ets
again, rig the pumps, and lead along the hose ready to play upon the
fire, should such be discovered. Away, all of you, to your duty."

It may possibly be thought by the reader that the above was rather a
long speech for a man to make at a time when he believed the ship to be
on fire under his feet, and when moments were consequently precious;
but, after all, the delay amounted to only some three minutes, and those
three minutes were well spent, for the skipper's speech had the effect
of steadying the men, subduing any tendency to panic among them, and
rendering them amenable to that strict discipline which is of such
inestimable value and importance in the presence of great emergencies.
They went away to their work in as quiet and orderly a manner as though
they had been dismissed below.

The wedges were quickly knocked out, the battens removed, the tarpaulin
stripped off, the hatches lifted, and the upper tier of cargo disclosed,
with the result that almost immediately a thin wreath of pale-brown
smoke began to stream up from between the bales and cases.

"No mistake about that, sir," observed the chief mate to the skipper,
pointing to the curling smoke wreaths; "there's fire somewhere down
there. Now, lads, let's get down to it, and make short work of it.
You, Jim, and Simpson, get to work, and break out that bale and as much
else as you can get at, and rouse it out on deck. Chips! ... Where's
the carpenter?"

"Here I are, Mr Priest," answered the carpenter, emerging from the
forecastle hatchway after having stowed away his mawl again in the most
methodical manner.

"That's right," observed the mate. "Now, Chips, our foremast having
gone, we want a derrick or a pair of sheers over this hatchway to help
us in breaking out the cargo. Find a spar, or something that will serve
our purpose, and let the bo'sun rig up what we want. Well done, men;
now, out with that crate; jump down into that hole, one or two of you,
and lend the others a hand."

The work went forward rapidly and steadily, and in a very short time
there was a goodly display of cargo on the deck about the fore-hatch.
The smoke, however, which at first had streamed up in a mere thread-like
wreath, was now pouring out of the hatch in a cloud so dense that the
men working at the cargo were obliged to be relieved every three or four
minutes to avoid suffocation. The business was beginning to assume a
very serious aspect. And now, too, the sto