178 COLLECTOR'S KAMBLES 



perately on the rubber tubing : no response. I waited 

 a time, and then shook again. By this time, I was 

 pretty well frightened, thinking that if something on 

 which to get up was not sent down, I should soon 

 be drowned, as the leaking water was rapidly rising ; 

 but just at this moment, to my intense relief, I 

 felt myself pulled swiftly up through the water. 

 Several strong hands grasped me, and began taking 

 off the armor. As I lay perfectly still on the deck, 

 my mind at rest as regarded my safety, Charlie 

 thought me dead, and told the men I was gone up. 

 His words made me laugh, and when he took off the 

 helmet, instead of meeting a face ghastly in death, he 

 was greeted with a broad grin. He looked as badly 

 frightened as I had been. I told him it served him 

 right, for putting me in such a leaky suit. The line I 

 had been so frantically looking for was securely tied 

 about my waist, passing up over the shoulder. 



We did some shooting at Friday Island, finding sun- 

 birds, bee-birds, shrikes, cockatoos, pigeons of several 

 kinds, and goat-suckers. We also found several bats, 

 and saw native companions a large species of crane 

 and jabirus ; but never had a shot at these. Large 

 lizards abounded ; sometimes their eggs were seen in 

 the sand. Once, while" Shelley and I were crossing 

 in a small row-boat to Prince of Wales Island, we saw 

 a large crocodile in the shallow water. We started for 

 him, but he settled himself in the mud, and was soon 

 out of sight. 



