Not a moment was to be lost, and buckets being brought into requisition, the flames were attacked, for portions of the wreck below began now to blaze fiercely. One of the pumps, too, was set to work, and for long hours nothing was heard but the hissing of the flames as they were attacked by the water; but all that could be done was to keep them from increasing, and when at last the morning broke, it was to show two groups, one forward, the other astern, sullenly drawing buckets of water and dashing them into a hissing gulf of fire in the centre of the schooner, from which rose a column of black smoke to spread overhead and form a cloud like a funeral pall for the unlucky ship. As the wind wafted the smoke on one side, Dutch waved his hand in token of encouragement to his wife, who stood with Bessy by the wheel, their task being to keep the ship's head in one direction, so that the flames and heated vapour should not be driven astern. But all was done now in a hopeless duty-driven fashion, for those on board now realised the fact that it was only a matter of hours before the fire would eat its way through the side, and the work they tried so hard to do would be accomplished by the ship sinking beneath the waves. "It's of no use," said Captain Studwick at last. "Dutch Pugh, Oakum, lower down that boat and come aft." This was done in a steady, deliberate manner, although at any moment a fresh explosion might have taken place, and the schooner gone down. And into the boat Oakum, Rasp, the sailor, and Dutch lowered themselves, paddled along the side, and joined their companions in misfortune aft. As Oakum made fast the painter, and they all stood on the deck, Captain Studwick exclaimed: "Where is Laure? We must not leave him to perish." "Is he not with you?" said Dutch. "No," said the captain, bitterly. "Has the poor wretch, then, been blown up in the explosion?" "Heaven knows," cried Mr Parkley, "but if he is missing, that explains all. It is his work." "It was those blowing-up cartridges o' yourn," growled Oakum. "Of course it was, stupid," snarled Rasp, turning on the old sailor fiercely, "but the cartridges wouldn't go off by themselves, would they?" "You said he was better, doctor," said the captain. "Yes, so much so that the change was puzzling." "This was his work, then," cried the captain. "He was well enough to take some terrible revenge upon us." "And to perish himself in accomplishing it," said Dutch. "Don't know that," said the captain. "One of the boats has gone." "But it may have been destroyed in the explosion." The captain shook his head and walked to the side where the ropes and blocks hanging from the davits showed plainly enough that a boat had been lowered down. As he pointed to this the diabolical plot was made perfectly manifest, and its objects saw plainly enough how the villain had compassed their destruction.