“I don’t know that I can say anything,” laughed the young American. “More than likely we’d go to Davy Jones’s locker.”
“What locker dat? I don’t know him,” and the little brown man looked puzzled.
“I mean the bottom of the sea. American sailors call it Davy Jones’s locker.”
“Ah! Dat so, him Davy Jones got mighty big locker—all same full whales and many fish,” and Jiru Siko laughed at his little joke, and Gilbert laughed with him.
Breakfast had been served, and Gilbert was strolling toward the bow of the ship when one of the lookouts gave a sudden cry:
“A ship! A ship!”
He was right, and a second later a big warship loomed up directly in front of the sailboat. The warship was coming forward at a good rate of speed, sending the spray flying in all directions.
“We’ll be run down!” cried Gilbert.—Page [99].
“We’ll be run down!” cried Gilbert, and this cry was taken up on all sides. Then came a cry from the big ship, and they heard the churning of the water as the engines were reversed. But the forward movement of the warship was scarcely slackened, and it looked as if in a moment more there would be a collision, and the sailboat would be sunk.