Tom activated the suction nets to get some specimens. At the same time, the searchlight was turned on and more pictures taken.
“I guess that’s enough,” Tom said. “Now we’ll follow the mass and see where it goes.”
In a moment the school of squid began to drop like an elevator. The jetmarine descended with them.
136 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE
“Hey, watch out!” Bud yelled. “We’re going down into a canyon!”
He could see the volcanic stone ledges that had been worn smooth by pressure and tides of countless centuries.
Tom watched the instrument panel intently. “We’re nearly halfway to the bottom!” he reported.
The drama of the situation plunged both boys into silence. They were doing something never achieved by human beings. Then Tom said tersely: A maze of forty-foot-long tentacles
AN OCEAN MONSTER
137
“Bud, we’re at the bottom of the canyon.”
“We left the squid behind,” Bud reported. “I’ll turn off the searchlight and see what happens.” , Suddenly, as the boys looked out, they saw gigantic ribbons of intense light waving ahead of the bow.
“Switch on the light!” Tom cried.
When Bud did, the phosphorescence vanished. But in the strong beam was a terrifying sight. A maze of thick forty-foot-long tentacles was slithering toward them!
slithered toward the jetmarine
138 TOM SWIFT AND HIS JETMARINE
“It’s a giant squid!” Tom yelled.
“As big as a submarine,” Bud groaned. “Look at the size of its eye! Like a barrel top. We’d better shoot it!”
Tom mused for a second. “I hate to destroy this creature,” he said. “I think we’ll just get out of its way.”