very large fellow, with a dark surly countenance--not
exactly bad in expression, but rather ill-tempered-looking. His
diving-dress being necessarily very wide and baggy, made him seem larger
than he really was--indeed, quite gigantic. The dress was made of very
thick india-rubber cloth, and all--feet, legs, body, and arms--was of
one piece, so perfectly secured at the seams as to be thoroughly
impervious to air or water. To get into it was a matter of some
difficulty, the entrance being effected at the neck. When this neck is
properly attached to the helmet, the diver is thoroughly cut off from
the external world, except through the air-tube communicating with his
helmet and the pump afore mentioned.

"Have ye got the hole finished, Maxwell?" said Baldwin, turning to the
surly diver.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

"Well, then, go down and fix the charge. Here it is," said Baldwin,
taking from a wooden case an object about eighteen inches long, which
resembled a large office-ruler that had been coated thickly with pitch.
It was an elongated shell filled to the muzzle with gunpowder. To one
end of it was fastened the end of a coil of wire which was also coated
with some protecting substance.

As Baldwin spoke Maxwell slowly puffed the last "draw" from his lips and
knocked the ashes out of his pipe on the plank, on which he still
remained seated while the two supernumeraries busied themselves in
completing his toilet for him; one screwing on his helmet, which
appeared ridiculously large, the other loading his breast and back with
two heavy leaden weights. When fully equipped, the diver carried on his
person a weight fully equal to that of his own bulky person.

"Now look here, Mister Edgar, an' pay partikler attention, Rooney
Machowl. This here toobe, made of indyrubber, d'ee see? (`Yis, sur,'
from Rooney) I fix on, as you perceive, to the back of Maxwell's helmet.
It communicates with that there pump, and when these two men work the
pump, air will be forced into the helmet and into the dress down to his
very toes. We could bu'st him, if we were so disposed, if it wasn't for
an escape-valve, here close beside the air-toobe, at the back of the
helmet, which keeps lettin' off the surplus air. Moreover, there is
another valve, here in front of the breast-plate, which is under the
control of the diver, so that he can let air escape by givin' it a
half-turn when the men at the pumps are givin' him too much, or he