And it's going
to be done, see? And you're going to help do it, see? No work--no
pay and no food! Neglect of orders means extra duty and no liberty
--perhaps a couple of twenty-four-hour days in the brig. That's the
rule in all eras, see? Now get busy, all of you. Chow at twelve as
usual. Carry on, men."
"Aye, aye, sir," they answered cheerily, for they were weary of
the third assistant pie-maker's brand of talk and felt the pangs
of healthy hunger.
Then came the second engineer, out of breath with running, followed
by two or three helpers.
"Fire, captain," he gasped, "fire in the fuel-room--awful
blaze--started in the wood box--cigarette--we were just settin'
round talkin' over what we were goin' to do in the New Era, an'
the first thing we knew it was burnin' like--"
"The New Era," snapped the Commandant, "and be damned to it! Sound
the fire-call. All hands to quarters. Lead along the hose. Follow
me," he cried, hurrying forward through the gathering smoke, "this
ship must be saved."
And so it was--strictly in conformity with the old laws that fire
burns, water quenches, and every man must do his duty promptly.
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