He stepped to the engine room telegraph and set it violently over to “Full speed ahead.” Then he picked up the engine-room telephone and gave orders to pile on every ounce of steam possible. The great ship quivered and then sprang forward like a grayhound from a leash. Clouds of black smoke rose from her funnels, deluging the decks with ashes as force draught was applied to the furnaces.
Jack hastened back to the wireless room. He found Poffer, pop-eyed and frightened looking.
“There’s another cruiser coming up on the other side!” he exclaimed. “I just heard her talking to the Berwick.”
“That’s nice,” commented Jack, as Bill Raynor and de Garros appeared in the doorway.
“Hullo, Bill,” he continued. “You’ll have a chance to be under fire now.”
“What do you mean?” demanded young Raynor.
“Surely it is that the captain will stop?” asked the French aviator.
“Stop nothing,” rejoined Jack. “He doesn’t appear to care what he risks, so long as he saves his ship.”
“I thought I felt her speeding up,” said Bill. “So he’s going to cut and run for it?”
“That’s the size of it,” responded Jack, while the Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.