It was too late. The next instant the Porpoise, with a shock that made her shiver from stem to stern, collided with the steel side of a small warship.
CHAPTER IV
IN THE MIDST OF FIRE
"Pull the secondary emergency lever!" cried the professor through the speaking tube to Washington. "We must reach the surface at once!"
"Are we damaged?" asked Andy, scrambling to his feet, for the shock had knocked him down. The professor had not fallen because he clung to the steering wheel.
The ship gave a sudden lurch.
"We're sinking!" cried Bill, rushing to the conning tower from the engine-room.
"That's only the action of one of the emergency levers," said the professor calmly. "It forces compressed air into the tanks the more quickly to empty them of water. I think we are safe."
"What is it?" asked Mark, as, followed by Jack, he came forward.