“You’d think so,” admitted Mr. Dowd. “But there was a great deal of excitement, without doubt. If the water rushed in and put out the fires, and the place filled with steam, until that steam cleared the situation must have looked much worse than it really was.
“You see the ship was abandoned so quickly, that I doubt if the engineers could have learned just how serious the danger was. They must all have been panic-stricken.”
“Your Captain Hastings as well,” said Ruth scornfully.
“I am afraid so,” admitted the chief officer. “But the captain must have been misled by the under officers. I do not believe he showed the white feather. He had the responsibility of the passengers—especially of those wounded—on his mind. We must give him credit for making a clean get-away,” and in the lantern-light Ruth saw that he smiled.
“I hope they are all safe,” she responded reflectively. “The poor things! To have to drift about in open boats all night!”
“We are not far from land, of course,” said Mr. Dowd. “And it is a wonder that one of the patrol boats has not crossed our track. Hold on!”
“Yes?” said the startled young woman.
“What about the radio? Didn’t they send a wireless? Couldn’t they have called for help?”
“Oh, I never thought of the wireless at all,” Ruth confessed. “And I am sure it was not used at first—not while I was on deck.”
“Strange! With two operators—Rollife and an assistant—how could they neglect such a chance?”