e's got
so used to the phrase," replied the other, joining in the skipper's
laugh. "But, hullo, here comes old Stokes, panting and puffing along
the gangway. I hope nothing's wrong in the engine-room."

"I hope not," said the skipper. "We want to go all we can just now, to
overhaul that ship Haldane saw."

"_If_ he saw it," muttered the first officer, under his breath and
glowering at me. "A pack of sheer nonsense, I call it, this going out
of our course on a wild-goose chase and tearing away full speed on a
wild night like this, in a howling sea, with a gale, too, astern; and
all because an ass of a youngster fancies he saw the _Flying Dutchman_!"

I daresay the captain heard him, but the appearance just then of Mr
Stokes, our chief engineer, who had now reached the bridge, panting and
puffing at every step, as Mr Fosset had said, he being corpulent of
habit and short-winded, stopped any further controversy on the point as
to whether I had seen, or had not seen, the mysterious ship.

"Cap'en, Cap'en Applegarth!" cried out the chief engineer asthmatically
as soon as he got within hail, speaking in a tearful voice and almost
crying in his excitement. "Are you there, sir?"

"Aye, here I am, Mr Stokes, as large as life, though not quite so big a
man as you," answered the skipper jocularly.

"I am here on the bridge, quite at your service."

Mr Stokes, however, was in no jocular mood.

"Cap'en Applegarth," said he solemnly, "did you really mean to ring us
on full speed ahead?"

"I did," replied the skipper promptly. "What of that?"

"What of that?" repeated the old engineer, dumbfounded by this return
shot. "Why, sir, the engines can't stand it. That is all, if you must
have it!"

"Can't stand what?"

"They can't stand all this driving and racing, with the propeller blades
half out of water every second revolution of the shaft. No engines
could stand it, with such a heavy sea on and the ship rolling and
pitching all the time like a merry-go-round at Barnet Fair. The
governor is no good; and, though Grummet or Links have their grip on the
throttle valve all the while to check the steam, and I've every stoker
and oiler on duty, the bearings are getting that heated that I'm afraid
of the shaft breaking at any moment. Full speed, sir? Why, we can't do
it, sir, we can't do it!"

"Nonsense, Stokes," said the skipper good-humouredly. "You must do it,
old fellow."

"But, I tell you, Cap'en Applegarth,