rprise at the alarming intelligence--the most
awful that can be circulated on board a ship, and one that fills up the
seaman's cup of horrors to the brim--Captain Billings quickly recovered
his usual equanimity. He was his own clear-headed, calm, collected self
again in a moment.

"How did you discover it?" he asked the mate, in a low tone.

"I was ganging forwarts," said Mr Macdougall, in the same hushed key,
so that only Captain Billings and I could catch his words, "when a' at
once I smeelt somethin'--"

"Ah, that raking flying jibboom of yours wasn't given you for nothing!"
whispered the skipper, alluding to the mate's rather "pronounced" nose.

"Aye, mon, it sairves me weel," said Mr Macdougall, feeling the ridge
of his nasal organ with much apparent satisfaction, and then proceeding
to finish his statement. "But I could no meestake the smeel, the noo."

"Something burning, I suppose?" said the skipper interrogatively.

"You're right, Cap'en; the smeel was that o' boornin' wood and gas."

"What did you do then?" asked Captain Billings.

"I joost slippet off the main hatch, and the smeel was quite
overpowerin', enough to choke one! so I e'en slippet the hatch on again,
walking forwarts so as not to alarm the crew; and then I cam' aft to
tell your ain sel'."

"You did right," said the skipper. "I'll go presently and have a look
myself."

Captain Billings' inspection proved that the mate's fears were but too
well-founded; so he immediately had the pumps rigged by the watch on
duty--"all hands" not being called yet, as the vessel was lying-to, and
there was not much work to be done. But a lot of water was pumped into
the hold, after which the hatches were battened down, and we hoped the
fire would die out from being smothered in this way.

Meanwhile the north-westerly gale increased to almost a hurricane, the
ship taking in great seas over her bows that deluged the decks, so that
the waist sometimes was all awash with four feet of water on it; but
this did not trouble us much, for of the two elements the sea was now
the least feared, as we hoped that the one would check the spread of the
other.

Next day, however, when the gale lightened a little, and the _Esmeralda_
rode easier, still head to sea, the men complained that the fo'c'sle was
getting too hot for them to live in it, although the temperature of the
exterior air was nearly down to freezing point.

This looked ominous; so Captain Billings, d