CHAPTER XV
TOWED!
When the American pushed outside with his burden, a breeze swept the deck of the Vulcan with an unexpected coolness. The vibrations had almost ceased, but there was a slight hissing of water from somewhere, and a feeling of movement. The men were in a hubbub on the port side where the small boat lay tied.
Filled with the idea that the ship was about to founder, Madden stared about. To his vast astonishment, he discovered the tug was not sinking, but moving. The Vulcan was under way. The noise he heard was the swift displacement of water. For some unaccountable reason, the vessel glided southward at a speed of eight or ten knots.
In the uproar forward, Madden heard the cries: “Th' dinghy's swamped!” “We carn't reach 'er!” “Cut 'er loose and jump!” “We
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