“Extinct volcanoes smoke sometimes,” said Jack. “I’ve read of several in Mexico that do.”
On the bridge, gray-faced from their long vigil, the ship’s officers clustered about Captain McDonald, watched with anxiety the growing outlines of the island.
“There are shoals of sand off to the southeast there,” said the captain. “I was here years ago when I was an apprentice on the old Abner A. Jennings. If we can reach them the old ship will lie easy unless bad weather comes on.”
The steamer crept slowly forward. She hardly seemed to move, in the minds of the impatient souls on board her. But at last the water began to show green under her bows, signifying that she was getting into shoal waters. On and on she crawled, till she was a scant quarter of a mile from the mantling cliffs.
It was then that Captain McDonald sent word below to let the stokers come on deck. It was none too soon. The men were working at pistol point with water up to their waists, when the word came to evacuate the stokehold. Even firearms could not have kept them in that water-filled black pit much longer.
The engines were left running and a short time later, like a tired child, the Tropic Queen cradled herself in a bed of soft sand and her voyage was over. An impressive silence hung over the ship as she grounded, which was not broken till the sharp orders that preceded her abandonment were issued.
Then all was bustle. The two remaining boats were lowered and the men sent ashore. At last all that were left on board were the officers and the two wireless boys. The men had carried ashore provisions and canvas for tents, and a stream of water that the first arrivals reported near the landing place, showed them that there was no danger of their going thirsty.
It was just as Jack and Sam were preparing to get aboard the boat that a strange thing happened. The tall, slender form of a young woman appeared on deck. It was Miss Jarrold. An instant later De Garros joined her.
“Why, I thought you were on board the other boats!” exclaimed Captain McDonald, fairly startled out of his stoic calm.
“Like myself, Mr. De Garros elected to see this thing out,” chimed in another voice, and there was Colonel Minturn.