Was the hull opening and disintegrating?
Almost without volition he half arose to his feet. The girl followed
his action, still clinging to his shoulder. Dan inclined his head to
speak to her, when with a shriek the wind came again. There was a dull
crash forward, a splintering and rearing of wood, a quivering of the
entire hull; and then, as though hurled by a giant hand, a huge section
of wood, whether a part of cargo or hull Dan could not tell, shot out
of the night, crashing a hole in the roof of the cabin behind which
they were crouching, and then bounded over their heads into the sea.
Both remained still, as though carved in stone. Forward there was a
crashing sound, a series of blows, as though some great hammer were
engaged in disintegrating the hull. There was a grinding of wood
against wood which caused the deck under their feet to tremble. Still
neither moved. The terrible thought that the derelict was going to
pieces was in both their minds. They had no doubt of this now. They
simply waited.
Virginia had no great fear. Her dominant thought was the dread of the
first immersion in the cold, cruel, black waters. But it would not
last long. Not long, not long--these two words kept ringing in her
mind. Her shoulders were drawn up, as though preparing for the shock.
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