The first edition of this book is dated 1876. The edition used is dated 1878. The publisher was Nisbet. The number of pages is 414.

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General information

This was a very difficult book to obtain. There was a copy in the British Library, and another one in a Library in Dartmouth, Devon. For several years I tried at least weekly to find a copy via Abebooks or eBay. with no success. The copy belonging to the Ballantyne family had disappeared, not to put too fine a point on it. Eventually a kind family in Canada offered to scan the pages of their copy, and send the images to me, and this is the result.

Ballantyne did indeed try out some diving equipment, so as to obtain a first-hand feel for diving. It is related that something went wrong, too much air was sent down, and he surfaced rapidly upside down. A similar episode is related in the book.

Ballantyne’s style often gives rise to two or even three stories continuing simultaneously, and here we have the adventures of one Rooney Machowl, an Irishman who decides to move from his ship’s carpenter trade to that of diving. In fact divers should always have another trade, or they wouldn’t be much use under the water. In addition there is the aspiration of Edgar Berrington to win the hand of a fair young lady, there are the events happening to the young lady’s father, and then again the events happening to the young lady’s companion. So it is all fairly convoluted. But you’ll certainly learn a lot about diving, as the art stood in 1876. It is rather strange that Ballantyne, having written this book, which ran to several printings, did not much mention diving in any other of his books.

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Contents

Chapter I.
Introduces our Hero, one of his Advisers, and some of his Difficulties.

Chapter II.
Describes a first Visit to the Bottom of the Sea.

Chapter III.
Refers to a small Tea-Party, and touches very mildly on Love.

Chapter IV.
Divers Matters.

Chapter V.
Treats of Plots and Plans, Engineering and otherwise.

Chapter VI.
A sunken Wreck inspected, sundry wonderful Doings under Water Recorded, and various Plans successfully carried out.

Chapter VII.
Historical but not Heavy.

Chapter VIII.
The Grinding of the Screw.

Chapter IX.
Treats of a Leak and consequent Difficulties.

Chapter X.
Anxieties; Disasters; Hopes.

Chapter XI.
Tells of bold Plans, followed by bolder Deeds.

Chapter XII.
Diving Practice Extraordinary in the East.

Chapter XIII.
Treasure recovered—Accidents encountered—An unexpected Discovery—Enemies met and circumvented.

Chapter XIV.
Miss Pritty’s “Worst Fears” are more than realised.

Chapter XV.
Sudden and bad News induces sudden and good Action.

Chapter XVI.
Bearding the Lion in his Den.

Chapter XVII.
Recounts the wild, fierce, and in some Respects peculiar Incidents of a Bush Fight.

Chapter XVIII.
Lifts the Curtain slightly as to piratical Doings in the nineteenth Century.

Chapter XIX.
A Fight with Malay Pirates.

Chapter XX.
The Fight concluded.

Chapter XXI.
Difficulties of various Kinds, also Troubles, and a Discovery.

Chapter XXII.
Miscellaneous Matters, ending with a “Scrimmage” under Water.

Chapter XXIII.
More about the Sea.

Chapter XXIV.
Taking the Tide at the Ebb.

Chapter XXV.
Shows how our Hero formed Plans, how Miss Pritty formed Plots, and how the small Domestic amused herself.

Chapter XXVI.
A Climax is reached.

Chapter XXVII.
The last.

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