signals sounding now near, now far, in the encompassing obscurity had fostered hope; but now for more than an hour the silence had been uncannily constant, broken only by the rumble of the motor, the lisp of water slipping down the slide, the suck and gurgle of the wake.
Forebodings no less portentous than Law's crawled in the mind of Barcus. It was as likely as not that the lifeboat was travelling straight out to sea. And gasoline tanks can and oftentimes do become—empty. Moreover, Barcus was a confirmed skeptic in regard to the reliability of marine motors. In view of all which considerations he presently opened the battery switch. The cessation of that uniform drone was startling enough to rouse Rose Trine from her state of semi-somnolence. With a look of panic she sat up, thrust damp hair back from her eyes, and nervously inquired:
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Barcus replied: "I shut the engine off—that's all." Then, uninterrupted, the stillness strangled their spirits in its ruthless grasp, until of a sudden a cry shrilled through the fog, so near at hand that it seemed scarcely more distant than over the side:
"Ahoy! Help! Ahoy there! Help!"
So urgent was its accent that it brought the three as one to their feet, all a-tremble, eyes seeking one another's faces, then shifting uneasily away.
