to remain many hours away from the air-pipes of the enclosed sea without inconvenience."
After this explanation, my Instructor proposed that I should accompany him on a short excursion below the water, in order that I might learn practically something of the mode of life and qualify myself for citizenship in this singular community.
So having taken off my clothes, I donned the costume which is de rigueur in the water, namely a pair of spectacles, bathing-drawers and weight-belt.
This last piece of dress is worn for the purpose of counteracting that tendency to rise to the surface of the water which the smaller specific gravity of our bodies produces. It is a broad belt with pieces of lead or other heavy metal let into it. In order to provide me with a weight-belt precisely adapted to my requirements, my Instructor first ascertained my specific gravity by means of a simple apparatus, he then calculated the cubic contents of my body, and finally referred to a printed table to determine the weight of the belt I would require. Having found this, he took from the cupboard, where a number of these belts were kept, one of the precise weight required by me with which I at once girded myself.
I should add that these belts are provided with india-rubber cells which can be inflated at pleasure by the wearer so as to counteract the weight of the pieces of lead, and so restore the buoyancy of the body. This inflation is resorted to when the wearer wishes to bring his head above the surface of the water.
We sallied forth from the coral grotto and walked down the sloping beach of snow-white sand which the fierce rays of the sun had made uncomfortably warm for the naked feet.
The clear blue water felt deliciously cool, coming out of the sultry air, though I was told that its temperature was not much below eighty degrees.
Diving down into the pellucid depths, I marvelled at the extreme beauty of the scene. Corals of the most exquisite shape and colour, branching out into every variety of fantastic and elegant form; here, like the branches of trees as we see them in winter silvered over with hoar-frost; there, in great fan-shaped masses, white, red, purple and violet, large round madrepores, sponges of all shapes and sizes, and beautiful seaweeds of the brightest hues and most exquisite foliage, Shoals of brilliantly coloured fishes, bright scarlet, blue and orange, or party-coloured with alternate black and yellow or black and scarlet bands, darted hither and thither among the corals and sea-weeds, or hung motionless in the water above and around us.
I had hardly time to observe all this when I felt the need of air. My conductor placed a pipe to my lips and signed to me to breathe. My first attempt was not very successful, and I felt as if I must go to the surface. But my companion, seeing my embarrassment, produced a small spring clamp which he fastened on my nostrils so as effectually to stop them. I was then able to take a full inspiration, which at once restored me to my self-possession; and after two or three attempts, I found I could use the apparatus with tolerable facility.
I noticed that my Instructor possessed the power of keeping his nostrils tightly closed by their own muscular action; and he told me that all his countrymen had the same power. Indeed, it was absolutely necessary to close the nostrils under water, not only for the purpose of using the breathing tubes, but also to prevent the water penetrating into and filling up the cavity of the nose. I had to use the nose-clamp for some time but I ultimately, by repeated exercise, acquired the power of closing my nostrils voluntarily. But this is a digression.
I found that my weight-belt completely counteracted the tendency of my body to ascend to the surface, and so true was the equilibrium established between my body and the water, that I could assume any position, rise, descend or remain stationary in the water, without any conscious effort; there was, in fact, no resistance to be overcome, buoyancy as well as gravitation was completely annihilated. I had, in fact, no weight relative to the medium in which I was. The sensation was at once new and delightful. It reminded me of the feeling of flying I had sometimes experienced in dreams, when I had felt as if skimming over the earth without touching it.
Looking upwards, I was struck with the curious appearance of the outside world seen from the depths of the water. The sky and some elevated objects on land, such as trees and mountain tops, were seen framed in a large circular opening, sharply defined and surrounded by a thin ring of prismatic colours. Objects near the horizon appeared high up, but dwarfed and flattened laterally; and the sun itself, when not right overhead, was of an oval shape, the long diameter being horizontal. The remainder of the space visible was occupied by a vivid reflection of the bottom of the sea, the corals, sponges and sea-weed being reproduced with great distinctness. The deeper the water the smaller the circumference of the circular space through which sky and external objects were seen.
The water being perfectly clear, I could see to a considerable distance, and all objects floating in the water were distinctly seen and of their natural shape.
I was struck by the exquisite whiteness of the skin both of my own body and that of my companion, owing to the blue tinge in the water.
On this first occasion I could not remain long below the surface, owing to the painful sensation caused in my eyes by the contact with the sea-water. This smarting sensation was speedily removed by an eye-wash my Instructor gave me, and gradually diminished as I grew used to the immersion; so that after a week's practice I no longer felt any inconvenience from it, and could remain as long under water as I chose without the slightest discomfort in the eyes.
Until I got thoroughly habituated to the new element, I used to pass most of my time in the grotto of my Instructor prosecuting the studies necessary in order to make me fit for mingling with the community among whom I was to pass my time and whose manners and customs I was to adopt.
My progress towards this end gave great satisfaction to my Instructor, who assured me that others had much greater difficulty in becoming accustomed to this new life than I had displayed. This I could very well understand, for I know many persons at home to whom immersion, even for a short time, is attended by very disagreeable effects.
I asked my teacher if it was not the case that some could never become used to the aquatic habits of his countrymen: to which he replied:—
"It is certainly the case that a good many of those who are thrown upon these islands can never adapt their habits to ours, in fact are unable to exist with any degree of comfort in the water. These are, therefore, constrained to remain on the land, and there are many houses and residences on shore where these unfortunate people dwell. The discomforts of a land residence are, however, so great that most of them pine away and die, and of those who are able to stand out against the deleterious influences of the climate, most are employed in some of the manufactures, which must always be conducted on the land. They have adopted sundry contrivances for warding off the extreme heat and the attacks of the insects, and so manage to live in tolerable comfort. But they are looked down upon by us, and cannot help feeling themselves to be an inferior kind of beings to us who are endowed by nature with the necessary faculties for a subaqueous life. It is possible that in earlier times, when the land was actually inhabited and that pretty thickly by the race who have left monuments of their art and industry on the land, the climate of this region was very different from what it is now. When the climate gradually changed and aquatic habits became indispensable there can be no doubt that natural selection caused the gradual extinction of those who were unfit for subaqueous life."
"I see," I rejoined, "this is only another instance to be added to the many known examples of the 'survival of the fittest.'"
"Exactly so," he replied, "but as the choice lay between living in water or dying on land, the love of life acted as a very powerful stimulus for promoting the acquirement of aquatic habits.
"Possibly," he continued, "many might become seasoned or acclimatized to the dreadful heat and even to the noxious insects; but there
