. Guide leaflet. the water from the starboard gang-way and I was standing on it submergedto my neck. Sweeting started one of thepumps going while Moxie carefully low-ered the helmet over my head. I thrustmy right arm through the loop of the air-hose. The steady clinkety-clank of the pump sounded close to my ear as I adjusted theweight of the helmet to my shoulders andstarted down the ladder. The edge ofthe water-surface appeared momentarilythrough the window of the helmet andvanished upward as I passed beneath the weight was lifted frommy shoulders and the helmet seemed aslight
. Guide leaflet. the water from the starboard gang-way and I was standing on it submergedto my neck. Sweeting started one of thepumps going while Moxie carefully low-ered the helmet over my head. I thrustmy right arm through the loop of the air-hose. The steady clinkety-clank of the pump sounded close to my ear as I adjusted theweight of the helmet to my shoulders andstarted down the ladder. The edge ofthe water-surface appeared momentarilythrough the window of the helmet andvanished upward as I passed beneath the weight was lifted frommy shoulders and the helmet seemed aslight as a feather. I counted the rungsof the ladder as I descended, marking thenumber of feet from the surface. Iswallowed once or twice to relieve theincreasing pressure on my ear-drums, andat the twenty-second rung stepped off theladder on to the white sand of the sea-bottom. A huge, black sting-ray rose fromalmost under my feet and swam slowlyoff with graceful undulations. I hadmissed him bv inches! NATURAL HISTORY. A SUBMARINE VISTA OX THE ANDROS REEFSunlit aisles of the sea forest floor with reef fishes swimming among the fronds of the tree- hke gorgonians Steadying myself by grasping a ladder-rung, I looked about me. A short distanceaway rose the coral reef, tier on tier, to thesurface. Clusters of mushroom-like coralgrowths capped with gray-green and pinkOrhicella formed the bulk of the and yellow sea-fans swayed backand forth with the motion of the water,while sea-bushes of soft and varied huerose from slender stocks, their wavingbranches, extending upward in widelyexpanding parallel ranks, starred withhosts of feathery polyps. Caverns andarches of eroded coral, fantastic in form,showed clearly through the unbelievablytransparent water or melted into thepearly blue liquid mist in the distance. I took a few steps forward leaningagainst the push of the current, andglanced up to see the keel and undersideof the launch bulking above my head withpropeller and rudder l
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnatural, bookyear1901
