d Joe and his
trained seal did their turns to the great amusement and entertainment
of the audiences, as well as satisfaction to the circus management. The
swimming of Joe and the seal, the showy goldfish and the general
setting of the act made it a most novel one.

"Is there any more word from Benny?" asked Helen one day.

"Nothing definite," Joe said. "He is still in the same condition. I
have written to the doctor to make inquiries and find out if there is,
in this country or abroad, any new means of treatment that could be
given. Often foreign doctors know things those over here haven't heard
of yet."

"Oh, I do hope they discover something," sighed Helen. "Poor Benny! I
feel so sorry for him!"

The circus grounds in the town of Westford were located near a great
reservoir which supplied water to several neighboring municipalities.
And Westford was reached by the Sampson Brothers' Show about two weeks
after Joe's sensational ride on the trestle.

After breakfast Joe and Helen strolled about the grounds, and having
seen that the performing horse and the glass tank had reached the
grounds safely, Joe proposed that he and Helen go for a little
motor-cycle ride.

"But you'll have to promise not to take me over any railroad trestles,"
Helen warned him.

"I'll promise," agreed Joe.

They did not go far, and on their way back, as they passed the
reservoir, they saw a big crowd gathered on the bank near a gate-house.

"Looks as if something was going on," said Joe, stopping the machine.

"Maybe some one is rivaling you in a high diving stunt," said Helen,
half playfully.

They alighted and made their way into the throng.

"What's up?" asked Joe of a man.

"A diver is caught down in the outlet pipe," was the unexpected answer.

"A diver!" repeated Joe.

"Yes. A man in a diving suit went down to fix something that went wrong
with one of the valves, and they can't get him up. He's been down
several hours now and they're afraid he's dead!"

CHAPTER XXII

A DEEP DIVE

"What is it?" asked Helen, who had not understood what Joe's informant
had said.

"It's a diver caught down at the mouth of the outlet pipe of the
reservoir," the man explained. "They're trying to get him up but they
don't seem to get him."

"Why not?" Joe wanted to know.

"Because they can't pull any harder on the life line than they have
been pulling for fear either of breaking the line or of injuring the
diver. And they have