He had driven a knife at John Armitage, and was poising himself for another attempt when Shirley seized his arm.

As he drew back a fold of his cloak still lay in Shirley's grasp, and she gave a sharp little cry as the figure, with a quick jerk, released the cloak and slipped away into the shadows.

A moment later the lights were restored, and she saw Armitage regarding ruefully a long slit in the left arm of his ulster.
"Are you hurt?
What has happened ?" she demanded.
"It must have been a sea-serpent," he replied, laughing.
The deck officer regarded them curiously as they blinked in the glare of light, and asked whether anything was wrong.

Armitage turned the matter off.
"I guess it was a sea-serpent," he said.

"It bit a hole in my ulster, for which I am not grateful." Then in a lower tone to Shirley: "That was certainly a strange proceeding.