"By Godfrey, that was a close shave for 'em!" enthused the captain of the rum-runner, _sotto voce_. He spoke into the speaking tube. "Cut her to half throttle, chief!" he murmured. He felt the Italian's hand trembling on his sleeve. "You no thinka we better turna back, cap? I have hoonch thisa time we have trooble, hey, what you theenk?" The captain grabbed the quivering hand on his sleeve and with his calloused clutch he firmly tore the hand away. "You give me the heebie-jeebies, Joe! Whyn't you be reasonable? What're you askeard of?" * * * * * Something up ahead caught his ear and he half crawled out on the weather apron. "There's some damned thing up ahead of us goin' our way with no lights either! She ain't a hundred fathoms ahead of us!" he blurted as he crawled back. He put the mouth-piece of the tube to his lips. "Hey, chief! Cut her to about forty revolutions and stand by! May need full speed astern any moment!" He spoke in a tense whisper to the man at the wheel. "Port a bit, Sims! Steady as you go!" "Steady, sir!" The captain started to stretch out over the apron again and a rasping sound from up ahead caused him to pause, tensely listening. A big siren and a hoarse whistle blared at the same instant. A terrific smashing, grinding crash leaped to a crescendo of harsh noise. Excited voices shrilled across the water. The rum boat captain's voice rose to an excited snarl. "They've met head on! It's this feller ahead of us and somepin. It's one of them big fellers that's got him! He's either a booze boat like us or he's a chaser!" The Italian was sniveling. "Cap, you turn back, cap, you hear me?" The captain gave him a shove that sent him scurrying to the end of the bridge. From up ahead came the jangle of ship's bells and the sharp coughs of the exhausts. "Hell's bells! The big fellow's rammed 'em and he's runnin' off to leave 'em drown!" The lights of the oncoming steamer loomed out of the fog and bore down on them, scraped along the side and moved by. The bootleg captain snatched up a flash light and snapped it on as he dashed to the wing, and he roughly elbowed the Italian aside as he thrust it upward to peer at the vessel. Scared yellow faces blinked down at him from along the rail. "You yellow devils!" the captain shrilled up at them. "What you runnin' off for after ramming a vessel?" He glimpsed the word "_Maru_" on the stern of the tramp as she surged by with engines pounding full speed ahead. He leaped to the speaking tube. "Shut her down, chief, and let her drift! Somebody rammed up ahead. Don't want to smash into one of their boats or run down anybody swimmin'. Stand tight by the tube, too! I may want to use the engine quick at any time!" His words leaped down the tube like pistol shots. He snatched the megaphone down and whirling, shouted down to the deck. "Snap on the lights, mister!" "Aye, aye, sir!"