Ch8-Monster of the Deep

CHAPTER EIGHT Monster of the Deep! Sailors were on the top deck. They were yelling and pointing. The giant octopus loosened his hold on Jack and Annie. "The ship!" Jack gurgled before slipping under the water. His head

popped back up. "Swim to the ship!" he shouted to Annie. Jack and Annie started swimming. The sky was still covered with clouds and the sea was still rough. But arm over arm, they swam until they got close to the ladder on the side of the ship. "Ahoy!" someone shouted from above. Jack looked up and saw Henry and the professor standing at the top of the ladder. "Climb up!" yelled Henry. "Hurry, children! Hurry!" cried the professor. "Before it comes back!"

Jack swam as fast as he could to the ladder. He and Annie got there at the same time. They pulled themselves onto the ladder and climbed. When they reached the top, Henry and the professor helped them onto the deck. Henry wrapped wool blankets around them. "Thank goodness you are saved!" said the professor. "I thought you were below in the hold!" said Henry. "How did you end up in the water?" "The storm… the waves…," gasped Jack, shivering.

"The waves threw us overboard," said Annie. "Why were you up on deck?" said Henry. "I was—I was seasick!" said Jack. "I followed Jack, and big waves came crashing down and washed us into the water!" said Annie. "Our life vests saved us at first," said Jack. "But then they came off!" "Then the octopus saved us," said Annie. "That monster saved you?" asked the professor.

"No, no, not a monster," said Jack, "a giant octopus!" "Yes, the monster of the deep! I do not think it saved you, boy," said the professor. "It is a miracle it did not eat you and your sister alive!" "No, no, he's—he's not a monster. He didn't try to do any of that—" said Jack. "He did save us!" said Annie. "He held us up above the water." "Really!" said Jack. "He kept us from drowning. Then he got scared away by the ship." "We didn't even thank him, Jack," said Annie. "We didn't say good-bye."

Jack and Annie looked back at the water. "Hey, what's going on over there?" said Annie. She pointed to the rear of the ship. Sailors were facing the sea, yelling and shouting. "What are they yelling at?" Annie asked. Jack and Annie threw off their blankets and took off across the deck. They saw Joe and Tommy standing at the edge of the crowd. "What are they doing?" Annie yelled. "What's going on?" "They snared it in the net!" shouted Tommy.