“Can we trust him, Mr Lloyd?”
“Certainly, sir.”
“And I’m so small, you know; I can walk where a big ’un would ’ave to creep, sir.”
The boy seemed a long time gone, but he crawled back at last, and fell senseless at Lloyd’s feet. He was badly burned about the hands and even face, but as soon as he came to himself he went on working with the rest.
Hours flew by, one, two, three; still the fire raged; still the men worked steadily on.
All seemed going well, when suddenly the wind shifted, and almost at the same time the smoke and flames came roaring forward, and one mast caught fire. The crew were driven from the pumps, and for the first time something like a panic spread fore and aft.
It was evident now that the ship could not be saved. All further attempts at pumping were abandoned, and all hands set to work to remove stores.
Unfortunately, two of the boats that hung on davits aft were lost, so that only two remained.
One of these boats was commanded by McDonald, the other by Dr Barrett, Claude and Lloyd determining to remain on board till the bitter end.
How bitter that end was to be no one could have guessed.