Russ made more moving pictures, since he now had a good light, and as the fire-fighting was in another part of the ship it made a different series of views.

“Oh, isn’t this the most awful thing you ever saw, or heard of?” cried Miss Pennington, coming on deck where Ruth and Alice stood.  “Fate seems to be against us at every turn!”

She was very pale, and looked wretched, as did her chum Miss Dixon.

“I guess they didn’t take time to make up their complexions,” whispered Alice.

“Hush!” cautioned her sister.

“I could cry!” declared Miss Dixon.  “I never slept a wink all night.”  She looked it, too.

“Oh, we’ll be all right,” said Paul.  “The other ship is coming for us, and if necessary we can be transferred to her.”

“Will we have to go in one of the small boats, like that?” Miss Pennington wanted to know, as she pointed to the one in which were Mr. Bunn and Mr. Sneed, some distance off, now.

“That’s the only kind they have on board,” said Mr. DeVere, who had shortly before joined his daughters.

“Oh, I never could go in one of those—­never!” the former vaudeville actress cried, tragically.

“Ha!  Dose is goot boats!  I in der German nafy vos,” put in Mr. Switzer, “und dey are fery safe.”

“Oh, but they look so small, and they hold so little.  How can one get enough to eat in them?” asked Miss Dixon, clasping her hands, and looking with her rather effective eyes, first at Mr. Towne, and then at Paul.

“Ha!  You dakes along vot you eat!” exclaimed the German.  “Pretzels iss fine!  Haf one!” and he extended a handful of small ones.  Since the company had been snowbound he had always a few in his pocket.  He called them his “mascots.”

“No, thank you.  I never eat them!” declared Miss Dixon, with turned-up nose.

“Let’s go see if there is any further report by wireless from the Bell,” suggested Ruth, who saw kindling wrath in the eyes of her sister.  Alice never could get along well with the two actresses, and she was very likely to say something that might lead to a quarrel.

“I’ll come along,” said Paul.

“So will I,” echoed Mr. Towne.  In spite of his affected mannerisms, he could be “nice,” at times.  It was Ruth who had said this, but then Ruth had such a kind heart that she generally found a good quality in nearly everyone, whatever their failings.

“Yes, she’s coming on at full speed,” reported the wireless operator.  “She’ll be with us in about an hour, now.  And I guess it’s time, too,” he added in a low voice.

“Why?” asked Russ, when the girls had passed on.

“Because I believe the fire is gaining.  I think it’s in one of the coal bunkers now, and that means it will burn steadily, and may eat through the side of the ship.”

The operator turned to his apparatus, for he had been told to keep in constant communication with the oncoming rescue ship.