"What me, an old sailor topple over," shouted Ben, "Not much younker, why I—"
The sentence was never finished. At that instant the shock that had aroused Captain Hazzard and terrified the whole ship's company hurled him headlong into the night and the boys, balanced as they were on the prow of the trembling ship, were shot after him into the darkness as if they had been hurled out of catapults.
Frank's feelings as he fell through the darkness he could not afterward describe, still less his amazement when, instead of falling into the sea, fully prepared to swim for his life, he found himself instead plunged into a sticky ooze. For several seconds, in fact, he was too amazed to utter a sound or move. It seemed he must be dreaming.
Then he extended his hands and almost gave a cry so great was his amazement.
He had encountered an unmistakable tree trunk!
He was on land—not dry land—for the boy was mired to the knees in sticky mud,—but nevertheless land. Land in midocean.
Hardly had he recovered from his first shock of surprise when he heard a voice exclaim:
"Can anyone tell me am I awake or dreaming in my bunk?"
"What's the matter, Billy?" hailed Frank, overjoyed to know that one at least of his comrades was safe.
Before Billy could reply Harry's voice hailed through the darkness.