thractonwee tress pjuavmum fe- j 1 1 1 ill tilt i qjifp sfrrr jjrpbo 6lnrt fttnry dynamite diplomacy john soott douglas p14w44ww44 4y7 u to met morton draff i 1 nodded hli targe head oonftd- ently at the mlddleaim lum berman andhli ffoldenh aired daughter an exponilye mill twitched morton full line and hit black yw lighted when im through blmtlng the bottom any of the boater on puget bound can enter shallow bay mr laramie i dale mcdonald frowned ai he lifted tne hea ouppct bre mor ton broad ihouldem mr lammiea rugged fare wa stony with dliapprovnl and even elia laramie had ceased mll- lng would morton ever reallw that the world wu not his oyster dales blue eyes swept yver the diving tug with its gasoline pump for supplying u its recompression tank and its winches past tha tugboat that towed it to the big lumber mul which was the reason for the town of shallow bay back of the mill with its ringing saws logloaded flat cars and endless chains of moving logs lay the town invisible except for a few straggling bouses which clung to the treestudded slope whloli had so far eacapwthe teeth of tbe saws there in shallow bay dale had at tended nigh school there he had met morton and there the rivalry between himself and afbrton for kisas friendship had begun a rivalry which had contlnu- ed through college to the present moment youve seen dale diving bin mor ton said now youll see a real divert dale winced morton graff had him at a disadvantage- a year dales senior morton was employer and dale em ployee luck had favored morton in heiitlng some money he had invested it in a complete diving rig his little firm had prospered dales ability ms a diver being no small factor in that prosper ity strange what had attracted elsa to morton how different they were i watching her now unobserved dale marvelled afresh at hex fragility beside the stocky figure of her lumberman father iqsas nose was straight and small her chin firm pointed and deter mined only the vivacious tinkle of her blue eyes and the dimples in her cheeks relieved her face of severity beside the girl morton seemed gross heavy phleg matic old dad branshaw the lean- redfac ed skipper of the barge and nils lar son the man of -all- work llfwd the cop per helmet onto mortons head and help ed him onto the landing stage the winch creaked and rumbled as stage and uver vanished beneath the green foam the lumberman broke a long silence what makes oraff think he can set a hundred charges simultaneously dale shifted hts roughhewn body and ran his long fingers thoughtfully through his unruly mop of red hair i dont like trying u when times so important mr laramie you tntun youve no proof it will work not under water dale admitted mr laramie grunted and if tt docs not work ive lost valuable timet hang it man i cant afford to experiment i i want to grt deccnuaiard boats into sal low bay to get out my lumber i cant afford doublehandling by my old slow methods lumber prices what they are elsa- jumped as something thuded against the barges flat bottom well i never is that a tlsh or agala that scraping bumping sound on thr bottom of the barge dale sprang to the of une and pulled rope rippled freely through the water dad bran- ahawa wrinkled face grew apprehensive dale marts upside down he leaned over u examine the bedrock lost his balance and the first thing he knew he was coming up fret nrst air muatvi risen to the lower part of his suit oak seised the phones from the old man mart say get me out of tnut im stand ing on the bottom of the barge and cant right myself bloods gone to my head lmt worry t aftswrrrd dale trrsely tu d something i he irird the linr again he look up all the slock and then found the line caught somewhere not an inch more would it give ml have u go down dad lines snagged dunning hli t ami dal climbed onto the landing stagr and the groaning winch lowered htm a silver sheet of water ckwed over his head and he could cllmpse a jungle of swaying seaweed fcelp and dark green vegetation on the floor of the bay shifting his position on the landing stage he saw norton be low the dark bulk of the barge he ap peared incongruously enough to be atandingon us bottom then he slipped out or view climbing off on the bottom it was aeveral moments before dale could ac custom himself to the twilight world in which in found himself presently he could distinguish dimly- mortons life line it posted under the intersection of the crossed anchor chains of the tug and the barge i unwittingly dale had nttamnttd to raise hnth annhnrsl good shoes fc to uno and old oarrartly rk- a d rachun atton it was but a moments worlt to break the grip of the line at the intersection point pulling downward on mortons lire line he drew the other diver toward him head first he punned his young employer through the small triangle formed by the chains against the sea floor mortons face was beet red strain ed and working dale directed tho dazed diver to the landing stage he ordered tclls lanson to raise the stage waiting for his owr turn dale re flected on the near- accident the mis hap was inexcusable no experienced diver should have done what morton had losing his balance was a hovtoev trick and they had dived at increasing depths for years did you say something nils lar sons voice percolated through the roar of air entering his helmet mill me up said dale dispiritedly when nils lifted off his helmet dale smiled at elsa and her father morton however his large swarty face suffused with color glared at him my getting tangled up was all your fault he said hptly you didnt take in my slack you didnt tell me to take in your slack t tell you you should have known any dumbbell dales voice wss sharp 1 beg your pardon t anger was alien to dales nature morton however saw a warning flash in the eyes of the redheaded diver which caused him to backwater thanks for bringing me up he said curtly turning his bock dale had to change his wet clothing then there being a leak in his diving suit when he emerged in dry clothing elsa and mr laramie were gone no matter he could call on elsa that evening after work his employer however had different plans as morton arose from the dinner table he aid carelessly to dale oh by the way nils and dad ore going whore tonight cant leave all the expensive gear unguarded on the barge youd better stay aboard and keep your eye on it dale nodded although his heart sank youre going ashore too yes ill give elsa your regards thanks said dale heavily the next day began the arduous work of drilling holes for the dynamite which was u blast away the bedrock or shal low bay one hundred charges were to be set in a series connected by electrical wiring pale had never set more than five charges in a series previously and he was dubious of the results dale was below water many hours each day nightfall found him ready to crawl into his bunk he did probably twothirds of the diving and morton the other third morton had sufficient energy letl by evening to make a nightly i call on the laramlea i dales only chance to sec eiau was at church on sundays and morton al- ways invented some excuse to keep dale on duty sunday afternoons he found i dud branshaw looking a little tlngd or he fell that some of the men on th tug looked homesick dale protested agaiiu this underhanded manrmr of keeping him from seeing elsti but morton would glibly asure him that the present ov- slon was an emergency dales sense of responsibility was too great to walk away lruvlng the expensive gear un- guarded al last the hundred holes had been bored in the bedrock and dynamlu- charges placed in those holes the barge and tug were moved out of shallow bay and the aeries of wires connected to a battery box on the little dock morton gran hud called the laromles to watch his triumph now shoot it morton directed dale elsa dimpled i wonder if i dale smiled oo ahead she stepped up to the box and pushed down the plunger tor a moment noth- ing happened then a mushroom explo- slon brokr the surface a second a third sounded until seven eruptions had fol- lowed one another in swift succession rock ceased breaking the surfaoa the wi quieted morton looked downcasti thats funny he muttered mlghtyi said mr laramie dryly i figure that only ninetythree charges i lolled to go off do you realise this delay is costing me money oraff leave it to met said morton confid ently tu flndtouc what went wrong with- those ninetythree youll do nothing of the sort set them in charge df five you know that wal work i cant waste more time in unproved experiments t the tug towed the diving barge in again dale went down to find their wires a tangled mess he had to step carefully because of the dancer of his castiron shoes causing enough friction against the wires to explode one of the remaining charges while he was below they took turns divine atarunf at the charges closest to shore and wiring them up in terles of five each aeries being connected with a single line run ning to tbe dock oradually they work ed into the deeper water neafuie en trance of um bay dale came up from a dive one morn ing to report that but five more dyna mite charges were to bo- connected and they would be ready to blast morton sent word to mr laramie then he went down to set up the last series mr laramie and e3a arrived and still morton did not send up word that he was ready tb ascend dale took the ear phonos from dad branshaw and listen ed he could hear only mbrton jftbor- ed breathing and the hissing of air en tering mortons helmet suddenly the others voice atrangtty altered came through the ear phones there there is an octopus coming out of a crovioe in the rocks ahead of me i an electric shiver or apprehension raced down dales spine can we pull you up nol do you want to blow me to atoms there arc wires on throe sides of me i can only go ahead and the octopus is there dales face drained of its color the young man knew from ills last dive that wires circled morton except for a pin nacle of rock toward tho deepwater side he had intended to walk along the bottom toward deep water so that ho could be pulled up without danger of his castiron shoes striking any of the many wires dale explained tersely to elsa her blue cyoe widened with horror dale i isnt there something that can be done cant you move tho barge out into deeper water and pull him toward it risky i said dale grimly you have to use diplomacy with dynamite if we pulled him from one side to v tarry him over the octopus hed have a fair chance in rising of striking the wires leading almost up to the pinnacle of rock then what can you do dale i remove the octopus i elsa gasped mr laramie stared at oale through narrowed lids how do you propose to remove the octopus dole shrugged helplessly i didnt say i could i said that was the only thing which could be done safely safely snorted mr laramie if you call battling an octopus safe what will you use a crowbar sir hasnt araft a crowbar yea but i imntftno hes nfrald to uce it for fear of striking n wire and blowing himself to pieces dad and nils helped dale into his damp diving suit before the helmet had been slipped on elsa raised a work ing face to dales please dale be careful t for mortons sake she shook her golden head for your own i never knew anything quite a courageous as your going down her voice ended in a little nervous cough which concealed a sob the tug had pulled the barge into deeper water while dale had been don ning his suit the winch squealed and rattled as it lowered the landingstage beside him dad gave the helmet oner quarter of a turn to fasten it and dale stepped onto the stage in a moment he green surf closed over his head he moved clumsily on the landing stage try ing to accustom himself to the dim light so that he could gauge his chances myriad wires cut the water between himself and shore but lie waa safely out side their radius not wishing to be bothered with the landing stage he stepped off to be im pended by his lire line an ley shiver raced down his aplne as he wondered whether or not the barge had moved out far enough if it had not he might land squarely on top or the octopus 1 he gripped his crowbar a little more tightly his lips moving with a silent prayer suddenly dale felt the hair rise on the back of his neck directly before his eyes magnified tb horrible propor tions by his vision plate waa a shape less grayish mass the octopus 1 it raised ltneir on its eight snaky arms walling watching it thou passed from sight like a night mare upon awakening but his knees would scarcely support- dala when liis heavy who stviiefc ttn htt tiinhnrj tlack ho was able to look upward slight ly now tho eightarmed cuttlefish was sprawled over the pinnacle above him measuring some twelve feet from tip to tip dale considered his chances that octopus had to be removed if morton was to reach the surface safely why was it not mortons business however to take the risk ho was as well armed as dale was dale pushed thli thought out of his mind as cowardly the bedrock dropped off in a ledge on the deepwater side of the pinnacle first he must gain this ledge i shut ting of his exhaust valve dale permit ted his suit to inflate he then jump ed the twenty feet to the ledge water buoyancy making this possible the change in pressure however made his tardruma ring dale took a long breath of highly- compressed air and moved cautiously toward the octopus it reared up on its toimces and seemed to settle back then two long arms shot out beyond reach dales heart nevertheless constricted crowbar poised he moved forward an arm lashed at him dale struck with the bar before the sucking vacuum dips could reach his suit the crowbar im paled the tentacle dale could feel the weapon twisting out of his hands as the cuttlefish spewed an inky fluid which turned tho water dark somehow he clung to the bar and oacaped the lashing tentacles he could feel the bar mov ing toward him and realized that the octopus approached his heart pinched with fear dale lb tipped back just as more inky fluid blackened the water currents eddied and swirled about him as the octopus thrashed frenxlcdly his crowbar came free dimly he could see again murtbn stood in the centre of a maze of wires apparently frozen with terror when the water cleared the octopus had retreated part way into the crevice and one half- severed tentacle was twisted at a queer angle heartened slightly dale moved forward cautiously keeping the octopus in sight but also remembering the wires i which could blow him to atoms at a single contact by carefully maneuvering dale circled the rock and climbed up onto a llttl ledge above the octopus be f pre he could brace himself it moved swiftly out like some oargantuan spider dale knew his life depended on accuracy striking downward with the crowbar he bore through the gray gelatinous body with scarcely any resistance the struggling cuttlefish beat the water into whlrpools and filled it with ita defensive fluid the tentacles reach ed up onto the shelf to seise dale he struck tblem plaahpd them pried at them tore away their grip on the rock tho octopus tenacity wu incredible regardless of how badly it was torn the ghastly creature continued to fight for nearly an hour an hour in which dale expected every moment to be hs lat only his advantage in elevation aavnl him finally he called for a weighted line spearing the writhing octopus lh rough he passed tho rope around the crowbar and had the creature drawn up to the deck of the barge during all that battle morton hud done nothing when he reached the deck however his blustering self-confld- cene- had returned ftd been in any position where i coajd have used my crowbar it wouldnt have taken me half so long tb dispose of this octopus elans blue eyes flashed oh fcm still mort said the girl with sudden irritation of u tho conceited persons i ever knew mr laramies eyes were like ice oraff has lived so long on the credit of others that hes forgotten how to do anything for himself mortons black eyes biased mr laramie i dont believe you realise what youre saying i realize im tho only person who does realise youre all cackle and no egg qrafft i realuw it so well rm going to make mcdonald to a complete diving rig to bo repaid when he earns he money im sick of seeing him win glory for you and then get blamed for everything you do wrong mr laramie t dales eyes brimmed and a lump rose in his throat are you serious i serious elsa dimpled and her blue eyes brightened i should say dad u aetiousl hes talked of nothing else but giving you a chance for the past two weeks and dale why dont you drop in lor dinner tonight ive so wanted to have a good talk with yout cooperation is the exception rather than the rule with another motoring season getting well under way it la perhaps timely ta stress the importance of safety first at all times time is important but the attempt to save a few seconds in elapsed time when one is driving a motor car may be a matter of life and death in more ways than one beating the train may seem like thrilling sport to some drivers but it is the cause of most crossing accidents with their attendan wastage of human life and property the railways preach and practice safety at all times and train their em ployees along those lines theycannot train the motorist to whom the highway is tho free and open road they oatt and do however ask his cooperation in their attempt to reduce the accident- toll as far as possible the careful motorist exercises special caution whenever h approaches a railroad crowing may his tribe increase 1 observance of that law would prevent many accidents it would decrease th crop of grey hairs in the head of many railroad engineers and in some cases would probably increase their worklns days but it is a law which can only- he successful through the cooperation of the motorist and if one is to judge by actual experiences on the highway such important w reduction of hamco coke locomotives cannot swerve to avoid reckless motobist8 railway engineers are carefully train ed in the laws of safety says an edi torial in the canadian national maga zine they do everything in their power to avoid accidents they cannot how ever swerve their engine from the steel rails on which it must operate and this fact thf motorist neems at times to over look warning bells and lights watch mens flags and crossing gates give notice of th- approach of iralns yet there are inr more accidents caused by automobiles rrnshln into the side of trains than by tralnb striking automobiles it is here that the cooperation of the motorist is required in one province quebec the law re quires that every vehicle came to a full stop before crossing a railway track the get a dandy hamco coke shovel si s fraction of regular cost see your dealer ask him too about tha naw hamco automatic dratt control and hamco hot water- heater save dollars through- tho next heating season by filling your bin with hamco coke now ask your 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