en he
saw several of the ship's people (whose time was pretty much their own
on the westward trip) hurrying to the rail. One of them called to him,
"We're in for it;" but Tom was not alarmed, for by this time he was too
experienced a "salt" to be easily excited.

"You can see the wake!" someone shouted.

There was a sudden order on the bridge, somebody rushed past him and
then the tray, with all its contents, went crashing upon the steps and
Tom staggered against the stair-rail and clung to it.

The ship was struck--struck as if by a bolt out of the sky.

He had been through this sort of thing before and he was not scared. He
was shocked at the suddenness of it, but he kept his head and started
across the deck for his emergency post, aft. Everyone seemed to be
running in that direction.

He knew that however serious the damage, there was but small danger to
life, since the convoy was at hand and since there were so very few
people upon the ship; there were life-boats enough, without crowding,
for all on board.

But the impact, throwing him down the steps, as it did, had caused him
to twist his foot and he limped over to the rail for its assistance in
walking. Men were now appearing in life-preservers, and hovering
impatiently in the vicinity of the lifeboat davits, but he heard no
orders for manning the boats and he was distinctly aware of the engines
still going.

[Illustration: TOM WAS STANDING, OR TRYING TO STAND, ON A GERMAN
SUBMARINE.]

He hobbled along, holding the rail, intent upon reaching the davits
astern, where the third officer would give him orders, when suddenly
there was a splitting sound, the rail gave way, he struggled to regain
his balance and went headlong over the side, still clutching the piece
of rail which he had been leaning on.

He had the presence of mind to keep hold of it and to swim quickly away
from the vessel, trying to shout as he swam; but the sudden ducking had
filled his mouth with water and he could do little more than splutter.

He could see as he looked up that one of the upright stanchions which at
once strengthened the rail and supported the deck above, was in
splinters and it was this that had weakened the rail so that it gave
way. Vaguely he remembered reading of a submarine which, after
despatching a torpedo, had tried by gunfire to disable the steering
apparatus of a ship, and he wondered if that was the cause of the
shattered stanchion.

He would not have belie