“By the Heaven above us!  Vanderdecken, you have prophesied right!  Up—­quick! The ship’s on fire!”

“On fire!” exclaimed Vanderdecken, jumping out of his berth—­“where?”

“The main-hold.”

“I will up immediately, Krantz.  In the meantime, keep the hatches on and rig the pumps.”

In less than a minute Philip was on deck, where he found Captain Barentz, who had also been informed of the case by the second mate.—­In a few words all was explained by Krantz:  there was a strong smell of fire proceeding from the main-hold; and, on removing one of the hatches, which he had done without calling for any assistance, from a knowledge of the panic it would create, he found that the hold was full of smoke; he had put it on again immediately, and had only made it known to Philip and the captain.

“Thanks for your presence of mind,” replied Philip; “we have now time to reflect quietly on what is to be done.  If the troops and the poor women and children knew their danger, their alarm would have much impeded us:  but how could she have taken fire in the main-hold?”

“I never heard of the Vrow Katerina taking fire before,” observed the captain; “I think it is impossible.  It must be some mistake—­she is—­”

“I now recollect that we have, in our cargo, several cases of vitriol in bottles,” interrupted Philip.  “In the gale, they must have been disturbed and broken.  I kept them above all, in case of accident:  this rolling, gunwale under, for so long a time must have occasioned one of them to fetch way.”

“That’s it, depend upon it,” observed Krantz.

“I did object to receive them, stating that they ought to go out in some vessel which was not so encumbered with troops, so that they might remain on the main-deck; but they replied, that the invoices were made out and could not be altered.  But now to act.  My idea is to keep the hatches on, so as to smother it if possible.”

“Yes,” replied Krantz; and, at the same time, cut a hole in the deck just large enough to admit the hose, and pump as much water as we can down into the hold.”

“You are right, Krantz; send for the carpenter, and set him to work.  I will turn the hands up and speak to the men.  I smell the fire now very strong; there is no time to lose.—­If we can only keep the troops and the women quiet we may do something.”

The hands were turned up, and soon made their appearance on deck, wondering why they were summoned.  The men had not perceived the state of the vessel, for, the hatches having been kept on, the little smoke that issued ascended the hatchway and did not fill the lower deck.

“My lads,” said Philip, “I am sorry to say that we have reason to suspect that there is some danger of fire in the main-hold.”

“I smell it!” cried one of the seamen.

“So do I,” cried several others, with every show of alarm, and moving away as if to go below.