Dick was thrown sidewise by the shock, and Matt only saved himself a fall by taking a convulsive grip on the spokes of the steering wheel.
"Fore-rudder will not work, sir!" cried Speake through the tube communicating with the engine room.
One admirable thing about the king of the motor boys was that he never got "rattled." Under any and all circumstances he kept his head.
"Stop your motor, Gaines!" he cried instantly through another of the tubes, then, whirling to still another, he called: "Prepare to empty the ballast, Clackett!"
The ready "Aye, aye, sir!" that came through both tubes proved that those in motor room and tank room were on the alert.
The hum of the engine died slowly, and muffled sounds from the tank room showed that Clackett was calmly attending to his work.
In time of accident no man could leave his post, for the safety of the submarine, and the lives of those within her, might depend upon an instant compliance with orders. Iron-nerved men formed the crew of the Grampus, for each had been selected by Captain Nemo, Jr., with that quality in mind.
Meanwhile Motor Matt had been studying the top of the periscope table carefully.
"So far as I can make out," said he, in a puzzled tone, "there is nothing above."
"The Orinoco brings down a lot of drift, matey," put in Dick, "and we may have struck a log floating between two waves. If our rudder has been damaged——"