he bridge,
there were hours of grave anxiety--hours when he feared each wave as it
approached, and wondered what new damage it had done as it receded. As
the wind increased toward morning he felt a sickening certainty that
the brave little boat was beaten. Somehow she seemed to lose courage,
to waver a bit and almost give tip the fight. He watched her miserably
as the dismal dawn came up out of the sea. Yet it was not until seven
o'clock that the crash came, which shook the passengers out of their
berths and filled them with shivering terror. The whirring of the
broken shaft seemed to consume the ship. In every cabin it spoke with
terrible vividness of disaster. The clamor of voices and the rush of
many feet, which followed, meant but one thing. Almost instantly the
machinery was stopped--an ominous silence in the midst of the dull roar
of the water and the cry of the wind.

It was a terrified crowd that quickly gathered in the main cabin, but
it was a brave one. There were no cries and few tears. They expected
anything and were ready for the worst, but they would not show the
white feather. It was Mrs. Dan who broke the tension. "I made sure of
my pearls," she said; "I thought they would be appreciated at the
bottom of the sea."

Brewster came in upon their laughter. "I like your nerve, people," he
exclaimed, "you are all right. It won't be so bad now. The wind has
dropped."

Long afterward when they talked the matter over, DeMille claimed that
the only thing that bothered him that night was the effort to decide
whether the club of which he and Monty were members would put in the
main hallway two black-bordered cards, each bearing a name, or only one
with both names. Mr. Valentine regretted that he had gone on for years
paying life insurance premiums when now his only relatives were on the
boat and would die with him.

The captain, looking pretty rocky after his twenty-four hour vigil,
summoned his chief. "We're in a bad hole, Mr. Brewster," he said when
they were alone, "and no mistake. A broken shaft and this weather make
a pretty poor combination."

"Is there no chance of making a port for repairs?"

"I don't see it, sir. It looks like a long pull."

"We are way off our course, I suppose?" and Monty's coolness won
Captain Perry's admiration.

"I can't tell just how much until I get the sun, but this wind is hell.
I suspect we've drifted pretty far."

"Come and get some coffee, captain. While the storm la