Then, before we could make another move, the vessel suddenly lurched backward and listed heavily to starboard, with her stern rising high out of the water. Then she began to nose forward under the waves.
The Nippon was sinking!
CHAPTER XI
A WILD NIGHT’S WORK
“Lower the boats!” yelled Ensign Hallock.
The coolness, readiness and energy of this young man in any emergency were an inspiration.
All of us flew to obey the command, our number dividing between the two boats nearest the stern. The liner was sinking so fast that in a few moments the boats would be afloat, anyway; nevertheless, we soon had our craft in the water.
“Take that canvas covering!” bawled the ensign. “We may need it for a sail!”
A sailor dragged the canvas into the boat, and we pushed off from the vessel.
The other party had encountered trouble with the davit-blocks, which occasioned a slight delay, and Hallock was just getting his boat into the water when—
With a terrific crash, the Nippon’s boilers burst!