Now that he was safe from the cruel jaws, the lad showed himself to be possessed of no little agility. Hand over hand he swarmed up the cable until he reached the lower rail of the car, which he clutched, and by Timothy’s aid he clambered over. Meanwhile Tom had steered the airship towards the approaching boat.
“Give way with a will, men!” he shouted. “There’s no time to be lost. We’ve got one; the other man will be nabbed by a shark if you aren’t there pretty soon. I can see the brute’s fin above the water just by the mast.”
The men spurted. As the boat approached the submerged vessel, the shark took fright and glided swiftly away. In another half-minute the man was taken from his precarious perch, and lifted, in a state of complete collapse, into the boat.
CHAPTER VI—SALATHIEL BEN EZRA
“Bismillah!” ejaculated the young Moor when he stood in the car.
“Just saved your bacon, if that’s what you mean,” said Timothy. “And a nice sloppy mess you’re making! I s’pose I‘ll have to clean up.”
Timothy scowled and growled, but that was only his way. Tom knew well enough that Timothy would clean up with great cheerfulness.
“We’ll get back to the yacht,” he said, “and find some dry things for him there.”
The airship was now so well under control that Tom had no difficulty in letting her down safely on deck, though the yacht was at anchor.
“Uncommonly well done!” exclaimed Mr. Greatorex as Tom stepped out of the car.