THE SHIP ON FIRE. 7 9

them my fears. That they were too well founded
we had soon fearful evidence, for the smoke, now
in thick volumes, rose above the deck, both fore
and aft. Still there might be time to extinguish
the fire. To do this it was necessary to take off
the main hatchway, and, in spite of the risk of a
sea beating over us, it was done. The instant it
was off dense masses of black smoke rose up from
below, preventing all attempts which the boatswain
and some of his men made to discover the seat of
the fire.

‘We must take to the boats,’ he exclaimed, ‘ the
ship soon all in flames, then the boats burn and we
no get away.’

Paul and I as well as Sambo tried to persuade
him and his Krumen to make more efforts to put__
out the fire before they lowered the boats. With.
the sea then running, indeed there was every pro-
bability that they would be swamped. We set
them the example, by rigging the pumps, and filling
buckets from alongside to heave down the hold.
Thus encouraged, they laboured for a short time,
but finding their efforts of no effect, they abandoned
the work and began to lower the boats.

The wind had happly by this time somewhat