Part 6 (2/2)

Rob, still shaky from his experience, related, as briefly as possible, just what had caused his cry of alarm

”Well, those liners take desperate chances,” commented the officer; ”had they struck us, not only we, but they, would have been seriously injured”

”Gee! I wish you could have found time to ask 'e his stoourd”

”I reckon we could all do with soles”

The ensign bade theht we one, it won't take long for some vessel to pick us up”

He spoke with a cheerfulness he was actually far fro In fact, his boyish listeners were not inclined to look hopefully on the situation By this tiiven al pitcher of cool ice water

”I will take the relance at his watch ”You only had a few minutes to serve anyway, and the next round of duty is mine”

”Very well,” said Rob; ”to tell the truth, a nap would feel pretty good

I hope things will have cleared by the ti the officer on the fog-circled deck Thethelisten as if water had been newly poured on the of the shi+p that had so nearly run them doas to be heard

”Narrow escape, that! Narrower than I quite care to ad officer ”I wonder if those lads realize how bad a fix we are in I s at all”

He fell to pacing the deck, and then decided to have a cigar For this purpose he produced a perfecto fro the deck once ar finished, he tossed it aside Possibly it was his worry over their predicaard, but instead of observing the rule of the sea to cast all such things overboard, he threw it to the deck A lurch of the _Good Hope_ caused the glowing butt of the cigar to go rolling across the deck and to drop into the hold below

It was some time later that Paul Perkins cail

As he cahostly figure, slightly darker than the fog, slip fron, as pacing up and down

Much startled, Paul called out aloud, and at the same instant a peculiar acrid odor ca!” he cried

Simultaneously he had co froure was a whirl of s's on fire below!” cried the boy, dashi+ng forward

The ensign reached the edge of the hold as quickly Together they peered over into the great open space below Both involuntarily recoiled with a cry of horror and alarm at what they saw

The _Good Hope's_ hold was ainto a red hot furnace

Adrift in a blinding fog, on a burning shi+p, and without boats, was a predicament the like of which their adventurous lives had never before encountered!

The cigar so carelessly cast aside by the ensign had fallen upon a pile of sacking, grease-soaked and infla in the former whaler's hold Like all whale shi+ps the tirease, the result of whale oil and blubber Such timbers burn like matchwood