Pacing the forward deck with his pipe, thinking deeply of his talk with Virginia, Dan had seen pitch bubbling out of the deck seams and spilling into rich black pools.  And thus the fire was discovered—­some fifteen minutes too late, however, to effect the rescue of several of the crew, who shrieked and pounded at the bulkhead door, warped and welded tight by the heat; shrieked and pounded, until the throttling smoke bade them hold their peace.

First, Dan had the vessel swung about with her stern to the wind, the fire being forward; and the crew had piled up on deck and rushed without confusion or undue noise to their various stations.  Some unscrewed deck valves over the burning hold, fastening thereto the ends of seven-inch rubber hose; while below, the engine-room staff, with soldierly precision, attached the other ends to the boilers and stood like statues until a signal gong sounded through the black depth.  Whereupon they handled certain valves, and with a hissing scream great volumes of hot vapor poured into the blazing compartment.  On deck other seamen dragged lengths of hose forward, forced the nozzles through narrow deck-vents, and held them there while the force pump sent up thousands of gallons of brine.

Dan, ubiquitous, cheerful, commanding, lending a hand to one set of men, directing another, came upon a station two short of its quota.

“Where are Phillips and Fagan?” asked Dan, sharply.

“They bunked in the steerage,” replied a sailor, choking in the smoke weltering up through the hose vent.

The young Captain’s breath caught; but there was no time for sentiment.  He inspected the vessel, bow and stern, marshalled the members of the Howland party into the saloon and bade them stay there until otherwise ordered, and then went up to his men and fought with them.  An hour passed, and twenty more minutes.  The lurid tinge to the smoke, bellying up through the deck-vents, gave sharp hint of the undiminished fury of the flames raging below.

“It’s like pouring in oil,” muttered Dan to himself; and then he added aloud, “Keep right to it, men, you’re holding it,” and thus saying he left them and ran aft to where the second mate and the reserve section of eight men were growling impatiently.

“Take up your hose, men, and come with me down into hold No. 2.  The fire’s going to clean out No. 1 to the skin, sure.  We’ll have to keep it from breaking through to the other holds.  Come on!  Hurry!”

Without a word the men picked up the three lengths of emergency hose and followed their Captain.  As Dan ran along the deck, leading the way to the hatch, he heard his name called, and looking up quickly, saw Mr. Howland and Virginia approaching.  The girl’s hair was flying loose and she had a long blue coat thrown over her shoulders.  The deck was filled with heavy smoke.

“Captain,” said the shipping magnate, “how are we now?”