o get
everything possible.

He now set up his camera in different parts of the ship, and made a
number of separate views. The black smoke would come out particularly
well on the film, he knew.

The men were shown at their various stations, and of those at the
hatchway where the smoke came up, several different views were made.
Captain Falcon was also shown, directing the fire-fighting.

In order to cut off the draft from the fire the hatchway had been covered
with heavy tarpaulins, the hose being put through holes cut in them.

There was some relaxation of the tension following the captain's little
speech, but even yet there were serious faces among the passengers, as
the volume of smoke seemed to grow instead of diminish. Captain Falcon,
too, was observed to be laboring under a strain.

"I wonder if it is true--as he says--that there is no danger?" observed
Alice, as she, Paul and Ruth walked about uneasily, pausing now and then
to observe the men at work.

"Oh, I think so," answered Paul, quickly. "He would have no object in
deceiving us, and let matters go so long that it would be necessary to
take a risk in getting to the boats. If he did that he might be censured
by the owners. I think he really believes there is no danger. And when he
thinks otherwise he will give us ample warning."

"Let us hope so," murmured Mr. DeVere. "Fire is a terrible
element--terrible, and at sea there is nothing more awful! I trust we may
be spared from it."

"Let's go see if the wireless is working," suggested Ruth. "It will take
our minds off the fire to know that help is being called for--and perhaps
on the way."

"Yes, it is working," announced Alice, as they drew near the quarters
occupied by the wireless operator and heard the spiteful snapping of the
notched wheel of the spark-gap apparatus.

They looked in and saw the operator with the telephone receivers on his
ears, while with nervous fingers he pressed the key that made and broke
the circuit, thus sending out from the wire aerials between the masts the
dots and dashes that, flying through the air, were received on other
aerials and translated from meaningless clicks into words fraught with
meaning.

"I must get a picture of that, too," observed Russ, as he came up behind
Paul, Ruth and Alice. "May I?" he asked of the captain, who, at that
moment came to give an order.

"Yes," nodded the commander. And while the vivid blue spark shot from the
revolving wheel to t