than six hundred of us on board, Andrew." His
head dropped suddenly, his chin twitched. Mr. Mott looked away.
"I don't believe it will come to that," said he, an odd note of
confidence in his voice. "'Tain't likely, old friend, that God would see
us safely through all we've had to tackle and then desert us in the end.
Something's bound to turn up. I've a feeling,--a queer feeling,--that
we're going to pull out of this all right. I know it looks mighty
hopeless, but--"
"Just the same, Mr. Mott," broke in the Captain, lifting his head and
setting his jaw, "you'd better set all available hands to work on the
rafts immediately. It's true God has helped us through a lot, but it
strikes me we'd better be on the safe side and help God a little at
this stage of the game. He is wonderful, Andrew, but He isn't wonderful
enough to keep man afloat very long unless man himself builds the raft.
So don't lose a minute."
Anxious, inquiring eyes followed the Captain and his First Officer
wherever they went. On all sides were silent, beaten people who asked
no questions, for they were afraid of the answers. Sick, dazed, haggard,
they stared hopelessly, drearily out over the water; for all that their
faces revealed the end was near at hand and they cared but little. They
had been through one hell; death could bring nothing worse.
Here and there a stout-hearted optimist appeared among them, but his
very cheerfulness seemed to offend. They did not want to hear his silly,
stupid predictions that something was "sure to turn up." They knew
that water was coming into the hold; they knew that there were but four
lifeboats and seven hundred men and women; they knew that the Doraine
was going down in a very few hours; they knew that the Captain had given
up all hope of rescue. Nothing could "turn up" now but death.
Madame Obosky had taken a great fancy to Algernon Adonis Percival, and
for a most peculiar reason. He had, it appears, abused her roundly
on the first night of the storm for venturing on deck against orders,
compelling him to risk what he considered a very precious life in a
successful effort to drag her back to safety. As a matter of fact,
he did not drag her back to safety. That feat was accomplished by two
sailors who managed to reach both of them before another devastating
wave came up to tear his grip loose from the broken rail to which he
clung with one bandaged hand while he kept her from sliding into the sea
with the o
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