eam of fire.

"Oh, heaven! what shall we do?" exclaimed Elwood, struck with a panic.

"Wait and trust to Providence."

"Let us jump overboard; I'd rather be drowned than burned to death.
Come, Howard, let's jump over this minute!"

He made a move toward the stern of the steamer, near which they had been
seated, as if he intended to spring overboard, when his arm was sternly
caught by the Irishman, who said in an indignant tone:

"Kaap cool! kaap cool! don't make a fool of yoursilf. Can ye swim?"

"Yes," answered Howard, "we can both swim very well. Can you?"

"Indaad, I can--swim like a stone."

"But good heavens!" exclaimed Elwood, who had not entirely recovered
from his excitement, "the land is miles off, and we can't swim there,
not taking into account the heavy sea."

"What does that mean?"

As Howard spoke, the bow of the steamer made a sweeping bend to the
right.

"They've headed toward shore," said Elwood.

This snatch of conversation had occupied the shortest possible space of
time. The fire had been discovered by the officials on board fully as
soon as by our friends, and the men could be seen running hurriedly to
and fro, all quiet and still, for they knew too well what the result
would be if the alarm was communicated to the sleeping passengers. The
pilot had headed the vast craft toward land, and by the furious
throbbing of the engines it could be seen that the doomed vessel was
straining to the utmost, like some affrighted, faithful horse striving
to carry his master as nearly as possible to the port of safely ere he
dropped down and died.

It was fully midnight, and, as a matter of course, very nearly all the
passengers were in their berths. There were a few, however, who were
lingering on the promenade deck, some smoking--here and there a couple
of lovers all unconscious of everything else--one or two avaricious
speculators; and but a few minutes could elapse before the startling
danger should become known.

The last words, which we have given as spoken by our friends, had
scarcely been said, when a man, who apparently had been stretched out
sound asleep, suddenly sprung up, wild with terror. "The boat is on
fire! _fire! fire_!"

He darted hither and thither like some wild animal compassed on every
hand by death, and then suddenly made a leap overboard, and was
swallowed up in the sea.

The alarm spread with fearful rapidity, and was soon ringing through
every part of the steamer, and