IN PERIL OF STEAM
As quickly as he could, Dick rushed from the wheelhouse and toward
the companionway leading to the engine room.
"Vot's der madder?" bawled Hans, who was at the rail, waiting for
the steam yacht to start.
"Tom's in trouble," ejaculated the eldest Rover, and went down the
stairs four steps at a time, with the German youth behind him.
The engine room was full of steam, so that for the moment Dick could
see little. A pipe running along one side of the engine had burst,
and Tom was hemmed in a corner. To get out he would have to pass
through the furious outpouring of steam, which might scald him to death.
Not far away was Sam, frantically trying to turn the steam off. But
the youngest Rover's knowledge of engines and marine machinery was
limited and, while he fussed around, the steam in the narrow engine
room kept growing thicker and thicker.
"Get down on the floor, Tom!" yelled Dick, as he took in the situation.
"Maybe you can crawl out."
Tom did as urged, and like a snake he attempted to crawl from his
position of peril. But when he was only halfway he got stuck.
"I--I can't make it!" he panted, trying to worm along. "I--I'm too big."
"Can you go back--I see a door behind you," said Dick.
Tom went back, and as he did this Dick ran out of the engine room
and to one of the coal bunkers. Here was the door the eldest Rover
had seen. It was closed and barred and somewhat rusty, and he had to
exert all his strength to make it budge.
"Quick! quick!" came faintly from Tom. "I can't stand this much longer!"
"This way out, Tom!" called Dick, as the door at last flew open. In
the cloud of steam that rushed into the coal bunker Dick saw his
brother faintly, and caught him by the arm and pulled him forward.
In a moment more both were safe.
"Sam, are you all right?" yelled Dick, rushing again to the engineroom
door proper.
"Whe--where's Tom?"
"Safe."
"Oh! then I'll come out," and Sam staggered into the fresh air.
"Mine cracious! vos der ship going to plow up!" gasped Hans, who had
stood looking on with his hair standing on end.
"I don't think so," answered Dick. "The steam will soon blow itself
away. You didn't have very much pressure; did you, Tom?"
"No, but it was too much when the pipe burst. Gosh! I was afraid I
was going to be boiled alive!" and he shuddered.
"It's about gone now," came from Sam, who was watching at the doorway.
"It isn't hissing nearly as much as it did." He was right, and
presently the hissing ceased entirely. Then Sam, Dick, and Hans opened
all the portholes and doors, to let out the steam, and soon the scare
was over. But Tom felt "shaky in the legs," as he termed it, for some
hours afterwards.
"I suppose I should have tested all those pipes and valves as soon
as I had just a little steam," said the fun-loving Rover. "There is
where I wasn't a good engineer. Well, one thing is certain, nothing
gave way but the single pipe."
"And that could happen on any steamer," answered Dick. "Any engine
is liable to a breakdown of this kind. The question is, Are we
machinists enough to repair the break? If we are not, then we'll have
to let the steam power go and hoist some sails."
"Oh, that would be slow work!" cried Sam. "Let us try to fix the
pipe. I saw some extra pieces in the tool room. Maybe one of them
will fit."
With the engine room cleared of steam they inspected the split pipe.
It was a piece exactly two feet long, and they looked over the pieces
in the tool room and found one just half an inch shorter.
"I think that will do," said Dick. "We won't be able to couple it on
quite so tightly as the other was but we can pack it well, and I
guess it will last till we reach some port."
The tool room was supplied with the necessary wrenches and all of
the boys spent two hours in fitting in the new piece of pipe. Then
they inspected the other pipes and the engine, but everything appeared
to be in first-class shape.
The fire had been allowed to die down while the repairs were going
on, and was not started up again until the work had been completed.
"Say, don't I look like a nigger?" demanded Tom, as he put down some
tools. "If I don't, I feel black from head to foot."
"You are certainly pretty grimy," answered Sam, with a laugh. "But
I am that myself."
"We'll all have to go in for a good wash," said Dick.
"Vy ton't you chump oferpoard?" demanded Hans, who was pretty dirty
himself.
"Say! just the thing!" ejaculated Tom. "A swim wouldn't go bad on
such a hot day as this? Let us go in by all means!"
Sam was delighted at the suggestion, for the calm waters of the gulf
looked very inviting. Dick did not care so much for a swim, but said
he would go in if the others did.
"Dare vos a whole lot of pathing suits in von of der lockers," said
Hans. "I vill git dem."
He soon appeared with the suits, and in less than ten minutes all of
the boys were ready for a plunge. The waters of the gulf appeared to
be unusually calm and nothing disturbed the surface.
"Here goes!" cried Tom, and poised on the rail he made a splendid
dive and disappeared like a flash. Sam and Dick immediately followed.
Hans remained on the rail, grinning.
"Why don't you come in, Hans?" yelled Sam, as he came up and commenced
to swim about.
"I dink you vos chumps alretty," answered the German boy, calmly.
"Chumps?" returned Dick.
"Dot's it!"
"Why?"
"You chump oferpoard und you ton't know how you vos going to git
pack, ain't it!" And now Hans laughed outright.
"Well, I never!" cried Tom. "We forgot to throw even a rope down!"
"We certainly would have had a time getting on deck," was Dick's
comment. "Hans, throw an end of the rope ladder down."
"Dot vos vot I dink mineselluf," answered the German youth, and did
as requested. Then he, too, took a dive, coming up and blowing like
a porpoise.
It was certainly good sport and the four boys enjoyed it thoroughly.
With the aid of the rope ladder it was easy to climb on the deck of
the steam yacht, and they did a good deal of diving and running
around. They also had a race, Tom offering a pint of ice cream to
the first one around the ship. Dick won this race, with all of the
others in a bunch at his heels. He was just reaching the end when
Tom caught him by the ankle and held him fast.
"Hi, you! let go!" yelled Dick, and then turning, he promptly sent
his brother downward, so that Tom had to let go.
"Wish I had a plate of ice cream," murmured Sam, when they were all
resting on the rail of the steam yacht. "Wouldn't it be fine?"
"Oxactly," came from Hans. "Ven I gits me to a hotel again I vos
order a plate a foot high, mit vanilla, strawperry, chocolate, orange
ice, lemon--"
"Don't, Hans!" cried Tom, reproachfully. "You hurt my feelings so!"
And with a comical grin he placed one hand over his stomach. "Just
think of strawberry ice cream!"
"Or strawberries with cream! My, but it makes a fellow's mouth water!"
came from Sam.
The boys remained in and out of the water the best part of two hours.
It was so inviting all hated to think of dressing again. They had a
game of tag and kept poor Hans "it" for a long while, until, in fact,
the German youth was out of breath and had to give it up.
"I ton't run me no more, py golly!" panted Hans. "Of you vonts to
been caught you caught yourselfs alretty!" And at this remark all of
the others roared.
"I shouldn't mind our situation a bit if only we were certain the
others were safe," remarked Dick, when they were dressing. "But when
I think of Fred, Songbird, and Harold Bird--" He did not finish, but
shook his head sorrowfully.
"It makes a fellow sick, doesn't it?" returned Sam. "Oh, I do hope
they are safe!"
"I'll tell you one thing," came from Tom, walking up at this moment.
"This swim has made me as hungry as a bear."
"Tom, did you ever know the time you weren't hungry?" demanded his
elder brother.
"Sure," answered the fun-loving Rover, with a broad grin.
"When?" demanded both of the others.
"Directly after a good, square meal!" answered Tom, and then dodged
hurriedly, to escape the shoe Dick hurled at him.