A dark body could be seen struggling and rapidly approaching them.
"Whoever he is, he is a good swimmer," remarked Howard, watching the stranger.
"Of course he is, for it comes natural; don't you see it isn't a man, but old Terror."
"Thank heaven for that! we never thought about him. I am glad he is with us."
The next moment the Newfoundland placed his paw on the settee and gave a low bark to announce his joy at being among his friends. The sagacious brute seemed to understand how frail the tenure was that held them all suspended over eternity; for he did nothing more than rest the top of his paw on the precious raft.
CHAPTER IV.
A PASSENGER.
By this time our friends were a quarter of a mile in the rear of the burning steamer. The furious pulsations of the engines had stopped, and from stern to stern the great ship was one mass of soothing flame. The light threw a glare upon the clouds above, and made it so bright where our friends were floating in the water that they could have read the pages of a printed book. The illumination must have been seen for many and many a mile in every direction upon the Pacific.
"Yes, the steamer has stopped," said Howard; "the fire has reached the engines, and now they must do as we have done."