'What is wrong?' was the question on every lip, to which, as yet, there
was no answer. The officers who hurried to and fro were mute, or gave
short and unsatisfactory replies to the inquiries which poured in upon
them. People did not pause to reflect that even an officer could hardly
be expected to know off-hand what the cause of the sudden stoppage of the
engine might be. By-and-by the captain appeared, smiling and bland. He
told them there was no danger. Something had gone amiss with the
machinery, exactly what he could not, at the moment, tell; but
there was no necessity for being panic-stricken, everything would
be all right in a short time if they merely remained calm. These,
and a lot of other nautical lies, which are always told on such
occasions, served to calm the fears of the crowd; and by-and-by one
after another went down to their state-rooms on finding the vessel was
not going to sink immediately. They all appeared some time afterward in
more suitable apparel. The steam which had filled the saloon soon
disappeared, leaving the furniture dripping with warm moisture. Finally,
the loud clang of the breakfast-gong sounded as if nothing had happened,
and that did more, perhaps, than anything else to allay the fears of the
passengers. If breakfast was about to be served, then, of course, things
were not serious. Nevertheless, a great many people that morning had a
very poor appetite for the breakfast served to them.
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