Cries and oaths, then the thud of a heavy weapon on bone and flesh, the falling of stumbling bodies on the iron grating above. A silence, and then Linnell's voice again, now more controlled: "You there, Wallace? Well, stay there. An' let not a single one of 'em pass without my orders. Shoot 'em down if you have to, but keep 'em below." The ship was still backing. _Wh-r-r-i-ng!_ went the gong. Stop! commanded the indicator. Andie shifted the levers. The tremendous machinery hung motionless. All was quiet. Not a quiver from out of the great compartment. Through the grating over his head Lavis saw the figure of the chief hurriedly descending. He saw him turn, pause a moment at the head of the narrow ladder, and then come sliding down. "Doing our best, some of 'em will get up above," he said quietly. "But we've enough left for a watch." He stepped to Andie's side, all the while with his eyes roaming over the machinery. "She answered her bells promptly, Andie?" "To the stroke, sir." "Good! Stay by her. Pass the word to me if aught goes wrong." He was through the bulkhead door and into the passageway before he had completed the order. Lavis saw Andie pout his lower lip, and with a "T-t-t--" shift his gaze to the pit. "The blind bats!" burst from him, and he spat into the pit. "See there, sir!" he called out to Lavis. Lavis nodded. He had already noticed it. There was a foot or so of water in the pit. "How the devil came it there?" Andie stooped and scooped a handful of it, tasted it, and held it up for Lavis to view. "Salt! _And_ cold. T-t-t--" Andie let his breath whistle softly through his parted teeth. The water was rising. By and by it was over the top of the pit and crawling across the shiny deck. Andie looked about for relief. "I'll tell him," volunteered Lavis. "Thank you, sir. An' you might say, sir, there must be somethin' wrong wi' the bulkhead doors. They aren't closed yet." Lavis met Linnell returning in the passageway. "Buttons in place of eyes in their heads aloft!" he was muttering. "An' for all o' forty mechanics brought specially to set things right, they can't close the doors below." Together they waded in to where Andie was now to his knees in water. "Let be your levers, Andie, an' take a spell o' rest for yourself," commanded Linnell. Andie slowly relaxed his fingers, pulled a bunch of waste from his hip pocket, and wiped his hands. "She's hard hit," said Linnell to Lavis, "though there's few know it yet. And won't in a hurry." "Then I'd better be going above?" "That's right, do. Will you be back this way again?" Lavis let his hand rest lightly on Andie's head. "I'm not sure." He extended his hand to Linnell. "If I don't see you again, good-by." "Good-by, Mr. Lavis." The engineer stepped closer and whispered: "If any honest chance offers to leave the ship, leave her." * * * * *