2IO A DESCENT INTO PERPETUAL NIGHT 



extended a broad border of rich, velvety, dark blue, and 

 abruptly outside of this came the black pit itself. At two 

 well-separated depths, I focused very carefully on the rain 

 of small creatures passing and repassing through the far- 

 thest extreme end of the light. In both cases the focus 

 was the same and I brought the glass to the surface with- 

 out changing it. On deck, walking back from the bow 

 until it was in perfect focus with the glass, I found that 

 the visible end of the beam of electric light was 45 feet 

 distant from the bathysphere window, five feet farther 

 than I had been estimating. 



The several nodes of high lights of which I have writ- 

 ten occur on every descent, but there is in addition a 

 compounding of sensations. At first we are quick to see 

 every light, facile in sending up notes, but when we have 

 used up most of our adjectives it is difficult to ring changes 

 on sparks, lights, and darkness. More and more complete 

 severance with the upper world follows, and a plunging 

 into new strangenesses, unpredictable sights continually 

 opening up, until our vocabularies are pauperized, and our 

 minds drugged. 



Over two hours had passed since we left the deck and 

 I knew that the nerves both of my staff and myself were 

 getting ragged with constant tenseness and strain. My eyes 

 were weary with the flashing of eternal lights, each of 

 which had to be watched so carefully, and my mind was 

 surfeited with visions of the continual succession of fish 

 and other organisms, and alternately encouraged and de- 



