While the two divers were at work under the surface of the ocean, a wild cry had arisen on board of the ship, a cry which thrilled everyone who heard it to the heart.
It came from the cook's galley and was quickly taken up on all sides.
"Fire! fire! The ship is on fire!"
The report was true. Some fat on the cook's stove had boiled over and taken fire, and now the burning fat was flowing in all directions.
It looked as if the Swallow and all on board of her were doomed!
CHAPTER XXVI
THE BATTLE OF THE FISHES
"Fire! fire! fire!"
This cry, echoing throughout the Swallow, is the most dreadful that sailors on the high seas know.
What hope is there for those on board of a ship going down in mid-ocean, thousands of miles from land?