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"There's twelve inches of steel there," he said with a laugh; "let 'em knock on it and welcome. Don't you smoke? I always do; it keeps my head clear." Two more shots, one right above the engine-room and the second at the ram, answered his levity. "Come on, you devils!" he blurted out with glee. "Come in and dance, by thunder, while I play ye the tune! Now hearken to it."
This they hurried to the stern bitts, taking a pass also around the steam winch. Leaving the fireman to watch it, Dan dashed into the pilot-house and sounded the jingle-bell in the engine-room. For a few minutes the churnings of the screw were discounted by the bulk of the yacht plus the elemental forces which sought to keep her head just where it was in the trough of the sea.
At the hotel they had learnt the cause of the explosion during the night; an accident in the engine-room of a tramp steamer, which had done considerable damage, but caused no bodily injury. "We may hope to win yet," said Dr. Cairn, in speaking of the incident. "It was the hand of God."
Sunshine was streamin' in through the porthole, and I was just wonderin' if I'd slept right through the breakfast gong when boom! it came again. There's a rush of feet on deck, some panicky remarks from the man up in the bow, a quick clangin' of the engine-room bells, and then I feels the propellers reversed. "Good night!" says I. "Pinched on the high seas!"
They had not yet shown me the engines of the nameless ship, and I welcomed the opportunity, grown weary with watching the dull green of the sea, and the monotony of the sky-laden clouds. Dick led the way quickly from the gallery to the lower deck, and thence down an iron ladder to the great engine-room.
"Heavens!" thought I, "perhaps at this very moment they are beneath our feet, in the hold or engine-room, preparing their diabolical contrivance!" It was better to know the worst than to remain in such suspense. "Steward," said Dick, "are there any other gentlemen about?" "There's two in the smoking-room, sir," answered the steward.
But the stopping of the engines awoke him instantly. He felt the ship lurch away from her course, and saw the quick swerve of the compass indicator over his head. As he ran down the gangway leading from the bridge he heard the officer of the watch say: "Something given way in the engine-room, sir."
I've seen all this before, and it isn't as though we were rowing for all we were worth in the old Mermaid I mean, the Craft and in danger of getting into currents and being swept away to I don't know where. Now I have no doubt the boys are having no end of a good time, going into the engine-room and getting themselves dirty, and climbing all over the place, and listening to the sailors' yarns.
The captain is continually in the engine-room, and we know when things are looking more unpropitious than usual by his coming up puffing his cigar with unusual strength of determination. It has been so far a very pleasant voyage.
Propping up the stout old chap behind so that he could not slip back down the slippery steel ladder, as he only had the one arm now to hold on by, the three of us reached the level of the engine-room all right, the chief, resting here a moment to give a look round and a word to Grummet, who of course was still in charge, telling him to slow down still further and use all his spare steam for clearing the bilge, as the sluice valves had been opened to prevent the fires being flooded out, and the pumps were in good working order again.
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