Hiccup's first thought was that he was going to drown. He was turned over and over in somersault after somersault, down, down, down in such a rush that he felt like his head was bursting. A strange, calm sensation of no longer really caring came over him, and then he was roughly grabbed by the shoulders and dragged coughing and spluttering to the surface of the water and into an air pocket trapped beneath the sinking ship.
The boat was still traveling downwards with such rapidity that Hiccup's ears popped again and again, but at least he could breathe.
"My turn to save YOUR life," gasped Fishlegs.
"Oh yes," said Hiccup sarcastically, once he'd got his breath back, "and I suppose the reason I'm here in the first place is nothing to do with you? If you hadn't gone rushing after Alvin we would be on board the other boat by now.... Didn't you hear me shouting at you?"
164 Fishlegs blushed. "Couldn't hear anything, actually," he mumbled.
"A fine time for us to discover you're a Beserk," grumbled Hiccup.
Fishlegs blushed even deeper. "Do you think that's what it was?" he asked shyly. He was secretly extremely proud that he had these violent hidden depths.
"Yes, I do," said Hiccup. "Anyway, my life isn't exactly SAVED yet, is it? It's not like we're tucked ,up safely in bed in the Hooligan Village. I mean, where ARE we?"
The boat finally stopped its descent and settled gently on the seabed.
[Image: Fishes.] "At the b-b-b-bottom of the ocean," said Toothless as he floated by, crouched in an upturned Outcast helmet like a malevolent eagle sitting on a nest, his eyes glowing like candles. (One of the only interesting features of the Common or Garden dragon is that its eyes light up in the dark.) "The boat turned over and we seem 165 to be trapped underneath in some sort of air pocket," explained Fishlegs.
Hiccup peered up the length of the upturned Lucky Thirteen. Sure enough, all the benches were now the ceiling of what looked like a long, low, barrel-vaulted hall, with water for a floor. Chairs, oars and cushions floated by, but as far as he could see or hear, there was no one else trapped with them, no furious Outcasts or helpful Hooligans.
"Everyone else must have jumped off in time," said Fishlegs.
"Hang on a sec," said Hiccup, "somebody seems to be stuck under a bench down there. ..." He dived below the surface, his kicking legs swamping Fishlegs and Toothless in a small tidal wave.
He was gone for nearly a minute and a half. When he finally resurfaced, he was holding a very limp and green Alvin the Treacherous.
"What you saving HIM for?" complained Toothless. "He a r-r-rat.
Toothless kill him, if you like," he said, cheering up no end, his claws extending towards the sleeping Alvin.
[Image: Fishes.] 166 As if he heard these words, Alvin opened his eyes. His face crumpled up and he cried like a baby.
"My treasure," he cried, "my treasure. Gone, gone, gone. ..."
"We are not interested in your treasure," said Fishlegs coldly. "What about the fact that not half an hour ago you were about to put the entire Hooligan Tribe into slavery? Not to mention serving up poor old Hiccup here as a starter. If it wasn't for YOUR stupid treasure we could all be sitting in one of Gobber the Belch's classes staring vacantly out of the window while he bangs on about Frightening Foreigners."
"We can still find it," said Alvin urgently, trying to peer into the water below him. "It's down there somewhere, the ground isn't far beneath me.
HELP ME everybody, and we shall live like kings. ..."
"Oh belt up, you madman," snapped Fishlegs.
"We haven't got time," interrupted Hiccup. "This really is our lucky day.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this air pocket is getting smaller."
Hiccup was right.
The air pocket was getting smaller.
167