Scrambling to his feet, he plunged off the hatch, rolled to the deck, got caught in a dash of foam, struggled to his feet, caught the spray in his face, outrode a wave that threatened to carry him overboard, then made a dash for the wireless room.
“Had—had any message from the Arion?” He struggled to gain his breath.
“About ten minutes ago,” said the young wireless operator. “Here it is.”
“Arion laboring hard,” Johnny read.
“That all?”
“All but—Wait. Listen!”
He thrust a head set over the boy’s ears. Then his face went white.
“Arion leaking amidship. Settling by the bow.”
For ten minutes, with the ship leaping up and down beneath them, with the thud of waves shaking her from stem to stern, they waited.
“She’s gone; the Arion’s gone down!” said the young wireless man at last, mopping his brow.