"No; you're not sinking, either!" shouted Jack, encouragingly, as he redoubled his efforts at water sprinting.
He darted in, catching at her with one hand just as the girl's head sank under a wave.
In a jiffy Jack Benson had a secure hand-hold.
"Save me—oh, save me!" choked the girl, in terror, as her head came once more above.
"Keep cool; do just as I tell you, and—No! Don't grab me like that, or you may drown us both!" remonstrated the submarine boy.
But the girl acted as though possessed solely by the demon of terror. She succeeded in wrapping both arms in a frenzy about the submarine boy.
"You must leave my arms free," urged Jack, desperately, "or we shall go down together."
He struggled, but her strength, in her despair, was something past belief. Jack trod water while trying to make her understand.
It was of no use. She clung the tighter. There was but one course that would save time—to strike her a blow on the forehead that would render her senseless. But Jack could not bring himself to strike a woman.
As she felt herself going down the girl only wrapped her arms the more tightly about her would-be rescuer.