“Yes, if you do not obey,” cried Jarette, speaking slowly through his teeth, and with a very marked French accent, as he did when greatly excited. “I go not to lose our great prize, for which I have fought and won. Every man now a bucket, and you four to the pump and hose.”
“Draw back a little,” whispered Mr Brymer; “they have not seen us.”
“Shall we get buckets, sir?” said Bob Hampton in a gruff whisper.
“No; it is useless. There are nearly fifty of those casks of strong spirits there below, and no efforts of ours could stop that fire.”
“But you will not let it burn without an effort?” whispered Mr Frewen.
“I shall let it burn, sir, without an effort,” said Mr Brymer, drawing back, and leading Mr Frewen toward the companion, I being so close that I could hear every word, which was only intended for the doctor’s ears. “I’ll tell you why,” he said. “As those casks burst, the spirit will run through the cargo in all directions, the flame will glide along the surface, and as the spirit heats, the hold will be full of inflammable gas, which will keep on exploding.”
“Yes,” said Mr Frewen, angrily; “but an abundance of water—”
“Would not stop the flashing of that spirit here and there, doctor, till, sooner or later, it reaches the blasting-powder. That must be reached, and then the ship will be rent open.”
“Great heaven!” cried Mr Frewen.
“And the fire will be extinguished then. My good sir, with a well-trained crew, working calmly, we might perhaps reach the powder and cast it overboard; but, situated as we are now, any efforts of ours would be worse than folly.”