Written by Jules Verne
Read by John Bolen
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A great sheet of water, supplied continuously by the pumps, was rolling in tiny wavelets, and escaping now to starboard, now to larboard through the scupper-holes. After watching the men for a while as they ran about barefooted, I could not resist the desire to join them, so taking off my shoes and stockings, I proceeded to dabble in the flowing water. Great was my amazement to find the deck perfectly hot to my feet! Curtis heard my exclamation of surprise, and before I could put my thoughts into words, said,— " Yes! there is fire on board !" "YE5! THERE IS FIRE ON BOARD." Pan 34. 'THE MEN ON WATCH NOTICED A SLIOHT SMOKE ISSUING FROM THE URGE HATCHWAY." Pf 35- CHAPTER IX. October igt/i.—Everything, then, is clear. The uneasiness of the crew, their frequent conferences, Owen's mysterious words, the constant scourings of the deck and the oppressive heat of the cabins which had been noticed even by my fellow-passengers, all are explained. After his grave communication, Curtis remained silent. I shivered with a thrill of horror; a calamity the most terrible that can befall a voyager stared me in the face, and it was some seconds before I could recover sufficient composure to inquire when the fire was first discovered. " Six days ago," replied the mate. " Six days ago!" I exclaimed; "why, then, it was that night." " Yes," he said, interrupting me; " it was the night you heard the disturbance upon deck. The men on watch noticed a slight smoke issuing from the large hatchway and immediately called Captain Huntly and myself. Wefound beyond all doubt, that the cargo was on fire, and what was worse, that there was no possibility of getting at the seat of the combustion. What could we do ? Why ; we took the only precaution that was practicable under the ci...