“Stop the engines—hard a-starboard—hard over—reverse her!”
There were shouts, cries, dismayed questions, a jangle of a bell.
The whole fabric of the vessel seemed to shudder as if in the grip of an earthquake. The engines had not been stopped and reversed in time. The captain shouted and at the same instant there was a rasping rending sound—a sickening sound—a tearing, grinding, splintering as the ship tore her side on coral—and stopped, settling gently on her side!
CHAPTER XVI
CAPTAIN NICKY TAKES COMMAND
There was every kind of excitement on the Senorita! Men rushed this way and that; they came together in excited groups, spoke quickly together, separated.
“The cutter’ll be on us any minute!” said a deckhand.
“This is no place to stand ’em off!” grunted another.
“Great captain, dat Don!” grumbled the cook. “Know de channel! Huh! Look whah we’s at!”
“Lower the tender!” called Tew. “We’ll get away. Grab what you can!”
“Bettah we do dat!” agreed the cook. “Ashore we gits tuh hide; heah dey kin shell us out-a de watah!”