It was a glorious morning. There had been no wind for nearly three
weeks beyond pleasant summer breezes, and the water was as clear as
crystal, which is not so very often the case on our shore.
My father had soon completed his preparations, there being a fine larch
in the woody part of the Gap; and this was soon felled, stripped, and
cleared of branch and bark. Bigley soon found a suitable rope and block
in his father's store, and a couple of boats were got ready, with a
suitable bag of rough canvas, in which several holes were cut out so as
to allow the water to pass readily through.
All this was got ready in a couple of hours, three pigs of lead were
placed in the boat, in case one would be lost, and with the foreman to
help, and a couple of men to pull, we set off from the beach with no
lookers-on, and in a short time we were fast to the line that marked the
spot where the boxes were supposed to lie.
Bigley gave vent to a sigh of satisfaction, for he had been in a
terrible fidget, telling me over and over again that he was sure the
boat-hook which served as a buoy had been washed away, and totally
forgetting that the cluster of rocks known as the Goat and Kids were so
familiar to the fishermen about that the spot could easily have been
found again.
However there we were. The line was hauled tightly in over the bows of
our boat, the pole thrust down straight to the bottom, but only to keep
rising up until one of the pigs of lead was lashed on to the thick end,
when it consented to stay. The block with its wheel had already been
secured in its place, and the rest of the gear being ready nothing
remained but to make the first descent, and for which Bigley was eager.
"I scarcely like to send you down, Bigley," said my father just at the
last. "I hardly feel justified in doing so."
"Why not, sir?" cried Bigley. "It's only like diving for fun."
"But if anything happened?"
"Why, nothing can happen, sir. It's as easy as can be."
"One moment," said my father; "let's see how the tackle works."
He gave the word, the men slackened the rope, and the bag with the pig
of lead in it went down with a splash and sank rapidly to the bottom,
where it was allowed to stay for a few minutes and then hauled up.
"There, sir, that goes right enough, only when it went down it would
have taken me with it, and when it came up it would have brought the
first chest of silver."
"If you have not been mistaken," said my father drily. "Well, sir, we
shall see," said Bigley colouring; and standing up in the boat he made a
spring and dived off, curving down and rising again like a seal before
swimming back to the side with a mastery over the water that I never
could approach, though there was a time when I could swim and dive
pretty well.
"Now, then," cried Bigley, taking hold of the bag without waiting for
farther orders, "let the rope run quite clear, and don't haul till I
come up and tell you."
"Do you feel sure that you can do it, my lad?" cried my father eagerly.
"Oh yes, sir!"
"Then, mind, if there is any difficulty you will give up at once."
"I will not do it, Captain Duncan, if I cannot," said Bigley laughing.
"Now, then, off!"
The bag, which with the lead inside had been resting on the gunwale, was
lowered into the water; Bigley seized it, and in an instant over he
turned to go down head-first, with the line running rapidly through the
block, and then all at once growing slack.
My father and the foreman held the end, but like the rest they leaned
over the side of the boat to watch the movements of the white figure
they could indistinctly see far below, for the water was of course
disturbed, and our movements in the boats kept up a series of ripples
which blurred the surface.
My heart beat fast, for Bigley seemed to be down a long time, though it
was only a few seconds before he rose rapidly to the surface and swam to
the boat.
"Well, my lad," cried my father excitedly, "there is nothing, then?"
"I couldn't manage it the first time," panted Bigley. "I got hold of a
box, but it was awkward work getting it into the bag. I could not hold
it and get the chest in too. Haul up, please."
"But are you sure you can do it?" said my father.
"I am certain, sir," replied Bigley; and the men began to haul up the
bag.
As Bigley was about to give the word to let go once more there came a
loud "Ahoy!" from the shore; and turning my head I saw that Bob Chowne
had come over and was asking to be fetched.
"It is impossible," said my father--"he must wait;" and I knew as well
as if I were listening to him that Bob was saying something about our
always having all the fun.
"Let go," cried Bigley; and away he went again, the weight drawing him
down so rapidly that I felt a little envious, and as if I should like to
make one of the trips.
He was up again more quickly this time.
"Haul up," he cried; "it's of no use. I can't get the box into the bag.
Here, I see!" he cried, "make fast that maund to the rope and put the
lead in there."
He pointed, as he held on by the boat's edge, to a fish-basket in the
stern of the boat; and as soon as the bag had been hauled aboard the
rope was set free and fastened, scale-fashion, to the basket.
Bigley's countenance brightened at this, and seizing it directly he gave
the word, declaring that he was all right; and away he went once more,
and came up again so quickly that we felt there was something wrong.
"What's the matter?" I cried.
"Haul up and see," was his reply; and as the men hauled, everyone held
his breath till the basket came up slowly and heavily to the surface.
"It's a box or a stone," I cried; and then I gave a shout, in which all
the men joined, for there was a square box in the basket and my father
lifted it out.
"He's right! He's right!" cried my father excitedly. "Bigley, my dear
lad, I could not believe that it was true!"
"Over with the basket, sir," cried Bigley; "quick!" and he went down
again and once more rose.
"All ready!" he cried; and so it was, for another box was hauled in--
another unmistakable case of our silver, for there were the marks upon
it; and my heart beat with pride and pleasure at our success.
"How do you feel?" cried my father. "Don't go down more than you can
bear."
"I feel like this, sir," cried Bigley seizing hold of the two handles of
the basket and going down once more, to come up again almost as quickly,
and another box was hauled up.
Just then there was a cheer from the shore, and on looking in that
direction there was the doctor now beside Bob Chowne, and they evidently
realised what was taking place, for both shouted and waved their hats.
They would have come off to us, but there was no boat to be had nearer
than Ripplemouth; so they watched us while Bigley went down again and
again till ten boxes had been recovered, when my father refused to let
him go down any more, in spite of his prayers and declarations that he
was all right and could go down as often as we liked.
My father was determined, though, and made him dress himself and help
row ashore with us so as to carry the chests up to the cottage; but as
soon as they were landed my father sent up to the mine and all the men
were fetched to bear the silver up, and it was placed in safety in the
restored cellar.
The spot had of course been left buoyed, and a couple of men were
awarded the task of watching the place till after dinner, when towards
four o'clock we all went down again, Bigley declaring himself ready to
dive.
By this time I had come to the conclusion that I was behaving in a very
cowardly way in letting him do all the work, and without saying a word I
determined to quietly undress ready, and take the next turn.
The doctor and Bob Chowne, who had said just what I anticipated, joined
us this time, while everyone occupied in the Gap came down to see the
astounding fact that the Frenchmen had not got the silver after all.
We rowed out and made fast as before, and Bigley went down; but instead
of paying any attention to his dive I let the others watch him, got
ready, and then, as a fresh box was recovered, I leaped overboard,
crying, "My turn now!" and swam to the basket.
"You, Sep?" said my father in a hesitating tone.
"Yes, father," I shouted. "Let go."
The men obeyed, and almost before I could realise it, I felt a snatch at
my arms, and was dragged rapidly down.
In spite of my preparation I was so surprised that I almost lost my
presence of mind; but, as luck had it, the basket settled down close to
a box, and somehow or another I got one hand under it and tilted it over
into the basket, to which I was holding on tightly the while.
Then in a blind confused way, with the water seeming to thunder in my
ears, I loosened my hold, and almost directly my head popped out into
the fresh air, and I swam to the boat amidst a furious burst of
cheering.
I felt quite ashamed, and hardly knew what was said to me, for the idea
was strong upon me that I had failed. But I had not, for the next
minute one of the little chests was hauled up and into the boat, my
father leaning over and patting my bare wet shoulder.
"Bravo, Sep!" he exclaimed; and those two words sent a glow through me,
cleared away the confusion, and made me think Bigley a long while down
when he took his turn, I was so impatient to begin again.
He was soon up, another hauled in, and this time I did not let the
weight drag at my shoulders, but plunged with it, went down, shuffled a
chest into the basket more easily, and came up.
Then Bigley obtained another, and suggested that the next dive should be
from the stern of the boat.
He was quite right, and in the course of about an hour we had gone on
turn for turn and obtained nineteen of the chests, so that there was
only one more to recover.
The doctor had twice over suggested that we had been too long in the
water, but everyone was in such a state of excitement, and there was so
much cheering as box after box of silver was recovered, that his advice
was unheeded, and in the midst of quite a burst of cheers I seized the
basket by the handles and took my fifth plunge into what seemed to be a
sea of glowing fire, so glorious was the sunshine as the sun sank lower
in the west.
I knew where the last one lay, just where it had been shot when the boat
overturned, and it was on its side in the midst of a number of blocks of
stone tangled with weed. The boat had been shifted a little, and I came
down right by it, turned it over and over into the basket; but as I did
so I slipped, and something dark came over me. My legs passed between a
couple of stones, and then as I tried to recover myself and rise the
darkness increased, a strange confusion came over me, and then all was
blank till I heard someone say:
"Yes; he'll do now."
My head was aching frightfully, and there was a strange confused
sensation in my head that puzzled me, and made me wonder why my feet
were so hot, and why my father was leaning over me holding my hand.
Then he appeared to sink down out of sight as a door was shut, and I
heard him muttering as I thought to himself, and he seemed to say
something about being better that everything should have been lost than
that have happened.
I couldn't make it out, only that he was in terrible trouble, and his
face looked haggard and thin as he rose up again and bent over me to
take me in his arms as he looked closely in my face.
Then, as he held me to his breast, I could feel that he was sobbing, and
I heard him say distinctly in a low reverent tone:
"Thank God--thank God!"