distorting the features away from all likeness to the picture, it made
it grotesquely identical.

And Burr was hearing something--something distinct and terrifying; but
he seemed not surprised, but rather satisfied that Alan had not heard.
He nodded his head at Alan's denial, and, without reply to Alan's
demand, he stood listening. Something bent him forward; he
straightened; again the something came; again he straightened. Four
times Alan counted the motions. Burr was hearing again the four long
blasts of distress! But there was no noise but the gale. "The four
blasts!" He recalled old Burr's terror outside the radio cabin. The
old man was hearing blasts which were not blown!

He moved on and took the wheel. He was a good wheelsman; the vessel
seemed to be steadier on her course and, somehow, to steam easier when
the old man steered. His illusions of hearing could do no harm, Alan
considered; they were of concern only to Burr and to him.

Alan, relieving the lookout at the bow, stood on watch again. The
ferry thrust on alone; in the wireless cabin the flame played steadily.
They had been able to get the shore stations again on both sides of the
lake and also the _Richardson_. As the ferry had worked northward, the
_Richardson_ had been working north too, evidently under the impression
that the vessel in distress, if it had headway, was moving in that
direction. By its position, which the _Richardson_ gave, the steamers
were about twenty miles apart.

Alan fought to keep his thought all to his duty; they must be now very
nearly at the position where the _Richardson_ last had heard the four
long blasts; searching for a ship or for boats, in that snow, was
almost hopeless. With sight even along the searchlight's beam
shortened to a few hundred yards, only accident could bring Number 25
up for rescue, only chance could carry the ship where the shouts--or
the blasts of distress if the wreck still floated and had steam--would
be heard.

Half numbed by the cold, Alan stamped and beat his arms about his body;
the swing of the searchlight in the circle about the ship had become
long ago monotonous, purely mechanical, like the blowing of the
whistle; Alan stared patiently along the beam as it turned through the
sector where he watched. They were meeting frequent and heavy floes,
and Alan gave warning of these by hails to the bridge; the bridge
answered and when possible the steamer avoided the floes; when it