Part 9 (2/2)

”Something has happened!” exclaimed the young inventor.

Tom raced for the companionway, and was soon on deck, followed by Mr. Durban and the others. They saw a crowd of sailors and pa.s.sengers leaning over the port rail.

”What's the matter?” asked Tom, of the second mate, who was just pa.s.sing.

”Fight between a killer and a whale,” was the reply. ”The captain has ordered the s.h.i.+p to lay-to so it can be watched.”

Tom made his way to the rail. About a quarter of a mile away there could be observed a great commotion in the ocean. Great bodies seemed to be thres.h.i.+ng about, beating the water to foam, and, with the foam could be seen bright blood mingled. Occasionally two jets of water, as from some small fountain, would shoot upward.

”He's blowing hard!” exclaimed one of the sailors. ”I guess he's about done for!”

”Which one?” asked Tom.

”The whale,” was the reply. ”The killer has the best of the big fellow,” and the sailor quickly explained how the smaller killer fish, by the peculiarity of its attack, and its great ferocity, often bested its larger antagonist.

The battle was now at its height, and Tom and the others were interested spectators. At times neither of the big creatures could be seen, because of the smother of foam in which they rolled and threshed about. The whale endeavored to sound, or go to the bottom, but the killer stuck to him relentlessly.

Suddenly, however, as Tom looked, the whale, by a stroke of his broad tail, momentarily stunned his antagonist. Instantly realizing that he was free the great creature, which was about ninety feet long, darted away, swimming on the surface of the water, for he needed to get all the air possible.

Quickly acquiring momentum, the whale came on like a locomotive, spouting at intervals, the vapor from the blowholes looking not unlike steam from some submarine boat.

”He looks to be heading this way,” remarked Mr. Durban to Tom.

”He is,” agreed the young inventor, ”but I guess he'll dive before he gets here. He only wants to get away from the killer. Look, the other one is swimming this way, too!”

”Bless my harpoon, but he sure is!” called Mr. Damon. ”They'll renew the fight near here.”

But he was mistaken, for the killer, after coming a little distance after the whale, suddenly turned, hesitated for a moment, and then disappeared in the depths of the ocean.

The whale, however, continued to come on, speeding through the water with powerful strokes. There was an uneasy movement among some of the pa.s.sengers.

”Suppose he strikes the s.h.i.+p,” suggested one woman.

”Nonsense! He couldn't,” said her husband.

”The old man had better get under way, just the same,” remarked a sailor near Tom, as he looked up at the bridge where the captain was standing.

The ”old man,” or commander, evidently thought the same thing, for, after a glance at the oncoming leviathan, which was still headed directly for the vessel, he shoved the lever of the telegraph signal over to ”full speed ahead.”

Hardly had he done so than the whale sank from sight.

”Oh, I'm so glad!” exclaimed the woman who had first spoken of the possibility of the whale hitting the s.h.i.+p, ”I am afraid of those terrible creatures.”

”They're as harmless as a cow, unless they get angry,” said her husband.

Slowly the great s.h.i.+p began to move through the water. Tom and his friends were about to go back to their cabin, for they thought the excitement over, when, as the young inventor turned from the rail, he felt a vibration throughout the whole length of the steamer, as if it had hit on a sand-bar.

Instantly there was a jangling of bells in the engine room, and the Soudalar lost headway.

”What's the matter?” asked several persons.

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