But the
sailor, too, had felt the movement of the water, and turned
just in time. He thrust upward with his pointed bar. But he
missed the stroke, and Tom, a moment later, saw the great
fish turn over so that its mouth, which is far underneath
its snout, could take in the queer shape which the shark
evidently thought was a choice morsel. The big fish did
actually get the helmet of Captain Weston inside its jaws,
but probably it would have found it impossible to crush the
strong steel. Still it might have sprung the joints, and
water would have entered, which would have been as fatal as
though the sailor had been swallowed by the shark. Tom
realized this and, moving as fast as he could through the
water, he came up behind the monster and drove his steel bar
deep into it.
The sea was crimsoned with blood, and the savage creature,
opening its mouth, let go of the captain. It turned on Tom,
who again harpooned it. Then the fish darted off and began a
wild flurry, for it was dying. The rush of water nearly
threw Tom off his feet, but he managed to make his way over
to his friend, and assist him to rise. A confident look from
the sailor showed the lad that Captain Weston was uninjured,
though he must have been frightened. As the two turned to
make their way back to the submarine, the waters about them
seemed alive with the horrible monsters.
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