"Order the men to the boat!" he said in a quiet voice, as he stepped forward and seized the handle of the boat's whistle. No sooner had the order been given when a terrific crash followed. The bridge seemed to have been seized with a giant hand and it vibrated with an intense force. A hundred feet from the stern of the ship a great mass of water shot upward and fragments of the deck were hoisted up and scattered around. The ship at first swayed to port and then quickly swung back to starboard, but did not again roll back to port. The captain shook his head. There was a perceptible list in the position of the ship. "Take your position in the boats!" he shouted to the men on the bridge, and as he did so he quickly pulled the lever,--one, two, three, four, five. By the time the last blast sounded the seamen were at the boats assigned to them. The engines had stopped. The passengers, all except those who had fainted, had left the deck. Ralph and Alfred made a dash for the waiting room. Their parents were not there. Down they went to the cabins, passing on the way the crowded hallways and the unutterable confusion which resulted from the order to hurriedly leave the ship. They found their parents in the cabin, and, due to the forethought of Mr. Elton, the lifebuoys had been adjusted, and their valuables secured beforehand. Others, however, were not so fortunate. Across the way were several women and children. "Let me help you," said Alfred, as he entered the first cabin. "I will take care of the baby," he remarked, as he picked it up, while the mother was almost frantic. "I will take the other one," shouted Ralph. "We can't stop here another minute," said Alfred. "Do you see how the ship is leaning over?" "Come on, Mother," cried Ralph; "follow us or we may not be able to go up the stairs." Alfred crowded close behind Ralph, and Mr. Elton assisted the two women along the passageway. All arrived on deck, the boys with the two children in their arms. "Where is No. 8?" "I can't find No. 9," said another. "What has become of the girl?" shrieked one; "Are we going to turn over?" asked a trembling voice. The officers were going to and fro, mingling with the passengers. "What is your boat number?" asks one officer. "This way; that is the place you are assigned to." Mr. Elton and his party reached No. 1 without accident, and all but the boys were safely placed in the boat. "Come on, boys," said Mr. Elton. "But where is the mother of the children?" he asked, as he saw the boys were unaccompanied. "Take the baby," said Alfred, as he passed it to his mother. Ralph handed the little girl to one of the seamen, and sprang after Alfred. There was now a dangerous list, and Mrs. Elton noticed it. "Is there any danger if our boys go below to the stateroom?" she asked the petty officer, who was holding the rope connected with the tackle of their boat. "She'll have to sway over a great deal further to go down," he remarked.