"Off down to Barrport, Mr Pug?" said Rasp, as he stood in the outer office.

"Yes, instantly. Come, Oak.u.m," he said, to a rough-looking sailor, who stood hat in hand.

"Sharp's the word, Mr Pug," said Rasp; "but I say," he continued, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder, "that foreign chap, I don't like the looks o' he."

"I tell you what it is, sir," said the rough-looking sailor, as he walked by Dutch Pugh's side down to the station. "If I weer much along o' that Rasp, it would soon come to a row."

"Why, man?"

"'Cause he's such a overbearing sort of a chap. He's one of them kind as always thinks he's skipper, and every one else is afore the mast. If he'd come aboard the ship and hailed me, I should ha' ast him to sit down on the deck and handed him the bacco; but when I comes in he sits and stares at one orty like, and goes on taking his bacco, in a savage sorter way, up his nose, and never so much as says, 'Have a pinch, mate,' or the like."

"You don't know him, my man," said Dutch, quietly.

"And don't want to," growled the old sailor. "I should just like to have him aboard our vessel for a month. I'd show him how to count ten, I know."

"Well, there are more unlikely things," said Dutch. "Perhaps he may sail with you."

"What, are we going off, sir?" said the sailor, facing round.

"I don't know yet," said Dutch, "but it is possible."

"I'm glad on it," said the sailor, giving his canvas trousers a slap.

"I'm tired o' hanging about the coast as we do. All this diving work's very well, but I want to get out in the blue again."

"Tell me all about the upset over the work," said Dutch. "Is Tolly bad?"

"Not he, sir," chuckled the sailor. "I'd ha' cured him with a rope's-end in about two twos. Didn't want to go down, and when the skipper turned rusty, and said as how he must, his mates takes sides with him, and say as Mr Parkley wants to send 'em to their death, and then the real sore place comes out--they wants a rise in the pay.

'Well, then,' says the skipper, 'I'll send for Mr Parkley;' and then Tolly says in his bl.u.s.tering way, 'Ah,' he says, 'I ain't afraid to go down, and if I loses my life it's all the governor's fault.' So down he goes, and dreckly after he begins pulling his siggle rope, and they pulls him up, unscrews him, and lays him on the deck, and gives him cold grog."

"But was he senseless?"

"He wasn't so senseless that he couldn't lap the grog, sir, no end; and if he warn't playing at sham Abraham, my name ain't Sam Oak.u.m."

Barrport was soon reached, and, boarding a small lugger, Dutch and his companion were put aboard a handsomely-rigged schooner, lying about four miles along the coast, at anchor, by the two masts of a vessel seen above the water. And here it was evident that arrangements had been made for diving, for a ladder was lashed to the side of the vessel, evidently leading down to the deck of the sunken ship, while four men in diving suits lounged against the bulwarks, their round helmets, so greatly out of proportion to their heads, standing on a kind of rack, while the heavy leaden breast and back pieces they wore lay on the planks.

"Ah, Pugh," said a weather-beaten, middle-aged man, greeting Dutch as he reached the deck; "glad you've come. When I've a mutiny amongst my own men I know what to do; but with these fellows I'm about done, especially as they say the machinery is defective."

"Of course, Captain Studwick," said Dutch aloud, "men cannot be asked to risk their lives. Here, Tolly, what is it?"

The diver spoken to, a fat-faced, pig-eyed fellow, with an artful leer upon his countenance, sidled up.

"The pump don't work as it should, Mr Pugh," he said. "Near pretty nigh gone--warn't I, mates?"

The others nodded.

"Is the work below very hard?" said Dutch, quietly.

"Well, no, sir, I don't know as it's much harder nor usual; but the copper's heavy to move, and the way into the hold is littler nor usual; ain't it, mates?"

"Take off your suit," said Dutch, after glancing at the men at the air-pump, and seeing that they were those he could trust.

"It won't fit you, sir," said the man, surlily.

"I'm the best judge of that," said Dutch; "take it off instantly."

The man glanced at his companions, but seeing no help forthcoming from them, he began sulkily to take off the copper gorget and the india-rubber garments, with the heavy leaden-soled boots, which, with the help of the old sailor, Dutch slipped on with the ease of one accustomed to handle such articles; then fitting on the leaden weights-- the chest and back piece--he took up the helmet, saw that the tube from the back was properly adjusted and connected with the air-pump, which he examined, and then turned to Captain Studwick--

"You'll see that no one touches the tube, Mr Studwick," he said, in a low tone. "One of those fellows might feel disposed to tamper with it."

The captain nodded, and Dutch then lifted on the helmet, the rim of which fitted exactly to the gorget, had the screws tightened, and then, with the old sailor and the captain himself seeing that the tube and signalling cords were all right, the pump began to work, and Dutch walked heavily to the side, took hold of the rungs of the ladder, and began to descend.

In a few moments his head had disappeared, and his blurred figure could be made out going down into the darkness, while a constant stream of exhausted air which escaped from the helmet-valve kept rising in great bubbles. The pump clanked as its pistons worked up and down, and the sailors and divers--the former eagerly and the latter in a sulky fashion--approached the side and looked over.

Captain Studwick himself held the signal-line, and answered the calls made upon him for more or less air by communicating with the men at the pump; and so the minutes pa.s.sed, during which time, by the necessity for lengthening out the tube and cord, it was evident that Dutch was going over the submerged vessel in different directions. All had gone so well that the captain had relaxed somewhat in his watchfulness, when he was brought back to attention by a violent jerking of the cord.

"More air!" he shouted--"quick!" just as there was a yell, a scuffle, and the man Tolly struggled into the middle of the deck, wrestling hard with a black sailor, who backed away from him, and then, running forward like a ram, struck his adversary in the chest and sent him rolling over into the scuppers.

By this time the signalling had ceased, and Dutch was evidently moving about at his ease.

"What was that?" said Captain Studwick, sternly, as the man Tolly got up and made savagely at the black, but was restrained by the strong arm of the old sailor, Oak.u.m.

Tolly and the black both spoke excitedly together, and not a word was to be understood.

"Here you, Mr Tolly, what is it?" cried the captain. "Hold your tongue, 'Pollo."

"I bash him head, sah. I--"

"Hold your tongue, sir," said the captain. "What was it?"

"I happened to look round, sir, and found this stupid n.i.g.g.e.r standing on the tube, and when I dragged him off he struck me."

"Who you call n.i.g.g.e.r, you ugly, white, fat-head tief?" shouted the black, savagely. "I bash your ugly head."

"Silence!" cried the captain.

"It great big lie, sah," cried the black. "I turn roun' and see dat ugly tief set him hoof on de tub.u.m, and top all de wind out of Ma.s.s'

Dutch Pugh, and I scruff him."

"You infamous--"

"Silence!" roared the captain. "Stand back, both of you. Oak.u.m, see that no one goes near the tube. Haul in gently there; he's coming up."

This was the case, for in another minute the great round top of the helmet was seen to emerge from the water; its wearer mounted the side, and was soon relieved of his casque, displaying the flushed face of Dutch, who looked sharply round.

"Some one must have stepped on the tube," he said. "Who was it?"

"It lies between these two," said Captain Studwick, pointing to the pair of adversaries.

"It was the n.i.g.g.e.r, sir," said Tolly.