Phineas moved his legs and slowly backed away from the entrance. The eel, a dull brown color and surprisingly thick, continued to hover near the door, its acute senses searching for prey. Phineas thought back to his studies; an electric eel of this size posed no real threat to his life, but if he were to be attacked he would go into shock and likely drown. Nor would the eel attack him, but it would discharge should he swim too close, and with its position in the doorway there was no room for him to swim out. 
Phineas felt the hard iron wall hit his back; he had reached the other end of the craft. He was safe in terms of distance, but now his breath was running out. Frantically, he looked about himself as the pain began to squeeze around his chest. His eyes locked on the tubing.
[i]This is probably the most idiotic thing you've ever done.[/i]
He reached to his pant leg and ripped a small bit of cloth off, then raised it next to the tank. In a quick motion, he pulled out the tubing and jammed in the cloth. Air continued to flow out of the oil-tipped tube. [i]Thank you, Eliza.[/i] he thought, and wiped the tube off before taking a draw from it. It wasn't the purest air, being already partially breathed and processed, but it kept him alive. 
The eel had not moved.