"Roy alive"-- "Roy alive" it kept saying and sometimes "don't worry." I didn't see how any fellow could manage a smudge and send it so fast and keep his spaces.

The last word before it stopped was SAFE, or that's what it was meant to be, only the short flash for E didn't come.

The fellows all began shouting when there wasn't any more, and I heard Pee-wee shout downstairs, "Aren't you going to put the name of the boat ?" "Do you want him to crack the sky open ?" I heard a fellow say, and they all laughed.
But I remembered how that last E didn't come and I started down the ladder for all I was worth.

I scrambled around the narrow part of the deck to the window and called, but nobody answered.

The smoke was coming out thick.
"Wig," I said, "are you there?
Are you all right?
Artie, where are you ?" I had to turn away my face on account of the smoke.