CHAPTER IV
MISSING
“Mend a broken shaft?” repeated the chief engineer, in amazement. “How do you expect to do that?”
“I will show you,” replied the mate of the little schooner, who immediately proceeded to business.
The first thing he asked for was several coils of wire, which were immediately furnished him. Then, with great labor, the two parts of the shaft were fitted together and the wire was twisted tightly around the fractured portion over and over again.
As the tenacity of iron is tremendous, the shaft was securely fastened, but this was not enough. Ropes and chains were bound around the iron in turn, until there was really no room to bandage the broken shaft further.
“There, sir!” exclaimed Storms, as he stepped back and viewed his work. “That is as secure as before, though, if you can possibly do so, you should avoid reversing the screw until you reach Tokio, for you can 24 understand that to reverse and start will wrench the shaft to a dangerous degree.”
The captain now told the engineer, who had been assisting in the operation, to start the engine slowly and with great care.
Captain Bergen ran on deck to see that the Coral was in position to receive no harm from the forward motion, while the rest of the group watched the movements with intense interest, standing away from the shaft so as to escape the “splinters,” that more than one thought might be flying about their heads the next minute.