The power was shut off, and, followed by the curious and beseeching glances of Silas and Jupe respectively, the boys made their way through the interior of the hull to the steersman’s section.
They found Mr. Chadwick and Mr. Dancer anxiously peering out through the observation tube.
“What is it? What’s happened?” demanded Jack anxiously.
“Are we in any danger of sinking?” asked Tom.
“No, I think not. But we are in a bad fix,” was Mr. Chadwick’s response; “look out through the observation tube and tell me what you see.”
The two boys pressed forward, taking the places of their elders. The searchlights concealed in the mouth of the tube were turned on at full power. The bright rays pierced the black subwaters of the Atlantic like a gleaming sword of flame. But at first the two lads could see nothing, just emerging as they had from the bright light of the engine room.
But after a while their sight became clearer. Before them, like some scene viewed by vivid moonlight, they saw the depths of the sea. Fish swam to and fro seemingly fascinated, like moths about candles, by the brilliant rays of the searchlights. Looking down they could make out rocks with fantastic fronds of seaweed waving from them.
And then suddenly something else loomed into view—a long, writhy-looking black object right across the bows of the White Shark.
“It’s a serpent! A big sea snake!” cried Tom.
“I only wish it were,” sighed Mr. Dancer, “but it’s worse than that. It’s the anchor cable of some large ship.”