From these clouds a few lengthy protuberances escaped, and their points as they fell seemed to draw up hills of foaming water to meet them.
Suddenly the water shot up in the form of a gigantic hourglass, and the "Albatross" was enveloped in the eddy of an enormous waterspout, while twenty others, black as ink, raged around her.

Fortunately the gyratory movement of the water was opposite to that of the suspensory screws, otherwise the aeronef would have been hurled into the sea.
But she began to spin round on herself with frightful rapidity.

The danger was immense, and perhaps impossible to escape, for the engineer could not get through the spout which sucked him back in defiance of his propellers.

The men, thrown to the ends of the deck by centrifugal force, were grasping the rail to save themselves from being shot off.
"Keep cool!" shouted Robur.
They wanted all their coolness, and their patience, too.

Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans, who had just come out of their cabin, were hurled back at the risk of flying overboard.