There was a roaring explosion; Mr. Johnson recoiled on to the feet of Mr. Emmett, who shouted with pain, and went hopping to the skylight with a foot in his hand. There were several screeches from the ladies, and methought the whiskers of the colonel, who stood beside me thirstily looking on, forked out with an added tension of every separate fibre, to the thunder of the gun and the smell of the powder. The ball flew wide.
‘Another shot!’ called out Mr. Prance.
Bang! went the piece. I had my eye on the wreck at that moment, and saw half the stern-post, from which the rudder was gone, and a few feet of the keel to which it was affixed, vanish like a shattered bottle.
‘That’s done it!’ cried old Keeling with excitement as he stood ogling the wreck through his binocular. ‘If a hole that’ll let the air out is to sink her, she’s as good as foundered.’
He had scarcely said this when there was a sudden roar of voices along the whole length of our ship.
‘See! she is full of men!’
‘Heart alive, where are they coming from?’
‘They’re rising as if they were dead bodies, and the last blast was sounding.’
‘What’ll they be? What’ll they be?’
‘Defend us! they must all be afloat in a minute and drowning!’