BAD NEWS
There was applause at Joe's rather fancy dive--a more elaborate
entering of the water than Benny had been in the habit of presenting.
But Joe could not hear the people clapping, for he was under water, and
all sound was lost to him. He could, however, see the motions of their
hands, and by the interested looks on their faces he judged that the
audience was pleased.
"Now if I don't get rattled when I do some of my tricks, I may be able
to pull off a good stunt in the tank," thought Joe. "Well, here goes
for it, anyhow."
All this while, of course, Joe was under water and could not breathe.
But he had first deflated and then inflated his lungs to their fullest
capacity, and he felt sure he could remain at least three minutes,
possibly longer, without coming to the surface.
The glass tank in which Joe was performing--Benny's tank, to be exact,
for the "human fish" owned it--was practically a big glass box. That
is, four sides of it were of glass, measuring eight feet each way, thus
giving Joe nearly eight feet of water into which to dive.
Not a very great depth for a high dive, but there are tricks of diving,
as all know, and dives from a pole sixty feet high into a tank not more
than four feet deep have been made. For this the instant the surface of
the water is struck the body must curve upward, also curving upward the
extended arms and hands. The result is a "shallow dive," and a shot to
the surface of the water almost as soon as it is entered. However, a
dive into shallow water is always a dangerous thing even for an expert
swimmer.
The glass tank was then of good size for the purpose for which it was
designed. The top was, of course, fully open, and the bottom was of
metal, covered with a layer of white sand. This not only made an
agreeable surface on which the performer could recline, but it
reflected the light, and made every action of the person under water
visible to the audience.
The glass, being on all four sides of the tank, of course gave a clear
view all around the big circus ring, and as the tank stood on a raised
platform the "human fish" act was one of the best-viewed acts in the
show. At each corner of the tank were heavy metal strips which held the
glass sides. The metal strips were bound with rubber to prevent
leakage.
As has been said, Joe deflated his lungs just before he took his dive.
He did this by standing in a drooping position, with his shoulders
sagging forward. He actually pressed from his lungs all the air
possible. This was to enable him to fill them again with a fresh
supply, rich in oxygen. For it is with the air he takes into his lungs
before he plunges into the water that a diver keeps himself alive.
Joe had watched Benny inflate his lungs, and Joe himself had a way of
his own of doing this, for he had often swum comparatively long
distances under water when a boy, and he had learned the necessity of
fully and properly filling his lungs with air.
"Well, it seems to be going all right so far," thought Joe as he found
that it was no harder to stay under water now than it was the time he
had practised before in the tank, with Helen timing him. "Now for a few
tricks."
It had been Benny's habit to swim about after entering the tank,
imitating a fish as nearly as possible. Perhaps it would be more
correct to say a seal; for a seal in the water more nearly resembles a
human being than does a fish, which has no need of breathing air into
the lungs, as a seal does. The gills of a fish are so constructed as to
extract the oxygen from water, serving the purpose the lungs do in the
air. Probably all know that a fish can "drown," if the functions of the
gills are interfered with.
"Now for some fancy swimming," thought Joe. He began whirling about in
the water, as he had seen Benny do, turning over and over in a graceful
fashion, just as a seal does. Joe really turned backward and forward
somersaults under water, but of course he did it more slowly than the
feats would be performed in the air. And in a sense it was easier, for
the water supported him all around.
For the present Joe was not trying for an endurance test, and when he
had shown three or four different styles of swimming--the old-fashioned
breast stroke, the Australian crawl, the overhand style, and so on--he
came up.
This was not done to get air, as he had not been under more than two
minutes, and he could stay much longer than that. But it was to make
the act last a little longer, and to give the ring-master a chance to
make a further announcement as to what was to take place.
Always, on a stage, in a theatre or in a circus, the effect of an act
is "heightened" as it is called, it is made more dramatic and the
public is more deeply impressed, if some one, even the performer,
states just what is going to be done, with, perhaps, a reference to the
danger or difficulty of it. In this case there was no particular
danger, as Joe could come up whenever he wanted to. But it is not easy
to stay under water for three minutes.
Joe shot up to the top of the water, and climbed, dripping wet, out on
to the rubber-covered platform. He nodded to Jim Tracy to let the
ring-master know he was now ready for the second part of the
performance.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" cried the circus man, "Mr. Strong will now show
you how long he can remain under water. He is going to attempt to stay
three minutes--possibly longer. Of course that is not the record, but
you are aware of the circumstances under which this act is being done
to-day. During his stay under water Mr. Strong will do some tricks to
amuse you. Ready!"
The band blared out as Joe bowed, and once more he made himself ready
for the under-water act. While Jim Tracy had been speaking Joe had
deflated his lungs, and now he took a full, long and deep breath. Then
in he plunged.
As soon as he was on the bottom of the tank, lying full length on the
bed of soft white sand, an attendant lowered to him a metal box
containing some of Joe's trick apparatus.
"If I have to do this tank act often I can get some water-proof
apparatus made," thought Joe. "But I guess Benny will be back on the
job in a few days. I might teach him how to do tricks."
Raising himself on his elbow, with his head resting on his hand in a
careless and comfortable attitude, as though lying under water without
breathing were the most natural thing in the world, Joe juggled with
three small iron balls, using only one hand. It was an easy enough
trick to do "on land" so to speak, but Joe found that the balls did not
move so freely in the water, and he had to make his motions slower.
However, the trick seemed to be appreciated, for he could see the
people applauding.
"If I only had some celluloid playing cards, I could do some tricks
with those under water," Joe reasoned, as he kept juggling the balls.
"Water won't hurt celluloid. I must have a pack made." Joe was an adept
at card tricks, and they would show off well under water, he thought.
In order that the audience on all sides of him might see, Joe now
turned slowly about under water, facing to the four sections of the
tank.
He was beginning to wonder how many minutes had now ticked off, but he
knew it could not be three yet, though he was beginning to feel the
strain. He had not had as much practice at holding his breath under
water as Benny Turton.
"It might be a good thing to have a clock just outside the tank where I
could look at it," thought Joe. "That's another point I'll suggest to
Benny when he gets back to work."
After his juggling act was over Joe did a few simple "disappearance"
tricks--that is he showed objects, such as cubes and balls, in his
hands and then, by a mere motion, he caused them to vanish. This he
accomplished by the familiar "palming" method. Also he concealed the
things in the false bottoms of two metal vases he was using under
water.
It was not a very finished performance, and Joe really had not had time
to work out as many details as he wished. But he was doing very well,
and the audience seemed pleased. At any rate a panic had been averted
and the circus crowd was not given a chance to find fault because
something down on the programme had not been given. The management had
kept faith with the public.
Joe's head was beginning to ache a little now, and his chest felt the
strain of holding his breath. But he was not going to come up yet.
Benny had done a trick of picking up in his mouth a number of metal
coins from the bottom of the tank. Joe wished he had practised that
trick, but he had not, and he knew it would be risky to attempt it.
However, he decided to try and see if he could open his mouth under
water.
It was not easy, but he did it. A little water got down his throat, but
he found that by pressing the back of his tongue up against his soft
palate he could close the opening to the throat and wind-pipe, and, at
the same time, open his mouth.
"If I keep on I'll be able to eat under water," thought Joe, "and
that's something Ben can't do--or, at least, hasn't done."
Then Joe bethought himself of a little finish to his tank act. He knew
he must bring it to a close soon now, for he was about at the limit of
his ability to hold his breath.
It might be said that the ability to hold one's breath differs greatly
in individuals. It follows that a person of large lung capacity is able
to fill himself with a greater amount of oxygen than a person whose
lungs are not well developed.
The world's record, it is said, is four minutes and thirty-seven
seconds, and is held by a man. A girl, about eighteen years old, has
remained under water doing various things, such as picking up objects
in her mouth, three and a half minutes. It can be seen that it is not
always a man or a boy who has the largest lung capacity. This girl was
not remarkable for size, being, in fact, rather frail. But she had
under-water endurance down to a science, and it is even said that her
last record was four minutes.
Sponge and pearl divers of tropical countries are credited with power
to remain under water for long periods--some claim five minutes--but
the records give about three minutes as the average, though it is
possible that some exceptional individual may equal five minutes. But
they have to work hard while under water, and, of course, divers go
deeper than the eight feet in Joe's tank.
Opening his mouth under water gave the young performer an idea.
He stretched out his arms in a tired and lazy manner, yawned with
wide-open mouth as though sleepy, and then, using the box his tricks
came in as a pillow, he stretched out on the sandy bottom of the tank,
and pretended to go to sleep.
And this, coming at the end of his little performance, and when he had
been under water nearly three minutes, made quite an impression on the
crowd. There was some laughter at Joe's comical antics, but there were
also murmurs of wonder at his endurance.
However, Joe was about at the end of this now. His head felt dizzy and
it seemed as if his lungs would burst through his chest, so great was
the confined pressure on them now.
Still he knew he must not hurry up, gasping for breath. Benny never did
that, but came out as though he could have stayed under all day if he
had cared to. It made a far neater finish to the act.
So Joe slowly opened his eyes, pretended to look at a watch as though
it were time to get up, and then he slowly floated to the top of the
water.
And oh! how good it did feel to get that breath of air. He wanted to
gulp in a whole lot of it at once, but he held himself in reserve, and
tried to breathe naturally. It was hard work, though.
"Three minutes and four seconds!" announced the ring-master, as he held
up his watch. "If I am wrong correct me, friends."
"Good work! Fine, Joe!" cried the ring-master. "You saved the day for
us. I put some one else on your trapeze for the time being. I thought
you wouldn't want to go on."
"No, hardly. Glad you did. Do you think it went all right?"
"It sure did!"
"Oh, Joe! I'm so glad--for you!" exclaimed Helen as the young performer
went down the steps to the ground.
"Look out! I'll get you all wet!" he warned her.
"I don't mind," she answered blushingly. "Oh, it was great!"
"I'll do better, next time," Joe said. "I wonder how Benny is? I think
I'll go to the hospital and find out as soon as I get into my regular
clothes."
"I'll go with you," offered Helen.
The two young people, their circus work over for the afternoon, were
soon on their way to the hospital. The doctor who had attended Benny in
the tent met them.
"Well, what's the news?" asked Joe.
"It's bad, I'm sorry to say," was the answer.
"Is--is Benny going to die?" asked Helen, clasping Joe's arm.
"No, he won't die, but it will be a long while before he can join the
circus again."