"It's goin' fast," bawled the mate to Sanders alongside him.
"See that feller now?" asked the Captain.
The mate pointed to the eastward.
The dark smudge of the steamer's hull showed through the flying drift. While they looked a flash of white told of a heavy sea boarding her. She disappeared in the foam.
"Must have trouble with her engines," said Sanders. "She's goin' to lor'ard as fast as we be."
Bahama Bill was staring astern into the gray blank where all things seemed to melt into chaos. Suddenly he called out, and all hands swung about and stared in the same direction.
"Gun Key light!" screamed Heldron, his eyes staring from their salt-burned lids.
"Will we go clear?" asked Sam, his voice steady, but his intense look telling of the tale of life or death he wanted to hear. They stared into the drift astern, and the squalls broke over them unheeded. The sea was quick and heavy, and to strike meant certain loss of the vessel. There was one chance in a thousand for any one to get ashore, should she fetch up on the coral bank. Yet there she was going to leeward fast in spite of the drag, and the tower of Gun Key light was rising under the lee. To the northward was the Beminis. She was getting jammed, and the chances were growing against her as the minutes flew by.
The steamer was farther to leeward. She had sighted the edge of the bank, and was trying to drive off into the Gulf Stream with the force of her crippled engines. A cross-head bolt had started, and under the terrific strain the starboard engine had broken down. She could not keep head to the sea with the port wheel, and had placed a tarpaulin in the mizzen-rigging to help hold; but it had forced her to leeward also, and she now was close to the edge of the Great Bahama Bank. The Sea-Horse still had between twelve and fifteen miles between her and the reef; but the ship had hardly ten, and was dropping back too fast for any hope to clear unless the wind eased up suddenly.
Squall after squall followed the shift. It blew harder, if anything, and the Captain of the steamer, seeing that he must go on the bank, made ready to pile his ship up as high as possible in the hope of saving some of the passengers and crew. To go upon the submerged part of the reef meant death to all hands. He must run upon the coral above the surf, and get as high up as he could. Then if the outer edge was steep, he might get his bow near enough to dry land to get the people ashore.