The thing in the water was one of the large wooden lockers used for storing life-belts, and they drew alongside just in time. It was water-logged, and the weight of the men clinging to it was more than it could stand. Even as the last of them stepped into the boat, with a sullen splash the locker turned over and drifted away only just awash.
“Yer’d better mind out,” said one of the men. “There’s a lot of that about.”
“Go slow, Ted,” cried Drummond. Then he turned to the men. “What happened?”
“Strike me pink, governor, I’m damned if I know. We’ve had a wonderful trip, we ’ave—you can take my word. Fust a ruddy madman jumps overboard with another bloke—and they both drowns. Then half an hour later there comes the devil of an explosion from below; the ’ole deck goes sky ’igh, and the skipp
