sailed to the Alakranes Bank that lay about eighty miles off the
mainland. They arrived there on a Saturday night and soon found
anchorage. Sunday morning the sea was as smooth as a pond of quick-
silver. When they embarked in the yawl and commenced their search, the
Mexican sailor was confused owing to different conditions of the water.
When he been there last, a wild sea broke over the reefs. In the
afternoon they discovered a dark object below, which proved to be the
ill-fated brig. Her bottom was almost completely torn out by her
contact with the reef so that she sank instantly to the leeward. Through
the clear water they could distinctly see her two masts standing
while her shattered sails lay thick and tangled through the rigging.
Next morning the schooner was taken out and anchored close by and Paul
descended to the wreck. As he struck the bottom a few feet from her, he
found her heavily canted to star-board. He walked around taking care
that his hose pipe would not become entangled in the rigging and
clambered over her side. Two good sized sharks shot away from the
deck when they heard the hissing of the air escaping from his helmet. He
could see very clearly all around, owing to the direct rays of the
sun reflecting on the coral reef. On gaining the deck which lay at an
angle of about 35 degrees he discovered the iron pumps detached from
their place and pinning to the bulwark the body of a dead sailor, or
rather part of a body as his legs and stomach had been eaten away. This
sight rather unnerved Paul, but he worked his way aft to the cabin hatch
which he found securely fastened. A few blows with his pry forced
it open and descending the gangway he found himself in a cabin with four
state rooms on each side. The rooms on the tower side were rather dark
but he opened each door and carefully felt the bunks and bottoms for the
body he was in quest of. Finding nothing in the first four state-
rooms, he tried the upper ones. There was much more light in these as
the sun shone down through the green, clear, water and in through
the glass port holes. Everything buoyant in the staterooms had floated
up against the deck so that he had to haul and pull them down for
examination. The third door he reached he could not open. It was
fastened by a bolt on the inside, but with the aid of his pry he soon
shot it back. Then swinging the door impatiently toward him, the eddy
brought out