Never was knight attired for the tourney more carefully than the modern diver is clad before venturing into the depths. It is cold working at the bottom of the sea, and to guard against the cold the diver dons warm woollen sweaters and socks, sometimes wearing two or three sweaters and two or three pairs of thick socks. When he is dressed in his woollies, the diving dress is fastened about him just as the armour was fastened on the knights of old. There is a certain ritual about the performance which must be obeyed. First of all the shoulder pads are carefully tied on to take the weight of the head-dress, then an assistant helps him into the rubber diving dress and opens the tight cuffs for the diver to slip his hands through. The diver sits down while the assistant ties up the inner collar of the diving-dress and adjusts the various screws that are to secure his helmet. But before that is fastened into place the feet are slipped into the boots, each with its 16 lb. sole of lead. Ever so carefully the diver’s helmet is put on, for his life depends upon it being properly fastened. The air-pipe must be carried from the back of his helmet up under his arm to the front of his body where he can reach it easily and yet not find it in his way. The air-pumps and the valves in his helmet are most carefully tested to see that they are working properly. Then the diver gets on the ladder leading overboard and a lead weight weighing 40 lb. is adjusted across his breast and another similar weight is fastened over his back to enable him to sink to the bottom. The glass of his helmet is screwed up, the pump is set going, the diver waves his hand to indicate that all is in order, and the attendant after a final look round gives the diver a smart tap on the top of the helmet to inform him that he may go down. Thenceforward the life of the diver is in the hands of the attendant, who never lets go of the lifeline and air-pipe until the diver comes to the surface again, feeling the diver at the end of the pipe just as an angler feels a fish at the end of a line, taking in the slack pipe to prevent it fouling rocks and wreckage, paying it out as the diver requires.