“Oh, if we only knew what had happened!” cried Tom, starting for the door that led, by way of the main cabin, to the fore part of the craft.
In a flash Jack was after him, pausing only to set the lever that was expected to carry out the hastily signaled orders.
The words snapped out like so many pistol shots.
“That makes no difference; your place is here. Stand by that lever.”
The crisp, incisive tones of his chum’s voice brought Tom out of his panic in a jiffy.
“That one to the port side. I’ll stand by this.”
With throbbing pulses and strained muscles they waited nervously the next order. But none came. The _White Shark_ shook and quivered as her engines reversed with every ounce of power they possessed; but still she did not move.
Then came another order. This time through the speaking tube: “Drop everything and come forward.”
The power was shut off, and, followed by the curious and beseeching glances of Silas and Jupe respectively, the boys made their way through the interior of the hull to the steersman’s section.
They found Mr. Chadwick and Mr. Dancer anxiously peering out through the observation tube.
“What is it? What’s happened?” demanded Jack anxiously.
“Are we in any danger of sinking?” asked Tom.
“No, I think not. But we are in a bad fix,” was Mr. Chadwick’s response; “look out through the observation tube and tell me what you see.”
The two boys pressed forward, taking the places of their elders. The searchlights concealed in the mouth of the tube were turned on at full power. The bright rays pierced the black subwaters of the Atlantic like a gleaming sword of flame. But at first the two lads could see nothing, just emerging as they had from the bright light of the engine room.
But after a while their sight became clearer. Before them, like some scene viewed by vivid moonlight, they saw the depths of the sea. Fish swam to and fro seemingly fascinated, like moths about candles, by the brilliant rays of the searchlights. Looking down they could make out rocks with fantastic fronds of seaweed waving from them.
And then suddenly something else loomed into view—a long, writhy-looking black object right across the bows of the _White Shark_.
“It’s a serpent! A big sea snake!” cried Tom.