ntirely to the occupations of alternately smoking, in a dreamy way, and
sleeping.

For three hours the divers wrought under great excitement, as well as
pressure, and then, feeling much exhausted, returned to the surface,
having sent up the contents of about twenty boxes and kegs of treasure.
Rooney and Maxwell then took their turn under water, and were equally
successful.

That night, being very calm and clear, they ran the boat into a
sheltered crevice among the cliffs, and slept on board of her. Next
morning at day-break they were again at work, but were not equally
fortunate, for although plenty of treasure was sent up, several
accidents occurred which were severe, though, happily, not fatal.

In the first place, Baldwin tore his left hand badly while attempting to
raise a heavy mass of ragged iron-plate that prevented his reaching some
loose coin lying under it. This, though painful, did not render him
altogether incapable of working. Then, while Edgar Berrington was
passing from one part of the wreck to another, threading his way
carefully, a mass of wire-ropes and other wreckage suddenly dropt from a
position where it had been balanced, and felled him to the deck with
such violence that for a few moments he was stunned. On recovering, he
found to his horror that he was pressed down by the mass, and had got
inextricably entangled with it. If his dress had been torn at that
time, or his helmet damaged, it is certain that his adventures would
have been finally cut short, and there can be no doubt that his
preservation was largely owing to the excellence of the material of
which his dress was made.

But how to escape from his wire-cage was a difficulty he could not
solve, for the lamp had been extinguished, and the entanglement of his
line and air-pipe rendered signalling impossible. He continued to
struggle helplessly, therefore, in total darkness. That the air-tube
continued all right, was evident from the fact that air came down to him
as before.

In this dilemma he remained for a short time, occasionally managing to
clear himself partially, and at other times becoming more and more
involved.

At last Rooney Machowl, who was attending to the lines above, bethought
him that he had not received any signals for some time or observed any
of those motions which usually indicate that a diver is busy below. He
therefore gave a pull to the lifeline. Of course no answer was
received.

"Hallo!" exclaimed