Dutch the Diver: or, A Man's Mistake

“My dear Pugh,” exclaimed Mr Parkley, “don’t talk in that cynical way. Of course, a man can only die once; but do you think I want to go to the end of my days feeling that I had murdered you by my neglect. My dear boy, I would not exchange your life for twenty sunken ship-loads of treasure.”

“Thank you, Parkley,” said Dutch, taking and wringing his hand, “I believe you.”

“Then, come, you will have the rope attached?”

“No, no, it will only be in the way.”

“My dear fellow, it will not. It is not as if you were going down the hold of a ship. All is clear; there is not even a rock in your way, only a few upright ribs that you can easily avoid.”

“But it is such a childlike preparation,” said Dutch, petulantly. “Here, give me the helmet, Rasp.”

“Yah, you allus was as obstinate as a mule, Mr Pug,” said the old fellow, handing the great casque with its barred visor. “If you don’t have the rope, I won’t give you a good supply of wind – there!”

“I’m not afraid of that, Rasp,” said Dutch, laughing; and then, as he stood with the helmet on his arm, he turned cold and stern again, for he saw Hester approach, and as she did so the others involuntarily drew away.

“What is it?” he said, coldly.

“Dutch,” she whispered, as she laid her hands upon his shoulders, “your true, faithful wife, who has never wronged you in thought or deed, implores you to take the precaution they ask.”

“Pish!” he exclaimed, contemptuously.

“You do not believe me, dear,” she continued, with the tears streaming down her cheeks; “but God is my judge that I speak the truth. Oh, Dutch, Dutch!” she continued, as she saw his face begin to work, “some day you will know all, and your heart will bleed for the agony you have caused me.”

“Hester,” he said, in the same low tone, “I’d give twenty years of my life to have back the same old trust in you, but it is gone, gone for ever.”

“No,” she replied, with a bright look beaming in her face, “it is not: the truth is coming – coming soon, and when it does, Dutch, you will come back to my heart with the knowledge that your little wife has forgiven you your injustice from the first, that she loves you more dearly than ever.”

“You forgive me?” he said bitterly.

“Yes, the wrong you have done me, Dutch. You have nothing to forgive me but for keeping my secret for your sake.”

There was such an air of candour and truth in her countenance that had they been alone he would have clutched her to his breast, but he knew that they were watched by many eyes, and restraining himself he said quietly:

“It is enough now. Tell me this – will you – when I return – ”

“You’re a-going to have on that rope, ain’t you, Mr Dutch?” said Rasp, interrupting them.

“Yes. You can get it ready,” replied Dutch.

“God bless you for that,” whispered Hester earnestly.

“Now, go back,” he said quietly; “there must be no scene here. You need not be afraid for me; I shall incur no risks now, in the hope that, as you say, you can make all clear between us. You will explain all – everything to me when I come up.”

With a wild look of delight she was about to say yes, when she quailed and shrank away, for at a little distance behind Dutch she saw Lauré apparently busy arranging the rope there around the deck, but evidently hearing all that was said.

“You promise?” said Dutch sternly.

“Spare me, oh, my darling,” she moaned. “I dare not – oh I dare not speak.”

“What,” he whispered, “is this your truth?”

“It is for your sake,” she moaned, “for your sake,” and with drooping head she crept away.

“Come, come, little woman,” said Mr Parkley, taking her hand; “be firm, be firm; he shall not come to harm.”

“Not he, mum, while old Tom Rasp is alive to help,” growled the old fellow.

“Perhaps you’d better go below, my dear,” said Mr Parkley.

“No,” said Hester firmly, and drawing herself up; “I shall stay.”

“Then you shall, my dear; but,” he added, with a smile, “woman for ever! You’ve won the day: he’s going to have the life-rope.”

The old doubts, which had been growing fainter and which would, no doubt, have been entirely swept away by an explanation, came back more strongly again at Hester’s refusal, and with a feeling of rage and bitterness Dutch raised the helmet, placed it upon his head, and signed to old Rasp to come and screw it on.

This the old fellow did after securing the extra life-line to his belt, but not before Dutch had had a few words with Mr Parkley as to the management of the dynamite and wires.

The men on the look-out could see no sharks, all being apparently quite clear, and at last, when with hatchet and knife in his belt, and the wheel of the air-pump beginning to clank, Dutch moved towards the gangway, trailing after him the long india-rubber tube, there was a loud cheer, and everyone leaned forward in eager excitement.

“Now to solve the problem, Studwick,” said Mr Parkley, who was evidently excited, and who dabbed his face to get rid of the dripping perspiration. “Is it to be luck or ill-luck?”

“That I’ll tell you by-and-by,” said the captain, smiling; and like Mr Wilson and the doctor, he stood up on the bulwarks to help to keep a good lookout for sharks.

“Now look here, Mr Parkley,” said Rasp, who had assumed the management, and dictated as if everything belonged to him, “just you place Mr Jones the mate, here with three men to let that there life-line run softly through their hands when it’s pulled, and to heave in the slack when it isn’t; but when I give the word they’re to run it in with all their might – take hold of it, you know, and run along the deck.”

Hester Pugh’s breath caught, as now, with dilating eyes, she watched her husband, who, as calmly as possible, stepped on to the ladder, and began to descend step by step, till his shoulders were immersed, when he paused for a moment to alter the way in which the tube hung from his helmet; then Rasp, passing it through his hands, and giving a word or two of advice to the men at the pump, the helmet disappeared beneath the surface, and in place of the hissing noise heard as the air escaped from the valve, there came foaming up a continuous stream of bubbles through the limpid water.

The men gave another cheer, and the Cuban, who had crept round close to Hester, looked down over the bulwark, full of curiosity to see what would follow.

Down, down, down went Dutch, armed with a small sharp shovel, made in the shape of the ordinary spade of a pack of cards, and so bright was the water that his every motion was perfectly plain to those on deck, as he stepped from the ladder to the bed of the old vessel, and, after taking care that the tube should be clear of the ladder, walked slowly between the black ribs of the old galleon towards what had evidently been the stern.

Story 1-Chapter XXII.

A Submarine Excursion

To those on deck the sight was curious in the extreme, for, foreshortened by the clear medium through which they gazed, the diver seemed like some hideous water-goblin, with an enormous head, creeping about on the yellow sand.

But interesting as it was to those on deck, it was perhaps more so to Dutch, who, as soon as he had assumed his helmet and began to descend, threw off all thought of his domestic troubles by a strong effort of his will, and, feeling that the success or ill-success of the expedition depended upon him, he set to work eagerly to solve the question of the treasure. He had been down too many times to feel nervous, but, all the same, an unwonted tremor, which he ascribed to disease, oppressed him as he slowly went down from round to round; but as he reached the bottom this also passed off, and finding that he was well supplied with air, and that all worked well, he began to consider how he should act. This confidence arose in a great measure from the knowledge that both Mr Parkley and old Rasp were watching over his safety, and feeling that his knife could be easily drawn from his belt, he began to look about him.

All was beautifully clear; and though the motion of his heavy boots stirred up the sand, it sank down again directly without thickening the water. A few yards away was the ladder, and above it, with the air-tube and two ropes plainly seen running up, was the schooner, casting a dark shadow on to the bottom. Even his own shadow was cast behind him, and it seemed as if he were only walking in a medium of thickened air. He could even make out the faces of those gazing over the side, but in a blurred, distorted way, for the bright bubbles of air that ran up in a stream made the water seem heavy overhead, though all around it was clearness itself.

His first thoughts were naturally of the sharks, but he could see nothing to fear, though he had made up his mind if one should attack him to take advantage of its sluggish action, and, instead of trying to escape, thrust boldly at the monster with his knife.

As he was looking about there was a flash of many colours through the water, and then it seemed as if the gold and silver ingots he had come in search of had become animated, for a shoal of fish, whose scales were burnished metal in appearance, suddenly darted about him, coming close up to his helmet as he remained stationary, as if in wonder at his appearance; but on his raising his arm there was a rush, the water quivered for a moment, and, like streaks of the rich metals he sought, they disappeared.

So beautiful was the scene around him – the soft sunshine, the delicious tint of the water, and the long vistas in the distance of wondrous sea growths, which ran up six, twelve, and fourteen feet towards the surface, all aglow with the most lovely tints – that the desire was strong upon him to walk on beyond the portion of the bottom that had been swept by the dynamite, and gaze upon the various natural objects around. But he had sterner work on hand, and set himself to investigate the appearance of the old hull, in whose interior he was.

For he found now that what had seemed short stumps of blackened wood were some of them six or eight feet high; and that while the upper portions were encrusted with grey shelly matter, the lower were of an intense black, and these had evidently been forcibly denuded by the sweeping away of the sand.