It was hard to believe that, all this was the
product of an invisible insect, instead of being a miniature forest
turned into pure white stone. The scene was surpassingly beautiful;
coral branches ran up to a height of eight or ten feet from the bottom,
where they locked and wove together like vines. Paul walked to the
edge of this reef and gazed with delighted eyes into its liquid
depths. Schools of bright colored fish were swimming gracefully in
and out through the delicate coral branches. Some, more fearless than
their companions, swam round and round Paul's copper helmet, and looked
into the thick glass at the front. When Paul made a sudden move of his
hand, they darted away; but returned soon again to satisfy their
curiosity and ascertain what strange monster had invaded their fairy
land.
Three sudden jerks of the life line held in the hands of the anxious
Tom, recalled Paul to his work. The three pulls meant, "Where are you?
Is everything right?" He then signaled for the bucket to be lowered.
Taking his pry he broke off some exquisite specimens of the
undergrowth coral, which he loaded in and sent up. He then explored on
the side of the coral forest until he came to a small portion of the
bottom, covered with sand and surrounded with rocks.
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