"Quick! quick!" came faintly from Tom. "I can't stand this much longer!"
"This way out, Tom!" called Dick, as the door at last flew open. In the cloud of steam that rushed into the coal bunker Dick saw his brother faintly, and caught him by the arm and pulled him forward. In a moment more both were safe.
"Sam, are you all right?" yelled Dick, rushing again to the engineroom door proper.
"Whe—where's Tom?"
"Safe."
"Oh! then I'll come out," and Sam staggered into the fresh air.
"Mine cracious! vos der ship going to plow up!" gasped Hans, who had stood looking on with his hair standing on end.
"I don't think so," answered Dick. "The steam will soon blow itself away. You didn't have very much pressure; did you, Tom?"
"No, but it was too much when the pipe burst. Gosh! I was afraid I was going to be boiled alive!" and he shuddered.
"It's about gone now," came from Sam, who was watching at the doorway. "It isn't hissing nearly as much as it did." He was right, and presently the hissing ceased entirely. Then Sam, Dick, and Hans opened all the portholes and doors, to let out the steam, and soon the scare was over. But Tom felt "shaky in the legs," as he termed it, for some hours afterwards.