door of the locker opened outward, and eagerly the man
reached inside and pulled. With a thump, a row of heavy objects strung
together rolled out onto the deck--and Ken Torrance sprang suddenly to
the man's side:

"What are you doing?" he cried.

The man looked up sullenly. He mumbled:

"Damn fish--won't get me. I'll blow us all to hell, first!"

At that the connection struck Ken.

"Then that's nitromite!" he shouted. "That's the idea--the nitromite!"

And stooping down, he wrenched the rope of small black boxes which
contained the explosive from the man who had worked so painfully to
get them.

"I'll do the blowing, boy!" he said. "Don't worry; I'll do it
complete!"

* * * * *

Ken, holding the rope of explosives, crossed the deck and pulled
Sallorsen and Lawson around. Their worn faces, with lifeless,
bloodshot eyes, met his own strong features, and he said forcefully:

"Now listen! I need your help. I've found our one last chance for
life. We three are the strongest, and we've got to work like hell.
Understand?"

His enthusiasm and the vigor of his words roused them.

"Yes," said Lawson. "What--we do?"

"You say there's an hour's air left in the sea-suits?" Torrance asked
the captain.

"Yes. An hour."

"Then get the men into the suits," the torpooner ordered. "Help the
weaker ones; slap them till they obey you!" There came the ugly,
deafening crash of the hurled torpoon into the compartment door. Ken
finished grimly: "And for God's sake, hurry! I'll explain later."

Sallorsen and Lawson unquestioningly obeyed. Ken had reached the
spirit in them, the strength not physical, that had all but been
driven out by the long, hopeless weeks and the poisonous stuff that
passed for air, and it had risen and was responding. Sallorsen's
voice, for the first time in days, had his old stern tone of command
in it as, calling on everything within him, he shouted:

"Men, there's still a chance! Everyone into sea-suits! Quick!"

A few of the blue-skinned figures lying panting on the deck looked up.
Fewer moved. They did not at once understand. Only four or five
dragged themselves with pathetic eagerness towards the pile of
sea-suits and the little store of fresh air that remained in them.
Sallorsen repeated his command.

"Hurry! Men--you, Hartley and Robson and Carroll--your suits on!
There's air in them! _Put 'em on!_"

* * * * *

And then Lawso