nse. "There is no hope here.
How about you?"

"No hope here either," was Captain Raleigh's answer.

"Goodbye, then," shouted Captain Reynolds.

"Goodbye, old man!"

They were the last words spoken by these two old friends, who had been
boys together, schoolmates and bosom companions.

Suddenly the two ships took their final plunge. Men still on board,
those of the crew who had been frightened and had not cast themselves
into the sea, straightened instinctively as they felt the vessels give
beneath them. In the presence of death--when they knew it had arrived--
they were as brave and courageous as in the midst of battle.

So there was silence aboard the _Queen Mary_ and aboard the
_Indefatigable_ as the waves parted for their coming. All on board,
officers and members of the two crews as well, stood calmly, waiting
for the dark waters to close over them.

The two ships made a last desperate effort to resist the call of the
sea. They failed. A moment later they disappeared from sight. No sound
came from the depths.

When Frank and Jack had felt themselves in the water, the latter,
realizing immediately what would happen if the ships sank before they
had put some distance in between them, struck out swiftly toward what
he felt to be the south, giving Frank a hand as he did so.

The latter recovered himself a moment later, however, and gasped.

"I'm all right, Jack. Let me swim for myself."

"All right," said Jack, "but keep close beside me. We'll have to hurry
or we shall be pulled under by the suction when the ships sink."

Keeping close together they swam with powerful strokes.

And so it was that they were out of harm's way when the two ships
disappeared from sight with a deafening roar as the waters closed over
them; they were beyond reach of the suction.

"There they go," said Frank, sadly.

"And it is only a miracle that prevented us from going with them," said
Jack.

"We might as well have gone as to be in the middle of the North Sea,"
said Frank.

"Nonsense. While there's life there's hope."

They swam on.

Suddenly Jack's hand came in contact with something in the darkness.

"A man!" he exclaimed.

"What did you think I was? A fish?" came the reply. "I've a right to
escape as well as you."

"Who are you?" asked Frank.

At that moment, as suddenly as it had descended, the fog lifted.

Jack looked at the other man in the water and uttered an exclamation of
pleasure.

"Harris!" he cr