THE KINGDOM OF THE HELMET 6/ 



or disappointed, then there remains for him on earth only 

 a longer or shorter period of waiting for death; there can 

 be little worth while left in life for him. 



Ten years of diving on New York Zoological Society 

 expeditions have taught me all the primal necessities. The 

 only requirements are a bathing suit and a pair of rubber- 

 soled sneakers, a copper helmet with glass set in front, 

 an ordinary rubber hose, and a small hand pump. A fold- 

 ing metal ladder is excellent, but a rope is quite sufficient. 

 Down you go into two, four, six, eight fathoms, swallow- 

 ing as you descend to offset the increase of pressure. If 

 your ears pain severely a few feet below the surface, ascend 

 at once and go to the nearest aurist, for something is 

 wrong and should be attended to, whether you ever dive 

 again or not. 



Forty feet is a good limit to set, and indeed the most 

 brilliant and exciting forms of shore and reef life will be 

 found in shallower depths. There is no danger of falling. 

 If you stumble over the edge of a submerged cliff or lofty 

 terrace, you simply half drift, half float gently to the 

 bottom. But when you stand on the edge of a deep chasm, 

 and are already eight or ten fathoms down, don't let any 

 alluring shell or coral lure you much deeper. Ears cannot 

 withstand too great pressure. 



After you have made a dozen descents you will wish 

 to do something more than stand amazed, or vainly try 

 to catch the fish which swim close to the glass and look 

 in at you. 



