"Stopped! Is she stopped?" exclaimed Vogel.
"She is." Cadogan strolled out of the smoking-room. Three or four had preceded him; half a dozen, who had nothing else to do, strolled out after him.
In a few minutes those who had gone out were beginning to return. "Well, what do you know about that?" whooped the first one. "Hit a lump of ice! Lucky for the ice we didn't hit it fair, with this forty-five-thousand-tonner going along at twenty-five or six knots an hour like she is!"
Several laughed at that, and Major Crupp, who was patiently riffling the cards, called out to the last speaker: "Did you see Mr. Cadogan out there?"
"I saw him going toward the bow of the ship, Major," was the answer.
"Investigating, I suppose. Well, suppose we play dummy—what do you-all say?—till Caddie comes back. He's possessed of a demon for finding out things. Your deal, Mr. Vogel."
A steward stepped in from the deck. "Major Crupp, sir?"
"Yes."
"Mr. Cadogan told me to say not to wait till he came back, sir, but to go on with the game, sir."
Vogel picked up his cards. "How long will we be delayed, steward?"