"I hope it's not the 'cup-lead' you are using, Brownson?" said the
Captain, after a few minutes observation.
"Oh no, Captain, certainly not," replied the Lieutenant. "It's only
Brooke's apparatus that is of any use in such depths."
"Clever fellow that Brooke," observed the Captain; "served with him
under Maury. His detachment of the weight is really the starting point
for every new improvement in sounding gear. The English, the French, and
even our own, are nothing but modifications of that fundamental
principle. Exceedingly clever fellow!"
"Bottom!" sang out one of the men standing near the derrick and watching
the operations.
The Captain and the Lieutenant immediately advanced to question him.
"What's the depth, Coleman?" asked the Lieutenant.
"21,762 feet," was the prompt reply, which Brownson immediately
inscribed in his note-book, handing a duplicate to the Captain.
"All right, Lieutenant," observed the Captain, after a moment's
inspection of the figures. "While I enter it in the log, you haul the
line aboard. To do so, I need hardly remind you, is a task involving
care and patience. In spite of all our gallant little donkey engine can
do, it's a six hours job at least.
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