Part 28 (1/2)

”h.e.l.lo!” exclaimed Joe, ”I wonder what happened then?”

”Come with me and we'll find out,” proposed the man. ”I can take you over to the gate house where the diver's helpers are at work. I'm a member of the town water committee,” he went on. ”You folks are with the circus, aren't you?”

”Yes,” Joe answered. ”But we won't have much of a crowd at the afternoon show if they all stay here at the reservoir to see the diver rescued.”

”That's right,” conceded Mr. Blair, as he said his name was. ”But we'll go and see what happened. I can take you in all right.”

They made their way through the crowd, which was thronged as near to the scene of the accident as the men and boys, women and girls, could get. Several constables stood on guard, but at a nod from Mr. Blair they let him pa.s.s, with Joe and Helen.

”Oh, Joe!” she murmured, as she held his arm. ”I'm so afraid something dreadful will happen.”

”Perhaps not,” he answered rea.s.suringly.

They found the men at the pump and the other helpers very much excited, and it was this excitement which had communicated itself to the crowd.

”What happened?” asked Mr. Blair. ”Are you getting him up?”

”I only wish we were,” wearily said a man who was at the signal line.

”We've not been able to move him an inch, and just now he signaled for more air. I'm afraid something has gone wrong down there--I mean something new. Maybe his suit is punctured and he's being drowned.”

”Oh, if we could only do something!” exclaimed Mr. Blair. He stood with Joe, just outside the gate house. On the broad top of the dam, a few feet above the surface of the water, the pumping apparatus was set up.

Near it were the tools used by the diver in the repair work.

Going down into the water was the air hose, through which oxygen was supplied. A few bubbles rising to the surface told that the hose was still connected with the diver's helmet. In addition to the hose a light but strong line led into the water. A man held this in his hand, and it was by a series of jerks on this that the diver below communicated with his helpers above. Then there was a heavy rope made fast to a ring in the wall. The other end was attached to the diver's belt.

And these three things--a rope, a line and a hose descending into the mysterious water--were the only links that connected the diver with life. That he was still alive was evident, for now and then there came a feeble pull on the life-line.

Two men had hold of the heavy rope, the end of which was in the diver's belt, and, from time to time, they pulled on it, hoping that the unfortunate man had been able to free himself, so he could be pulled up.

But the rope remained taut--it did not give. The diver was still caught in the outlet pipe--just how no one could say.

”Can't they drain the reservoir?” asked Joe. ”Surely, to save a life, the towns could do without water for a while.”

”Oh, we'd drain it in a minute if we could,” said Mr. Blair. ”But you see now we can't get the main outlet pipe open. It's in that one that the diver is stuck. Only a little water is now flowing through it. We have opened all the small outlets we can, but it will take three or four days to empty the reservoir through them.”

”Three or four days,” murmured Joe. ”And in the meanwhile----”

He did not care to finish the sentence.

Again came a quick signal on the life-line.

”He wants more air!” cried the man who interpreted the jerks. ”Give him more air, boys!”

The men at the wheel of the air pump worked it faster. Though why an increased pressure was wanted no one knew.

”Helen,” said Joe in a low voice, ”I'm going to try to save that man. I can't bear to stand here and think he may be slowly dying down there,”

and he pointed to the calm water, unruffled save by the few escaping bubbles of air.

”But how can you?” asked the girl. ”There isn't another diving suit to be had here, Joe, even if you were used to one.”