it smashed on the iron
plates within a few feet of us. Buckrow and Long Jim disappeared in the
saloon after this, and Thirkle looked his chart over again and motioned
to Petrak to alter the helm.

"He's heading her in for the strait," said Riggs. "He had better allow
for that tide-rip that comes down through, or she'll have her head swung
round at this speed before he knows where he is at."

The steamer seemed to be gradually losing headway, and the throbbing of
her engines was becoming less pronounced. I observed, also, that the
smoke from her funnel was beginning to hang over her and curl down upon
the bridge. But, in spite of her slowing down, the musical ripple at her
bow increased, and Riggs said it was due to the set of the current
against us, which came through the channel very strong, as the island cut
out a deep current and brought it to the surface of the sea in the narrow
passage between the island and the mainland.

"It's a bad hole in there," he said. "He needs more speed to handle her
right in there and--"

"Something is up!" I told him, as I saw Thirkle listen a second and step
quickly to the engine-room telegraph and throw it over.

I could hear the sharp clang of the bell; but the next instant there was
a terrific roar, and the superstructure began to vomit steam through the
engine-room skylight just abaft the little wheel-house.

"The boilers!" yelled Riggs. "She's blowing off, and there is a
steam-pipe gone, or somebody below has opened her whole insides up."

The _Kut Sang_ was a white volcano amidships, and I saw Thirkle yelling
frantically, and Buckrow and Long Jim appeared in the passage below and
yelled to Thirkle, waving their arms, and then dashed up the ladder to
the bridge.

Suddenly they started back and grouped themselves about Petrak at the
wheel with drawn weapons, and the next instant I saw a half-dozen forms
emerge from the welter of steam and dash at the pirates.

They were Chinese and Filipino stokers, but one of them seemed to be the
leader, and he wore an engineer's cap and was stripped to the waist. I
saw the puffs of smoke from the pistols of the four pirates--Petrak put
his back to the wheel and fired over Thirkle's shoulder--but the awful
racket of the steam-pipes drowned the reports.

Two of the Chinese fell at the first volley, and a third, evidently
wounded, turned in his tracks and jumped over the rail. Another hacked
viciously at Thirkle with a long knife, but h