TO DAVY JONES S LOCKER II3 



piece of boiler-factory pounding the big door finally 

 swung off. I started to follow and suddenly realized how 

 the human body could be completely subordinated to the 

 mind. For a full hour I had sat in almost the same position 

 with no thought either of comfort or discomfort, and 

 now I had severally to untwist my feet and legs and bring 

 them to life. The sweater which was to have served as 

 cushion, I found reposing on one of the chemical racks, 

 while I had sat on the hard cold steel in a good-sized pud- 

 dle of greasy water. I also bore the distinct imprint of a 

 monkey wrench for several days. I followed Barton out 

 on deck into the glaring sunshine, whose yellowness can 

 never hereafter be as wonderful as blue can be. 



While still upside down, creeping painfully, sea-lion- 

 wise, over the protruding circle of bolts, I fancied that 

 I heard a strange, inexplicable ringing in my ears. When 

 I stood up, I found it was the screeching whistles on the 

 boilers and the deeper toned siren of the Gladisfen giving 

 us, all to ourselves, a little celebration in mid-ocean. The 

 wind was right and my staflF on Nonsuch ten miles away 

 saw the escaping steam through the telescope binoculars, 

 later heard the sound faintly, and knew that we had made 

 our dive and ascent in safety. 



Four days later we were able to put to sea again, and 

 sent the bathysphere down empty to 2000 feet. By the 

 judicious use of white lead we had effectively stopped the 

 leak in the door, and there was no tangle or twist of hose. 

 A tiny flaw which we had watched with suspicion on the 



