All the carriers dropped Smith's body and bolted in the panic. Madden
braced himself against the rush of the crew and held up the senseless
man lest he be trampled on in the blackness. The uproar in the passage
was terrific as the men tried to squeeze through all together. Every
moment Madden expected a rush of sea water down the passageway. Just
then, he felt someone else lift at Caradoc.
"Go on," said Farnol Greer's voice. "Let's get him out, sir."
CHAPTER XV
TOWED!
When the American pushed outside with his burden, a breeze swept the
deck of the _Vulcan_ with an unexpected coolness. The vibrations
had almost ceased, but there was a slight hissing of water from
somewhere, and a feeling of movement. The men were in a hubbub on the
port side where the small boat lay tied.
Filled with the idea that the ship was about to founder, Madden stared
about. To his vast astonishment, he discovered the tug was not sinking,
but moving. The _Vulcan_ was under way. The noise he heard was the
swift displacement of water. For some unaccountable reason, the vessel
glided southward at a speed of eight or ten knots.
In the uproar forward, Madden heard the cries: "Th' dinghy's swamped!"
"We carn't reach 'er!" "Cut 'er loose and jump!" "We couldn't right 'er
in th' water!" "Cut 'er and jump! Quick! 'Eaven knows w'ot's got us!"
"Steady! Steady, men!" bawled Madden, laying Caradoc down on the deck
and hurrying across to his panicky crew.
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