Instantly a half dozen glittering diamonds popped from the aperture and rolled on the deck of the _Nemo_, sparkling in the morning sun like the jewels of a monarch's crown! "What do you mean, you big stiff," growled Weddigen in dismay as the treasure that he had filched from the strong box while yet in the wreck of the _Dominion_ was revealed. "What do I mean? I mean that you're a rascal and a thief," shot back Larry, fully convinced now that the sparklers were part of the loot that had been recovered from the lost British liner. Immediately there was a great hubbub among the crew as they pounced upon the scattered diamonds, eager to retrieve them before they rolled overboard or were jostled below by the roll of the _Nemo_. "You're a big fool and I'll break your face so soon as I get in trim again, that's what I'll do," snorted Weddigen in a rage. But Larry was his equal in the showdown. "You may have a little trouble smashing my face," he countered, "but you are going to have a bigger time explaining to Captain Austin and the Bridgeford Salvage Company how you came in possession of those diamonds." Attracted by the commotion, Captain Austin came hurrying up. "What's all the commotion about?" he demanded. There had been excitement enough on the _Nemo_ for one morning. "It's none of your business, and I'll prove mightily easy how I came about those diamonds," Weddigen was saying as the ship's executive officer drew near. "This man is not playing fair," denounced Larry, pointing out the diver to Captain Austin. "He's holding back a whole pocketful of diamonds on you, Captain." The captain was so amazed he could only gaze from one to the other. "You are making a grave accusation, Mr. Seymour, and against a man who has risked his life this morning in the recovery of thousands of dollars' worth of diamonds," the ship captain remarked slowly. There were murmurs of approval from members of the crew. "All right, sir, I only ask that Mr. Weddigen bare the contents of that pocket on the right leg of his diving suit," retorted Larry. All eyes were turned forthwith on the diver. But the crafty Weddigen was equal to the occasion. "I was trying to tell this big boob I could explain everything," he countered with an air of superiority. "You see, it was this way, Captain. When I came upon that treasure chest down there I had to bang it about a bit to get it ready for the lift. You can see for yourself if you inspect it closely that the hinges were rusted. In prodding about I loosened up the lid. I thought I'd just take a peep to see if I really had the goods. There they were, all right. Some of them were lying loose, so I just scooped them up and slipped them into this vent in my suit. I didn't want to take any chances on losing them." As he talked he stooped over and holding a cupped hand over the pocket forced out a handful of the finest of diamonds, ranging in size from one- to three- and five-carat stones.