, staring out through the glass sides of the tank
at the expectant throngs in the circus tent.

CHAPTER IV

BAD NEWS

There was applause at Joe's rather fancy dive--a more elaborate
entering of the water than Benny had been in the habit of presenting.
But Joe could not hear the people clapping, for he was under water, and
all sound was lost to him. He could, however, see the motions of their
hands, and by the interested looks on their faces he judged that the
audience was pleased.

"Now if I don't get rattled when I do some of my tricks, I may be able
to pull off a good stunt in the tank," thought Joe. "Well, here goes
for it, anyhow."

All this while, of course, Joe was under water and could not breathe.
But he had first deflated and then inflated his lungs to their fullest
capacity, and he felt sure he could remain at least three minutes,
possibly longer, without coming to the surface.

The glass tank in which Joe was performing--Benny's tank, to be exact,
for the "human fish" owned it--was practically a big glass box. That
is, four sides of it were of glass, measuring eight feet each way, thus
giving Joe nearly eight feet of water into which to dive.

Not a very great depth for a high dive, but there are tricks of diving,
as all know, and dives from a pole sixty feet high into a tank not more
than four feet deep have been made. For this the instant the surface of
the water is struck the body must curve upward, also curving upward the
extended arms and hands. The result is a "shallow dive," and a shot to
the surface of the water almost as soon as it is entered. However, a
dive into shallow water is always a dangerous thing even for an expert
swimmer.

The glass tank was then of good size for the purpose for which it was
designed. The top was, of course, fully open, and the bottom was of
metal, covered with a layer of white sand. This not only made an
agreeable surface on which the performer could recline, but it
reflected the light, and made every action of the person under water
visible to the audience.

The glass, being on all four sides of the tank, of course gave a clear
view all around the big circus ring, and as the tank stood on a raised
platform the "human fish" act was one of the best-viewed acts in the
show. At each corner of the tank were heavy metal strips which held the
glass sides. The metal strips were bound with rubber to prevent
leakage.

As has been said, Joe deflated his lungs