Electronic book host

It was on us now, and
the boat was nearly full of water. But she was built in air-tight
compartments--Heaven bless the man who invented them!--and lifted up
through it like a swan. Through the foam and turmoil I saw the black
thing on the wave hurrying right at me. I put out my right arm to ward
it from me, and my hand closed on another arm, the wrist of which my
fingers gripped like a vice. I am a very strong man, and had something
to hold to, but my arm was nearly torn from its socket by the strain and
weight of the floating body. Had the rush lasted another two seconds I
might either have let go or gone with it. But it passed, leaving us up
to our knees in water.
"Bail out! bail out!" shouted Job, suiting the action to the word.
But I could not bail just then, for as the moon went out and left us in
total darkness, one faint, flying ray of light lit upon the face of the
man I had gripped, who was now half lying, half floating in the bottom
of the boat.
It was Leo. Leo brought back by the wave--back, dead or alive, from the
very jaws of Death.


Pages:
93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117