CHAPTER V
THE DEFENSE OF JANUARY JONES
“We’ll all be drowned, I know we will!”
The remark came from Hockley. His teeth chattered so that he could scarcely speak.
“If there is any real danger I should think the captain would have the boats lowered,” said Mark, who, now that the first scare was over, was more calm than any of the other boys.
“Perhaps it is not as bad as we anticipated,” said the professor.
“Tie this life preserver on me, will you?” asked Hockley of Sam. He already had one preserver around his waist and now wanted this on his breast.
“All right,” replied Sam, and did as requested.
In the meantime all listened for the sound of another explosion. Would it come, and if it did, would it send them skyhigh? Certainly it was a moment of terrible suspense.
“I—I know we’ll go up,” chattered Hockley. “And we’re ever so far from land too!”
But they did not go up, nor did anything more in the nature of an explosion occur. The hissing of steam continued for fully five minutes and then stopped as suddenly as it had begun.