Then the lad glanced toward the submarine. Grouped about the glass cabin window were all his friends—horror showing on their faces.
“Oh, if they could only do something—use the electric gun, as Dr. Klauss did on the whale,” thought Jerry. Then he realized that this would not be safe. The charge that would kill the octopus would also kill them.
Suddenly Ned Slade pushed his way close to the cabin glass. He made a sign to Jerry, and then, using his fingers to give a message in the deaf and dumb alphabet (which the chums often practiced) Ned spelled out this:
“I am coming to save you!”
Jerry’s heart gave a bound. He felt that help was coming. He called the attention of Professor Snodgrass to their friends.
The little scientist, however, decided to chance an attack on the monster’s tentacle. He would slash it, even though the beast in its throes might do them serious harm. Jerry realized that he could not stand it much longer. He felt as though he were being squeezed to death.
Again he looked toward the glass window, and saw Ned, with a hopeful gesture, leaving it, accompanied by two of the machinists.
“He must be going to put on a diving suit and come out here!” thought Jerry. “Good old Ned! But he’d better hurry!”
It seemed an hour, but really it was not more than two minutes before Jerry felt behind him a commotion in the water that told of a change in the situation. He could not turn to see what it was. The pressure of the tentacles of the octopus had increased to what was an almost unendurable point, and then the arms seemed suddenly to relax. There was a swirl in the water, and Jerry felt himself grasped in friendly arms. He turned to see Ned gazing at him through the glass windows of the helmet, and another glance showed Ted Rowland helping to pull off the clinging suckers from Professor Snodgrass.
The two had come to the rescue, and on the bottom of the sea had advanced upon the octopus in its lair, stabbing it to death with long, spear-like knives. Jerry and the professor had been saved.