The man waved a hand as the White Shark ranged close to him. Before any of those on deck knew what he was going to do, Jack was overboard. In a few strong strokes he was alongside his man. The next minute they saw Jack clutched with the desperate grip of the drowning, and dragged under water.
“He’ll drown!” cried Tom despairingly, and the next instant he, too, was overboard and striking out for the spot where the two swimmers who had vanished had last been seen.
Suddenly they flashed to the surface, and Tom saw, to his huge delight, that Jack had broken the other’s grip and was now swimming with an unconscious burden.
“I had to almost knock his head off before he’d let go,” panted Jack, as Tom swam up.
“Where’s the White Shark? You can’t hold him up much longer.”
“Here she comes! Hurray!”
The submarine slowly ranged up to the group in the water, and Mr. Chadwick threw the life belt. Tom caught it and the two boys thrust it over the unconscious man’s head. Then, while they swam alongside, holding on to the belt, Mr. Chadwick and Silas hauled in on the line attached to it. In this way they reached the side of the submarine and were pulled on deck almost exhausted.
They had hardly reached safety when Mr. Chadwick gave a cry of alarm.
“Look!” he shouted, “look!”
Coming right at them was something they had quite forgotten. The second battleship in the long column of sea fighters!