, he felt himself
being carried toward the surface.

The diver had been able to free himself when Joe opened the valve. In
an instant he had signaled to be pulled up, and as he shot toward the
surface, seeing Joe's great danger he had clasped him in his arms.
Together the rescuer and rescued were pulled up, and an instant later
Joe, who felt that he simply could not hold his breath another fraction
of a second, found himself in the air and gulped in great mouthfuls of
it. Oh, what a relief it was! For a moment, in the great need of it, he
forgot what he had done.

But others did not forget it, and no sooner was it seen that the diver,
alive, was out of the underwater trap, and that Joe, in his arms, had
also come up, than a great cheer was shouted forth.

Eager hands lifted Joe and the diver to the top of the dam, and while
some supported Joe, who was quite weak, others began to loosen the
diver's helmet, for, until this was done, it was necessary to pump air
to him.

Then a doctor, who had been in readiness to give aid in case the rescue
was made in time, came up to minister to both of those who seemed to
have come back from the edge of a watery grave.

CHAPTER XXIV

NEW HOPE

Joe's first realization, after he had regained his nearly spent breath
and accepted a blanket which he wrapped around him, was that Helen was
standing near him, holding his hand.

"Oh, Joe!" she murmured. "I am so glad--so glad--and proud of you!"

He smiled, rather a weak smile it is true, but it was a smile.

"Better look out," he said. "I'll get you wet."

"I don't care," she replied.

"She wouldn't go away," said Mr. Blair, who had Joe's other hand and
was vigorously shaking it. "I tried to make her go when--when four
minutes passed and you didn't come up. We thought maybe you were caught
fast, too."

"Was I down four minutes?" asked Joe.

"Four minutes and forty seconds," said Helen. "I kept track by my wrist
watch. It was awful, Joe, to see the seconds ticking off. I could
hardly do it--but--I did," she finished with a smile.

"Four minutes and forty seconds," murmured Joe. "Then I've beaten the
world's record."

"Yes," said Helen.

"If it had only been in the circus tank," Joe went on. "It would have
been a big advertisement for the show."

"I fancy you'll get advertisement enough out of it as it is," said Mr.
Blair significantly, as he glanced at the enthusiastic crowd which the
constables had hard work to