As quickly as he could, Dick rushed from the wheelhouse and toward the companionway leading to the engine room.
"Vot's der madder?" bawled Hans, who was at the rail, waiting for the steam yacht to start.
"Tom's in trouble," ejaculated the eldest Rover, and went down the stairs four steps at a time, with the German youth behind him.
The engine room was full of steam, so that for the moment Dick could see little. A pipe running along one side of the engine had burst, and Tom was hemmed in a corner. To get out he would have to pass through the furious outpouring of steam, which might scald him to death.
Not far away was Sam, frantically trying to turn the steam off. But the youngest Rover's knowledge of engines and marine machinery was limited and, while he fussed around, the steam in the narrow engine room kept growing thicker and thicker.
"Get down on the floor, Tom!" yelled Dick, as he took in the situation.
"Maybe you can crawl out."
Tom did as urged, and like a snake he attempted to crawl from his position of peril. But when he was only halfway he got stuck.
"I—I can't make it!" he panted, trying to worm along. "I—I'm too big."
"Can you go back—I see a door behind you," said Dick.
Tom went back, and as he did this Dick ran out of the engine room and to one of the coal bunkers. Here was the door the eldest Rover had seen. It was closed and barred and somewhat rusty, and he had to exert all his strength to make it budge.