“It seems to me that you’ve seen a great deal more storm to-day than you longed for or ever care to see again,” Tom commented.
“You’re just right there,” Dick agreed. “It would be all right if you could watch the storm without sharing the danger. There was one time this afternoon when I thought it was certainly all over with us.”
“It sure did look that way, and I guess Captain Manning thought so, too,” Tom said.
“It was a lucky thing for the Fearless,” Ralph broke in, “that the storm didn’t last long. If it had kept on much longer we shouldn’t be here talking about it now.”
“But wasn’t Captain Manning fine through it all?” said Bert.
They were all feeling the effects of one of the most thrilling experiences of their lives.
The Fearless, fortunate in not being in the direct course of the typhoon, had felt its force sufficiently to place her in great danger and to make every man Jack of her crew do his duty in a desperate effort to keep his ship from going to the bottom. That they had come through safely with no greater damage than the washing away of her life-boats was largely due to Captain Manning’s strength and courage, and the young fellows were filled with admiration. Each in his heart had resolved to prove himself as brave if a time of trial should come to him.
With this thought in mind they had sat very quietly for a few moments after Bert’s last remark, but now they all thrilled with a new excitement as Bert suddenly straightened up from his lounging position, and, with kindling eye and every faculty alert, grasped the key of his instrument. The others knew that he had caught a wireless message and feared from the sudden flushing and paling of his face that it was a call for help.
In the twinkling of an eye all was again excitement on board the Fearless. The ship’s course was altered and, with full steam pressure on her engines, she fairly flew to the rescue. Twenty miles, and a trifle over fifty minutes to reach that sinking ship. Could she make it? Hearts felt and lips asked the question as the Fearless raced over the water, and all eyes were strained in a vain effort to catch a sight of the ship to whose succor they were going long before there was even the remotest possibility of sighting her. Their own peril was so recently passed that all on board the Fearless throbbed with pity for those so much more unfortunate than themselves, and prayed heaven that they might be in time.