“The skipper and I were thrown into the water. I caught sight of old Bill and one of the others squashed up betwixt the mast and one of them arms. It was an awful sight, I tell you.
“Of course, the Pearl’s hatches were open and in a few moments she filled and went down. Those two went with her. The rest of us escaped the brute’s tentacles and a boat from the Strathowen—the steamer we’d seen—picked us up a little later.
“That was the finish of the Pearl and two brave men,” added Mr. Hollister, gravely. “And she isn’t the only craft that’s been carried down by a giant squid. Most folks I’ve told it to think it’s a sailor’s yarn. But the crew and the passengers of the Strathowen could swear to it—and did so, too. The story was printed in the Indian papers when we reached Madras. And you’ve seen one of the beasts yourself, to-day, and know to what an enormous size they grow. There are dangerous monsters in the sea, Mr. Barney; but I reckon there’s nothing worse than a healthy, full-grown devil-fish.”
Chapter XIV
In Which a Signal Retards the Race
It was at six bells in the morning watch of the next day that the lookout in the top sang out the wailing cry:
“On deck!”
“Crow’s nest, ahoy!” responded Mr. Hollister, who had the deck.
“Sail-oh!”
“Where away?”