ked over the little craft
to ascertain what his father had thought best to save.

He could find nothing there; but on searching the starboard gig he
discovered a small quantity of wearing apparel.

"I wonder if that is the craft he intends to go in, or have the clothes
simply been thrown anywhere."

At that moment Mr. Emery came out of the pilot-house followed by Mr.
Walters, and Neal ran forward to ask which boat his father intended to
use in case the abandonment became necessary.

"It makes no particular difference," Mr. Emery replied in answer to
Neal's question. "We can easily arrange the details later. Go into the
engine-room and tell Jake to drive her at full speed, and to report if
the water we are pumping in is likely to rise as high as the furnaces."

Promising himself that he would re-stow the goods on the gig, putting
his father's with those belonging to himself and Teddy, as soon as this
message had been delivered, he descended the companion-way after
glancing rapidly around the horizon.

There was no land to be seen on either hand, and he understood at once
why the order to keep the yacht going at full speed had been given.

The small boats were by no means stanch enough to be depended on for a
long cruise unless the present dead calm should continue until they
could reach land, and every effort was to be made to gain some of the
islands in the vicinity.

When Neal entered the engine-room he believed for an instant that Jake
had not heard of the terrible danger which threatened. Work there was
going on as usual, except, perhaps, that the engineer and his assistants
were watching the machinery a trifle more carefully than seemed really
necessary; but when he repeated the message Jake's face grew just a
shade paler.

"Say to your father that we have got on every pound of steam that can be
raised, and it will be necessary to slow down presently because the
bearings are growing warm. The water is already above the fire-room
floors, and if the pump is worked an hour longer the fires will be
drowned."

"But you must keep her going, Jake. It would be terrible to take to the
boats when there was no land in sight."

"I'm bound to do my best; but a man can go only so far. Do you know
where we are?"

"No."

"What is being done on deck?"

"The sailors are pumping, and the stewards are provisioning the boats."

"Getting ready to abandon the little craft, are they?"

"Father said that was being done