Ulysses saw him descend from the center of the ring of foam opened by his body, and could gauge by it the profundity of that fantastic world composed of glassy rocks, animal plants and stone animals.

As it went down, the tawny body of the swimmer took on the transparency of porcelain.

It appeared of bluish crystal--a statue made of a Venetian mirror composition that was going to break as soon as it touched the bottom.
Like a god he was passing through the deeps, snatching plants out by the roots, pursuing with his hands the flashes of vermilion and gold hidden in the cracks of the rocks.

Minutes would pass by; he was going to stay down forever; he would never come up again.

And the boy was beginning to think uneasily of the possibility of having to guide the bark back to the coast all alone.