“More’n three feet water in th’ hold!” exclaimed the mate.
“Call the hands,” remarked Captain Turnbull, directing his voice down the companion as though he were speaking to some one in the cabin.
The crew soon mustered at the pumps, and manned them both, relieving each other every ten minutes.
After three-quarters of an hour of vigorous pumping there was as little sign of the pumps sucking as at the commencement.
They were then again sounded, with the result that the crew appeared to have gained something like three inches upon the leak.
The men accordingly resumed pumping, in a half-hearted sort of way, however, which seemed to say that they had no very great hope of freeing the ship.
Another hour passed, and the pumps were again sounded.
“Three foot ten! The leak gains on us!” proclaimed the mate in a low voice, as he and the skipper bent together over the rod at the binnacle-lamp.
Shortly afterwards the wheel was relieved; the man who had been steering taking at the pumps the place of the one who had relieved him.
A hurried consultation immediately took place amongst the men; and presently one of them walked aft to where the skipper was seated, and remarked—