Several seconds passed, but there were no signs of him.

He was a good diver, we all knew, but this was surely a very long dive.

Had an accident happened to him?
A minute elapsed, two, and yet he never appeared! We in the boat were aghast; he must have come to grief.

Ah! what were the people on the bank laughing at?
Could there be some trick?
Next instant the coxswain called out, laughing-- "He's hanging on to the rudder; over you go, Adams!" At the word I slipped overboard and gave chase.

And now began an exciting pursuit.