![]() ![]() The patient's face looked tired and yellow-skinned, a youngish face that belied the thick forest of white hair above. ![]() Church peered over Gottschalk's shoulder and saw the ship's doctor bent over a man lying in a bunk. Almost immediately, the mooring lines were cast off and the ship got under way and was heading out to sea through the harbor entrance.Īs he was walking down a passageway toward the wardroom for a cup of coffee a cabin door opened and the American consul general to Brazil, Alfred Gottschalk, hesitated on the threshold, talking to someone inside. Then he greeted Gottschalk and escorted him to his quarters. As if on cue, Worley appeared and personally supervised the battening down of the hatch. He gazed anxiously as a large oblong crate was hoisted in the air by one of the ship's loading booms and swung into the forward cargo compartment. A trip that proved negative, seeming to confirm Worley's faith in the Cyclops.ĭon't you see, she must have been struck by a giant, rogue wave. One more inspection tour down to the engine room to see if any water was reported rising in the bilges. It took all his willpower to keep from heading to the snug confines of his bunk and gratefully closing his eyes to the grim set of problems surrounding the ship. The hull plates groaned under the stress and they could hear several cracking noises. From instinct, honed by years at sea, everyone in the wheelhouse automatically grabbed at the nearest secure object to keep his footing. ![]() Suddenly, before Worley could reply, the Cyclops lurched downward into a deep trough between the swells. Mother of God, muttered the helmsman, his voice edged with panic.Ī sickening realization struck Church.The Crogan Castle, the ship that sent the distress signal, said her prow was stove in and her superstructure damaged. He made his way aft and saw that the steam lines that ran the winches and auxiliary equipment were scraping against the bulwarks as the ship rose and fell with the long, slow swells. The waves had diminished to ten feet and no water was coming over the deck. He stepped onto the deck and stared out over the bow. He turned without a word and left the wheelhouse. Then slowly his hands relaxed as he realized any further argument with Worley was a waste of breath. ![]()
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