She scrambled up on the rail, but the uniformed man seized her and prevented her from trying to leap overboard.
"Need any help?" shouted Biff.
"Stand by for a while," returned the officer. "We're getting this fire under control but we don't know how bad it is."
Biff and Tony, in their motorboats, cruised in the neighborhood of the yacht, as the ship's officer asked. The passengers were milling about on deck, badly frightened, but gradually they became calmer as a steward assured them that there was no danger. The heavy cloud of smoke decreased in volume. The boat's crew was small and the fire-fighting equipment was limited, but in a little while it became evident that the blaze was not as bad as it had seemed and that it had indeed been checked in time.
Soon the smoke cloud ceased rolling up from below.
The uniformed man came on deck again with a megaphone. He raised it to his lips and bellowed:
"Thanks, boys, but we won't need you."
"That's fine!" shouted Tony, in reply. "Fire all out?"
"Tin of gasoline exploded. It didn't spread much. We'll be able to make Bayport under our own power."
"Righto!" called Biff. "We're going in now, anyway. If you need us, give us a hail."