CHAPTER XV 

THE CASTAWAYS OF THE GULF 

"It vos der earthkvake!" yelled Hans, as he scrambled to his feet. "Der oceans vos all busted up alretty! Safe me!" And he ran for the cabin doorway. 

"We must have struck something in the fog!" cried Dick, as he, too, arose. "Oh!" 

Another crash had come, heavier than the first, and the _Mascotte_ careened far over to port. Then came wild screams from the deck, followed by orders delivered in rapid succession. All in a moment the passengers were in a panic, asking what had been struck and if the steamer was going down. 

The Rovers and their friends tried to make their way on deck, but another shock threw Fred and Songbird back into the cabin and partly stunned them. Then Harold Bird ran to his stateroom, to get a pocketbook containing his money. 

Out on the deck all was misty, the lights gleaming faintly through the darkness. To one side loomed up another steamer, of the "tramp" variety, heavily laden with a miscellaneous cargo from Central American ports. 

"The _Mascotte_ is going down!" was the cry, as the steamer gave a suspicious lurch. Then came another crash, and before he knew it Dick Rover went spinning over the side, into the dark and misty waters of the gulf! 

It was certainly a time of extreme peril, and had not poor Dick kept his wits about him he must surely have been drowned. Down he went over his head and it was fully quarter of a minute before he came to the surface once more, spluttering and clashing the water from his eyes. He looked around, felt something hard hit him, and then went under once more.  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. Who fell over board?
2. Which person fell over board?
3. 
Q2:
1. Was the weather fine?
2. Was the sky unclouded?
3. 
Q3:
1. What was the state of the air?
2. Did the air feel somewhat saturated?
3. 
Q4:
1. Was the deck restful?
2. Was the deck peaceful?
3. 
Q5:
1. What could be heard from the deck?
2. What noises came from the deck?
3. 
Q6:
1. Was anything sinking?
2. What was going down?
3. 
Q7:
1. What was sinking?
2. What was going down?
3. 
Q8:
1. How could the Mascotte be defined?
2. What could the Mascotte be described as being?
3. 
Q9:
1. Was the water transparent?
2. Was the water limpid?
3. 
Q10:
1. Were the people on the deck by themselves?
2. Were the people on the deck unescorted?
3. 
