The latter recovered himself a moment later, however, and gasped.
"I'm all right, Jack. Let me swim for myself."
"All right," said Jack, "but keep close beside me. We'll have to hurry or we shall be pulled under by the suction when the ships sink."
Keeping close together they swam with powerful strokes.
And so it was that they were out of harm's way when the two ships disappeared from sight with a deafening roar as the waters closed over them; they were beyond reach of the suction.
"There they go," said Frank, sadly.
"And it is only a miracle that prevented us from going with them," said
Jack.
"We might as well have gone as to be in the middle of the North Sea," said Frank.
"Nonsense. While there's life there's hope."
They swam on.