and with almost closed eyes, the Chinese servitors obeyed.

While they cleared the table and laid the second course, the conversation became general. Previously it had been particular, referring chiefly to the soup and the free circulation of the salt.

"So, then," observed Joe Baldwin, leaning back in his chair, "we must make up our minds to be content with what we have got. Well, it an't so bad after all! Let me see. How much did you say the total is, Mister Eddy?"

"Close upon eight thousand five hundred pounds."

"A tidy little sum," observed Rooney, with an air of satisfaction.

"Eight thousand--eh?" repeated Joe; "hum, well, we'll cut off the five hundred for expenses and pa.s.sage home, and that leaves eight thousand clear, which, according to agreement, gives each of us two thousand pounds."

Maxwell, who still looked pale and thin from the effects of his late accident, nodded his head slowly, and growled, "Two thousand--jus' so."