They
can hardly have passed out of sight."

I shaded my eyes, and looked long and carefully east, west, north, and
south, but could see nothing, and said so.

"Well, that's good news; but I don't want them to see that the ship is
still floating, and come back again. Go up to the main-topgallant
mast-head, and have a look from there."

I mounted higher, and reached the head, to pause there and survey, but
as far as I could see there was nothing visible.

"That will do; come down," shouted Mr Brymer; and I descended as
quickly as I could to the deck, when we took a hurried peep at the
forecastle, to find there and in the galley plenty of traces of the
hurried departure of Jarette and the crew.

"They do not seem to have been disposed to stop for the explosion,
Dale," said Mr Brymer, smiling. "Now let's hail the boat, and have our
friends on board."

"But do you really think it safe for them to come?" I said again.

"I told you before, my lad, safer than in an open boat. My good fellow,
escaping as we were last night, we were glad to do anything; but think
of the sufferings of Miss Denning and our wounded in such close
quarters! They must come on board while we fight the fire; and if
matters get too bad, there will be the boat all ready, swinging astern,
and we can take to it."

The boat was hailed, one of the gangways amidships opened, and by means
of a sling, which Bob Hampton and Barney soon had rigged, Miss Denning
and our invalids were quickly hauled on deck. Then after the boat had
been made fast, they were left in charge of the doctor and Mr Preddle,
who had orders to join us as soon as the sufferers were attended to in
the cabin; while Mr Brymer led us forward to see if something could not
be done to save the ship.

CHAPTER FORTY TWO.

Ours appeared to be a herculean task, for the fire had been burning many
hours now, as after a little examination Mr Brymer decided that it
would be best to attack it from the starboard side, where a bold man
could approach the worst part and pour in water from buckets if the hose
from the pump could not be brought to bear.

As I looked down into the blackened hold, surrounded by the jagged
planks of the deck, which had been splintered and torn in the most
wonderful way, the place looked to me like what I had always imagined a
volcano to be. This was very small, of course; but there was the
glowing centre, from which arose a column of smoke towering and curli