132 TO DAVY JONES S LOCKER 



mits all wave-lengths of sunlight. The outside world I now 

 saw through it was, however, a solid, blue-black world, 

 one which seemed born of a single vibration — blue, blue, 

 forever and forever blue. 



Once, in a tropical jungle, I had a mighty tree felled. 

 Indians and convicts worked for many days before its 

 downfall was accomplished, and after the cloud of 

 branches, leaves, and dust had settled, a small, white moth 

 fluttered up from the very heart of the wreckage. As I 

 looked out of my window now I saw a tiny, semi-trans- 

 parent jellyfish throbbing slowly past. I had seen nu- 

 merous jellyfish during my descent and this one aroused 

 only a mental note that this particular species was found 

 at a greater depth than I expected. Barton's voice was 

 droning out something, and when it was repeated I found 

 that he had casually informed me that on every square 

 inch of glass on my window there was a pressure of 

 slightly more than six hundred and fifty pounds. The little 

 moth flying unharmed from the terrific tangle, and the 

 jellyfish drifting gently past seemed to have something 

 in common. After this I breathed rather more gently in 

 front of my window and wiped the glass with a softer 

 touch, having in mind the nine tons of pressure on its 

 outer surface ! 



However, it was not until I had ascended that the 

 further information was vouchsafed me that the pressure 

 of the water at our greatest depth, upon the bathysphere 

 from all directions, was more than six and a half million 



