We started, but—the command had come too late!
With a dull, long-drawn ripping sound from her interior, the great liner suddenly staggered and listed heavily to port! We were thrown off our feet.
“Struck a rock!” Ensign Hallock shouted, as he leaped up. And instantly he began signaling frantically to stop the engines. Almost in the same breath he yelled: “Go below—both of you—quick! See what damage has been done!”
As we rushed down from the bridge we could tell from the feel of things that the vessel’s progress had come to a stop: the Nippon was stuck fast!
At the head of the stairs leading to the boiler room we met the seamen, who had been doing stoker duty, rushing up.
“You can’t go down there!” they shouted. “The whole bottom’s torn out!”
Nevertheless, we leaped past them and continued below. But near the bottom of the stairs we were brought up short. A few lights still were burning, and in their feeble rays we could see huge foaming torrents pouring into the place. Already the floor was awash to a depth of two or three feet, and before we could take our eyes from the sight the flood seemed to rise several inches! Any moment the boilers might explode!
Up the steps we dashed madly.
As we reached the deck everyone was hurrying aft. We joined in the rush.
The tolling of the temple bell and the shrieking of the destroyer’s whistle continued in the distance: the Seuen-H’sin was preparing to take up our pursuit!