Титаник

           Pitmanhadverylittlerelishforleavingtheshipatthattime,andinspiteofthefactthatshewastakinginwater,everyonewasconvincedthattheTitanicwasamuchsaferplacethantheopensea.Hehadaboutfortypassengersandsixofthecrewinhisboat,andasitwasabouttobelowered,Mr.Murdochleantovertohimandshookhimheartilybythehand:“Good-bye,oldman,andgoodluck,”hesaid,intoneswhichrathersurprisedPitman,fortheyseemedtoimplythatthegood-byemightbeforalongtime.Hisboatwaslowereddownintothewater,unhooked,andshovedoff,andjoinedthegraduallyincreasingfleetofotherboatsthatwerecruisingaboutinthestarlight.

           Therewasonemanwalkingaboutthatupperdeckwhosepointofviewwasquitedifferentfromthatofanyoneelse.Mr.BruceIsmay,likesomanyothers,wasawakenedfromsleepbythestoppingoftheengines;likesomanyothers,also,helaystillforafewmoments,andthengotupandwentintothepassage-way,wherehemetastewardandaskedhimwhatwasthematter.Thestewardknewnothing,andMr.Ismaywentbacktohisstate-room,putonadressing-gownandslippers,andwentuptothebridge,wherehesawtheCaptain.“Whathashappened?”heasked.“Wehavestruckice,”wastheanswer.“Istheinjuryserious?”“Ithinkso,”saidtheCaptain.ThenMr.IsmaycamedowninsearchoftheChiefEngineer,whomhemetcominguptothebridge;heaskedhimthesamequestion,andhealsosaidhethoughttheinjuryserious.