Chapter Eleven

 

Jacob saw the whole thing. “Man overboard!” he yelled. Without thinking, he quickly hurled himself off the ship, into the stormy sea. Down he dove, searching desperately for Jasper. The saltwater stung his eyes and the waves battered him and threatened to bring him down, but he didn't care. He just couldn't let Jasper die.

The darkness and fury of the ocean made it hard to see, but through the murky seawater, Jacob saw a dark shape slowly drifting downward while being tossed by the waves. He tried to swim to the shape, but the waves pushed him back and downward. His lungs were starting to burn, and he knew he couldn't go on like this for very long. He tried again to swim to the shape, but again the seawater slammed against him, knocking the air out of him and hurling him downward. He almost gasped for air, but stopped himself just in time, before he breathed water into his lungs. They burned even worse now, and he could hardly see at all. If he didn't get air soon, he knew he would lose consciousness. He swam as hard as he could to the surface and took large gulps of air once he made it. Then he dove back down to search for Jasper.

Jasper was sinking even lower now, and Jacob had to swim as hard as he could to reach him. The angry sea slammed into him with every movement he made, but Jacob was strong and swam to Jasper anyway. He looped one arm around Jasper and started the difficult swim upward.

The upward swim was even harder than the downward swim had been. Jacob now had extra weight to carry, added by Jasper; and now he was defying the forces of gravity as well as the ocean. Several times the sea sent him downward, and he even dropped Jasper twice and had to quickly grab him again. His lungs ached and once again he almost passed out, but he finally surfaced"just in time.

Jacob was quickly losing strength and Jasper was unconscious. The surface of the sea was no friendlier than down below, and waves submerged Jacob and Jasper several times. Jacob's arms and legs were weak and aching now, and the rain poured in sheets so thick that at first he couldn't find the ship. But then he heard shouting"quiet in competition with the wind, waves, and thunder, but still there. He looked in all directions and saw a rope a couple of yards away to his right. He swam toward it desperately, but just then, a large wave took him and Jasper underwater again. Jacob swam upward as hard as he could, and when he surfaced, he looked for the rope again.

There it was. He swam to it with what little of his strength he had left and grabbed onto it with the hand that wasn't holding onto Jasper.

Three sailors pulled Jacob and Jasper up onto the ship's deck. Jacob laid Jasper down on the deck as soon as they were aboard, then collapsed on the deck beside him, just barely conscious.

As Jacob lay on the deck, exhausted, the three sailors who had pulled them up worked to get Jasper breathing. It didn't seem to be working at first, but for some reason, Jacob wasn't worried. He can't be dead, he thought to himself, the thought that reassured him. He's a king. At that exact moment, he heard Jasper's fitful coughing beside him. A small smile passed over Jacob's lips and he let himself slip into a deep, black sleep.