Old Jack strained his vision to pierce the darkness.
“I certainly saw a light,” he repeated, anxiously; “there it is ahead, directly in our course, and bearing down on us.”
“Is it land?” queried Tom.
“No; we are hundreds of miles from land.
“It is probably a ship in distress, like ourselves. It’s coming nearer, and our lantern is swept out. Steady, lads, for a crash is coming.”
One single speck of light relieved the gloom of the scene. The excited boys could make it out coming nearer and nearer.
It shadowed out dimly the outlines of a large ship, and then——
A crash that sent a shock through their frames sounded above the frightful roar of the tempest.
The timbers started beneath their feet; Jack’s hold was torn from the wheel, and the trio were flung indiscriminately across the deck.
The ship that had collided with them had passed on or sunk, they knew not which. Their own desperate situation called for immediate action.