e.

CHAPTER XVII

THE EMERGENCY DAM

The crashing and splintering of wood, the grinding of one vessel
against the other at the concrete pier, the shrill tooting of the
whistles, and the confused shouts of the respective captains of
the craft made a din out of which it seemed order would never
come.

"If I could only get this on a film!" said Joe to himself during a
calm moment. But the cameras were below in the cabin, and the tug
was now careened at such an angle that it was risky to cross the
decks. Besides Joe must think of saving himself, for it looked as
though the tug would be crushed and sunk.

"Pull us out of here!" yelled Captain Watson to the man on the
lock wall in charge of the electrical towing locomotives. "Pull us
out!"

That seemed one way out of the trouble, for the _Nama_ was being
crushed between the Brazilian steamer and the wall. But the order
had come too late, for now the tug was wedged in, and no power
could move her without tearing her to pieces, until the pressure
of the big steamer was removed.

So, wisely, the men in charge of the towing machines did not
follow Captain Watson's orders.

"Over this way!" cried Blake to his chum, and to Mr. Alcando, who
were standing amid-ships. Joe was at the bow, and because that was
narrower than the main portion of the tug, it had not yet been
subjected to the awful pressure.

But there was no need of Joe or the others, including Captain
Watson, changing their positions. The Brazilian ship now began
drawing away, aided by her own engines, and by the tow ropes
extending from the other side of the lock wall. The _Nama_, which
had been partly lifted up in the air, as a vessel in the Arctic
Ocean is lifted when two ice floes begin to squeeze her, now
dropped down again, and began settling slowly in the water.

"She's sinking!" cried Blake. "Our cameras--our films, Joe!"

"Yes, we must save them!" his chum shouted.

"I'll help!" offered the Spaniard. "Are we really sinking?"

"Of course!" shouted Captain Watson. "How could anything else
happen after being squeezed in that kind of a cider press? We'll
go to the bottom sure!"

"Leave the boat!" yelled one of the men on top of the lock wall.
"We're going to tow you out of the way, so when you sink you won't
block the lock!"

"Let's get out our stuff!" Blake cried again, and realizing, but
hardly understanding, what was happening, the boys rushed below to
save what they could.

Fortun