We struck a terrible blow."
"Yes, but a glancing one, I think, sir."
"Send for the lookout," ordered Tom. "I can't under stand why
he didn't see whatever we've hit in time to avoid it."
The lookout came in, very much frightened, it must be admitted.
Only by a narrow margin had all escaped death.
"It was impossible to see it, Mr. Swift," he said. "We had a
clear course, not a thing in sight. The bottom was white sand,
and I could almost count the fishes. All at once there was a big
swirl of water that threw our nose around, and before I could
signal to slow down or reverse we were right into her."
"Into what?" asked Tom.
"Some sort of wreck, I took it to be. I shoved the wheel hard
over as quickly as I could, and we struck only a glancing blow."
"That's good," murmured Tom. "I thought that must have been the
explanation. But what's that about a sudden swirl of water?"
"It seemed to me like a change in the current," the lookout
answered. "It threw us right over against the wreck."
"I can very easily imagine something like that happening,"
admitted Tom.
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