The Coffin Ship Read Free

instrument, involved in a dangerous undertaking. Each one knows his place. They do not trust this American, or…” An idea struck Levkas. He threw open the door of the Radio Room. Outside, the radio officer, Tsirtos, was talking to the Hong Kong Chinese chief steward “Twelve Toes” Ho. “You two!” bellowed the captain. “Get the mate down here. He’ll be on the bridge…”
    But Tsirtos returned a minute or two later to report that Nicoli was not, in fact, on the bridge. Nor was he in his cabin. There had been no officer on watch since Kanwar had disappeared over an hour ago. This was too much for Levkas. With a bellow of rage, he broke off connection with the owner and stormed out of the Radio Room. “Sound for lifeboat drill!” he ordered. “I want everyone up and out!”
    Ten minutes later, with the alarm still sounding, everyone was at his assigned post for lifeboat drill. Everyone except Nicoli, Gallaher, Kanwar, and two seamen.
    “We’ll search the ship!” announced Levkas, unconsciously slurring his words.
    It took them half an hour to reach the Pump Room. Captain Levkas himself swung the great bulkhead door open with a sort of explosion of rage and there were themissing men, grouped around a ladder at the far side of the room. The scene was so natural it didn’t occur to him that anything might be wrong. He looked up, saw Nicoli standing twenty feet up and, calling his name, stepped in.
    With a ragged cheer, the others began to follow him in. After the long search, it was the natural thing to do.
    Two steps over the threshold, Levkas knew there was something badly wrong. One more, hesitant, step and he knew just what it was. He turned, solid enough to stem the rush, but not to stop it. Tall enough to see over their heads to Martyr’s face outside the door. A terrible roaring began, filling all the room. The first drunken officer tottered away, collapsing, surprised.
    “Out!”
yelled Levkas, but he knew it was already too late. The face outside the door asked an agonized question, although its lips did not move.
    Strange, thought Levkas dreamily; now he was putting all his trust in one of the two men he had said he could not trust at all.
    There were simply too many people coming in, away from the door. All his officers now except the chief engineer and the boy Tsirtos. There was no time to repeat the order; to explain to them that they should all turn and get out. The carbon dioxide, heavier than air, would spew out of the door until at first the corridor, and then the Engine Room and everywhere else level with or below here was also deadly. The only real chance they had for rescue came from the deck hatch ninety feet above. And then only if the men immediately outside the door survived.
    There were half a dozen of them in here and half a dozen oxygen masks in the Fire Control Room. Christ! if only his head was clearer! Another man sat down,faintly surprised at being unable to catch his breath. Only a millisecond had passed since his eyes had met Martyr’s. There was no choice. What ever the chances of the people inside, the door had to be closed. Almost wearily, Levkas nodded. The massive American’s face twisted with the effort. The great slab of steel swung closed and the flat clang of its closing echoed in the bright room like the chime of a cracked bell. The captain was sealed inside the deadly Pump Room with ten other officers and crew—five dead and five dying fast.
    Levkas was already moving, shouldering his way through those few still standing, looking away from their desperate eyes. Useless to all until he got to an oxygen mask and was able to breathe himself. It was years since he had bothered to train for anything like this. He had all but forgotten the rules. Of course he was holding his breath now but had he already breathed in a lungful of the deadly gas, like the others, dying with every new breath they took? Should he hurry and risk passing out from overuse of the little oxygen