Our arms became entangled in the effort of swimming; we choked; we fought in the dark water; already we could hardly breathe the dark air above the dark water, the air which escaped, which we could hear escaping through some vent-hole or other.

`Oh, let us turn and turn and turn until we find the air hole and then glue our mouths to it!'

But I lost my strength; I tried to lay hold of the walls! Oh, how those glass walls slipped from under my groping fingers! ... We whirled round again! ... We began to sink! ... One last effort! ... A last cry: `Erik! ... Christine! ... '

`Guggle, guggle, guggle!' in our ears. `Guggle! Guggle!' At the bottom of the dark water, our ears went, `Guggle! Guggle!'

And, before losing consciousness entirely, I seemed to hear, between two guggles:

`Barrels! Barrels! Any barrels to sell?'