His hand went, with an unmistakable gesture, to his pocket.  Perhaps he was about to draw a weapon, but there was no need.

His ringing words, the lash of “coward,” that cut like a knife, and his bearing, had an immediate effect.

“Stop those shouts of ‘fire!’” he cried, and the excited men and women became quiet.

“Now get back to your places—­every one of you!” he ordered the sailors.  “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, to leave your mates to answer the fire call alone,” and he pointed to where a number of hands were about the hatchway, from which smoke was still coming.  But the wind was taking it away from the ship now, which was the reason why the vessel had been turned around.

“Get to your quarters!” the captain commanded, and the men slunk away.  The danger of a panic was over—­at least for the time.

Ruth and Alice stood where they had risen from their steamer chairs, their hands clasped, and Alice had thrust her rosy palm into the broad one of Paul.  He held it reassuringly.

“Oh, what shall we do?” murmured Ruth.

“There isn’t another ship in sight,” added Alice, as she looked about the horizon.

“We can call one soon enough,” said Paul.  “They’ll start the wireless if they have to.”

Mr. DeVere came hurrying up, his eyes searching about for his daughters.  A look of relief came over his face as he saw them.

“You had better go below, and get what things you can save while there is time,” he said, hoarsely.  “We may have to take to the boats any minute.”

“Listen, the captain is going to say something,” warned Paul.

Nearly all the passengers were now gathered on deck, as were most of the sailors, but the latter were engaged in fighting the fire through the forward hatchway.  Those who were not needed at that particular place were at the other fire stations, in readiness for any emergency.

The Tarsus now lay motionless on the ocean, rolling to and fro slowly under the influence of a gentle swell.  There was scarcely any wind, and the smoke, which had constantly grown thicker and blacker, even with the efforts made to subdue the flames, arose in a straight pillar of cloud.

“There is no danger!” began the captain, and there were a few murmurs at these rather trite words under the circumstances.

“I mean just what I say!” went on the commander, and there was no mistaking his sincerity.  “There is no danger—­at present,” he continued.  “There is a slight fire among the cargo in one of the small forward holds.  But it is cut off from the rest of the ship by fire-proof doors, and we are flooding that compartment.  The fire will be out shortly, I expect.

“So there is absolutely no need of taking to the boats.  Later on, if there should be, I will give you ample warning, and I might add that we carry a sufficient complement of boats and life rafts to accommodate all.  And should we take to the boats, the weather is in our favor.  So you see you should not worry.”