o the party over to Amsterdam, where they had been left in
the care of a thoroughly trustworthy diamond merchant, with instructions
that certain of the jewels were to be cut and set in the handsomest
possible manner, whilst the rest were to be disposed of as opportunity
might offer. The furs were also satisfactorily got rid of; some of them
having been sold, and the remainder (consisting of all the choicest
skins) placed in the hands of the furriers to be cured and taken care of
until their owners should return to claim them.

The luncheon was a very lively meal; the conversation naturally turning
to the last occasion upon which the travellers had met there; and upon
its conclusion the four friends chartered a couple of hansoms, which
conveyed them to Waterloo station in good time for the Portsmouth
express.

On their arrival at the Harbour station they found George and his French
friend, the cook (both of whom had been granted a week's leave),
dutifully awaiting them on the platform. The boats, under the care of
the man who had been placed in charge of them, were lying alongside the
adjacent slipway, in accordance with a telegraphed arrangement which had
preceded the travellers; and, entering these, the party at once
proceeded down the harbour, past Southsea and its castle, and out toward
Nettlestone Point. It was by this time quite dark, save for the light
of the young moon, which was already near her setting, and the boats
were consequently at once urged to their full speed in the direction
where the _Flying Fish_ had been left.

Having originally taken their cross bearings wholly from the shore
lights, the voyagers had now no difficulty whatever in placing the boats
in their proper position. Arrived on the spot, a sounding-line was
dropped over the side, and the first cast showed that they were floating
exactly over the submerged ship. The boats were therefore allowed to
drift with the tide until they were clear of the _Flying Fish_, when Sir
Reginald dropped his anchor and ladder, and the professor, who had
already routed out from the stern locker and donned his diving armour,
stepped over the side, adjusted his weights, and quietly disappeared
beneath the surface of the water. A lapse of perhaps a minute occurred,
when the ladder was found to be hanging limp and loose; a bright white
light flashed upward through the water for a moment, as a signal from
the professor that he had reached the bottom all right