"We"ll go out and tell him some one in the cabin wants to see him. The fish will stay there. See, it is fastened to the gla.s.s by some sort of suction arrangement, like the octupus fish have on their arms. Then we"ll look in and see what Wash does."
Jack agreed to the plan. The boys left the cabin, and Mark called to the colored man, who was in the engine room.
"I"ll go right instanter this minute," said Washington. "Don"t no gra.s.s grow under dis chile"s feet!"
"Now listen," said Mark as he and Jack tiptoed after the colored man.
Washington had no sooner entered the darkened cabin, and caught sight of the horrible staring red and green eyes looking straight at him, than he let out a yell that could be heard all over the ship. Then the colored man dropped on his knees and began to implore:
"Good please Mr. Satan fish, doan take Washington White," he begged.
"It"s all a mistake. I didn"t do nuffin. Good please Mr. Satan fish, take some one else. It"s disproportionate to de circ.u.mulation ob de interiorness ob dis subicecream ship, so kindly pa.s.s me by dis time!"
"What"s the matter?" asked Amos Henderson, as he came hurrying into the cabin, seeking the cause for Washington"s loud cry.
Jack and Mark, who came in at that juncture, were a little bit ashamed of the trick they had played.
"What is the trouble?" repeated Mr. Henderson.
"We"s all goin" to be devoured alibe!" cried Washington pointing to the fish, that still clung to the gla.s.s.
"Ah, a sucker fish!" remarked the inventor. "A large specimen, too.
Don"t be afraid Washington, it can"t hurt you."
"He looks like he could," said the colored man. "Look at dem teef!"
Indeed the creature"s mouth was a horrible sight, as it opened and shut.
"I"ll show you how to get rid of him," said the professor.
He turned on the electric lights in the cabin, flooding the room with a bright glow. The big fish darted off, and, when the lights were turned out again, the terrible eyes did not reappear, much to their satisfaction.
"The lights scared it away," remarked the inventor. "But you mustn"t get frightened so easily, Washington. You"ll see stranger sights than that before you"re through with this voyage."
"Oh I wasn"t "fraid," spoke up Washington. "I were jest "stonished, dat"s all."
"What did you get down on your knees for?" asked Mark with a grin.
"I might hab been lookin" for my collar b.u.t.ton, for all you knows,"
replied Washington, with an air of great dignity, and went back to the engine room.
For several days after this the _Porpoise_ continued on her way south.
Now and then appearing on the surface to renew the supply of fresh air, and again skimming along under the surface, or deep down, the strange craft kept on. It grew much warmer, and even when some distance below the surface the heat could be felt in an uncomfortable manner.
"We"re getting near the equator," explained the professor.
One afternoon, when dinner had just been finished, and the ship, under the direction of Washington, was gliding along well under the sea, there came a sudden shock.
"We"ve hit something!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson as he jumped for the conning tower. The shock was repeated.
"What was it?" asked someone.
"Shut down the engine!" yelled the inventor to the colored man. "What do you want to go on ramming an object after you"ve once hit it? Slow down the engine!"
"Power"s shut off!" cried Washington. "We didn"t hit nothin"! Something hit us!"
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Henderson.
"Somethin"s rammin" us," went on Washington.
"It must be a big monster. I was sterrin" along an" there was nothin" in de road, when all of a suddint, ker-plunk! We"s. .h.i.t. Look ahead, an" you can"t see nothin"!"
The professor, and the boys, who had followed him, gazed out of the conning tower window. There was nothing forward but a vast expanse of water.
The next instant the ship careened as something struck her a violent blow on the port side. Everyone almost toppled over from the force of the impact.
"Dar he goes agin!" cried Washington.
"We"re attacked by a whale!" said the professor. "We must rise to the surface or it may damage the ship."
"If it"s a whale I"d like to get a shot at it," put in Andy Sudds, from the foot of the companion ladder leading into the tower.
"I don"t know that it is a whale," went on the inventor. "But it must be something very big and strong."
"It"s a monster of some sort," put in Andy, "and I want a chance at him."
"It"s too risky," murmured the professor. "We couldn"t get down to bottom here, as the water is several miles deep, and the pressure would crush the _Porpoise_, strong as she is."
Once more came a terrible blow and the ship rocked in a swirl of foam beneath the waves. In quick succession two more fierce onslaughts were made by the unseen monster.
"We"ll have to do something," muttered Andy.
"You"re right," agreed the professor. "Our only chance is to rise to the surface, for I do not believe the creature will follow us there. Empty the tanks, Washington."
The colored man started the pumps, and the professor watched the gages that told the depth of the craft. The pointer should have begun to swing around in a few seconds after the tanks began to empty. Instead it remained stationary.
"Strange," said Mr. Henderson. "I wonder if anything is wrong with the machinery."
"More like the whale, or whatever it is, is on top of the boat, holding her down," suggested Andy.
There was no doubt of this a moment later, for there were several violent blows on the upper part of the _Porpoise_.
The crew of the submarine were held prisoners below the surface by the unknown monster!
For a few minutes the thought of the awful fate that would be theirs if the ship should be wrecked under the water made each one speechless. As they stood looking at each other, not knowing what to do, the attack was renewed on the port side.
The big fish, whale or whatever it was, kept pounding away.
"I have an idea!" cried Andy suddenly.