Mr. Henderson, realizing that something out of the ordinary was going on, had opened the slides of the bull's-eye windows, and those in the submarine saw part of the fight between the whale and swordfish.
As soon as Andy had removed his diving suit he advised that the ship be sent to the surface, as there might be danger should the monsters get too close in their struggles.
Accordingly the pumps, which had been stopped when it was found impossible to raise the ship, because of the weight of the whale, were started and the Porpoise was soon on the surface.
The manhole cover was opened and Andy, with Jack and Mark, went out on deck. They had no sooner stepped out on the platform than there was a commotion in the water.
"They're going to fight up here!" exclaimed Mark.
A big body shot upward and fell back with a splash, rocking the submarine.
"There's the whale," observed Andy. "But I reckon he won't fight any more. He's dead."
It was so. The swordfish had conquered, and the lifeless body of the whale floated on top of the water, only to sink a little later.
"It was a great battle," said Jack. "I'm glad I was inside the ship."
The course was due south, and every minute it seemed to the boys that it was getting warmer, for they were approaching the equator. Every hour brought them nearer the south pole, though they were still several thousand miles from it.