across both port tracks. The men attacked it
with dismay; Corvet's shout called them away and rallied them farther
back; they ran with him to the car from which he had uncoupled it.

It was a flat car laden with steel beams. At Corvet's command, the
crew ranged themselves beside it with bars. The bow of the ferry rose
to some great wave and, with a cry to the men, Corvet pulled the pin.
The others thrust with their bars, and the car slid down the sloping
track; and Corvet, caught by some lashing of the beams, came with it.
The car crashed into the box car, splintered it, turned it, shoved it,
and thrust it over the fantail into the water; the flat car, telescoped
into it, was dragged after. Alan leaped upon it and catching at
Corvet, freed him and flung him down to the deck, and dropped with him.
A cheer rose as the car cleared the fantail, dove, and disappeared.

Alan clambered to his feet. Corvet already was back among the cars
again, shouting orders; the mate and the men who had followed him
before leaped at his yells. The lurch which had cleared the two cars
together had jumped others away from the rails. They hurtled from side
to side, splintering against the stanchions which stayed them from
crashing across the center line of the ship; rebounding, they battered
against the cars on the outer tracks and crushed them against the side
of the ship. The wedges, blocks, and chains which had secured them
banged about on the deck, useless; the men who tried to control these
cars, dodging as they charged, no longer made attempt to secure the
wheels. Corvet called them to throw ropes and chains to bind the loads
which were letting go; the heavier loads--steel beams, castings,
machinery--snapped their lashings, tipped from their flat cars and
thundered down the deck. The cars tipped farther, turned over; others
balanced back; it was upon their wheels that they charged forward, half
riding one another, crashing and demolishing, as the ferry pitched; it
was upon their trucks that they tottered and battered from side to side
as the deck swayed. Now the stern again descended; a line of cars
swept for the fantail. Corvet's cry came to Alan through the screaming
of steel and the clangor of destruction. Corvet's cry sent men with
bars beside the cars as the fantail dipped into the water; Corvet,
again leading his crew, cleared the leader of those madly charging cars
and ran it over the stern.

The fore trucks fell and