by this time our friends were a quarter of a mile in the rear of the burning steamer. the furious pulsations of the engines had stopped, and from stern to stern the great ship was one mass of soothing flame. the light threw a glare upon the clouds above, and made it so bright where our friends were floating in the water that they could have read the pages of a printed book. the illumination must have been seen for many and many a mile in every direction upon the pacific.
"yes, the steamer has stopped," said howard; "the fire has reached the engines, and now they must do as we have done."
"but they have boats and may escape."
"not half enough of them; and then what they have got will be seized by the crew, as they always do at such times."
"look! you can see them jumping over. the poor wretches hang fast till they are so scorched that they have to let go."
"it's mighty lucky yees are here," said tim, "for every mother's son that can swim will be hugged by a half-dozen that can't, which would be bad for me."
"why so; can't you swim?"
"not a bit of it."
"and nothing but this bench to keep us from sinking."
"and be the same towken isn't that good enough, if it only kaaps us afloat? can't ye be satisfied?"
"look! how grand!"
it was indeed a fearful sight, the steamer being one pyramid of roaring, blazing fire, sweeping upward in great fan-like rifts, then blowing outward, horizontally across the deep, as if greedy for the poor beings who had sprung in agony from its embrace. millions of sparks were floating and drifting overhead and falling all around. the shrieks of the despairing passengers, as with their clothes all aflame they sprung blindly into the ocean, could be heard by our friends, and must indeed have extended a far greater distance.
for an hour the conflagration raged with apparently unabated violence, the wreck drifting quite rapidly; but the fire soon tired of its work, large pieces of burning timber could be seen floating in the water, and finally the charred hull made a plunge downward into the sea, and our friends were left alone upon their frail support.
"now, it's time to decide what we are going to do," said howard.
"you are right, and what shall it be? shall we drift about here until morning, when some vessel will pick us up? i have no doubt this fire has drawn a half-dozen toward it."
"no; let's make for shore."
"that is the best plan," said tim.
"but it is a good way off," remarked howard; "and i have little hope of reaching it."
"never mind; it, will keep us busy, and that will make the time pass faster than if we do nothing but float."
"we may need our strength; but it is the best plan."
"but do we know the direction?"
"i can tell you that," said elwood; "for the moon was directly over the shore; so all we've got to do is to aim for the moon."
"begorrah! we can walk and talk, as the owld lady said when her husband stopped on the way to the gallows to bid her good-by. so paddle away!"
it being a warm summer night, the water was quite pleasant, although our friends were sure to get enough of it long before they could hope to place their feet upon the earth. having now an object, they began working with a will, the boys swimming as lustily as possible straight for the shore, while tim assisted materially in pushing forward the craft.
the intelligent newfoundland appeared to comprehend what was wanted, and contributed not a little to the momentum.
"do you think we are making any progress——"
"o, save me! save me! i'm drowning!"
the voice sounded close by them, and caused an involuntary start from all three.
"where is he?" asked howard, in a terrified whisper.
"there!"
at that moment they caught sight of a man fiercely buffeting the waves, as he rose on an immense swell, and then sunk down again in the trough of the sea.
"can we do anything for him?" asked elwood. "it's too bad to see the poor fellow sink when we may save him."
"i'm afeared the owld bench won't bear another hand on it."
but terror had heard that cry and anticipated the wishes of his friends. leaving them with their raft, he struck powerfully out toward the drowning man, and they both went down in the vast sea chasm together. when they came in view again upon the crest of the swell, the newfoundland had the hair of the man's head in his teeth and had begun his return. a moment later the gasping man threw out his hands and caught the settee with such eagerness that it instantly sunk.
"be careful!" admonished howard, "or you'll drown us all. one of us can't swim!"
"won't your raft bear us?"
"yes, if you keep only your head above water and bear very lightly upon it. don't attempt to rise up."
"all right!"
the buoyant raft came to the surface, and was instantly grasped firmly but carefully by all. poor tim o'rooney had come very near drowning. a man when suddenly cast into the water for the first time has been known to swim long and well; and the irishman, by the most furious effort, had saved himself from strangling and sinking, although he had swallowed a good deal of the nauseating sea-water, and was now ejecting it.
"worrah! i took an overdose that time, and it wouldn't sthay on my stomach!" he said. "i'm thinking there'll be no necessity of me swallowing any salts for some time to coom, be the towken that i've enough to last me me life-time."
"we are all right now!" said the stranger. "i can swim, but i was just about used up when your dog took me in tow. may i inquire who my friends are?"
howard gave their names and destination, and he instantly said:
"my name is manuel yard, and my place of business is next door to that of your fathers."
"you know them then."
"i have known them both very well for years, and now that you have given me your names i remember you both."
after a few more words, our friends recognized him as a tall, pale-looking man, with whom they had exchanged greetings more than once on their passage from panama.
"i've been down to the isthmus," he added, "and was on my way home when the steamer took fire."
"where were you when you heard the alarm?"
"sound asleep in my berth; i had no time even to put on my clothes; but, thank god, if i can escape in any way."
"stick to us, and help shove this craft, and i'm in hopes we'll fetch up somewhere by morning."
