ty hogsheads, and had expected to carry them back full of
West Indian rum, which was a mighty profitable article of commerce in
those days. But she had fallen into temptation, and had gone to the
bottom; and here were her hogsheads just as tight and just as empty as
on the day she set sail from England.

"As I stood looking at the great wall of empty hogsheads in front of me,
wondering if it would not be better to give up searching any more on
this vessel, which evidently had not been laden with anything valuable,
and go again on board the Spanish ship and make some sort of a plan for
fastening lines to those treasure-boxes so that they might be hauled up
on board the brig, I began to feel a sort of trouble with my breath, as
if I might suffocate if I did not get out soon. I knew, of course, that
something was the matter with my air-supply, and I signalled for them to
pump lively. But it was of no use; my supply of fresh air seemed to be
cut off. I began to gasp. I was terribly frightened, you may be sure;
for, with air gone and no answer to my signals, I must perish. I jerked
savagely at my signal-cord to let them know that I wanted to be pulled
up,--it was possible that I might reach the surface before being
suffocated,--but the cord offered no resistance; I pulled it toward me
as I jerked. It had been cut or broken.

"Then I took hold of my air-tube and pulled it. It, too, was unattached
at the other end; it had no connection with the air-pump.

"Breathing with great difficulty, and with my legs trembling under me, a
thought flashed through my mind. As rapidly as possible I drew in the
india-rubber air-tube. Presently I had the loose end of it in my hand.
Then I caught hold of the bung of the hogshead which I had opened and
which was just in front of me, and the instant I pulled it out I thrust
in the end of the air-tube. To my great delight, it fitted tightly in
the bung-hole. And now in an instant I felt as if I was sitting upon the
pinnacles of Paradise. Air, fresh air, came to me through the tube! Not
in abundance, not freely, for there was some water in the tube and there
was a good deal of gurgling. But it was air, fresh air; and every time
an exhaled breath escaped through the valve in my helmet, a little air
from the hogshead came in to take its place.

"I stood for a while, weak with happiness. I did not know what had
happened; I did not care. I could breathe; that was everything in the
world to me.

"B