the ocean liner and then further below .
" And whatever am I to do about this !" Brunhilde Bamfield exclaimed , reaching down toward the hole in the floor . " That blob was meant for my husband ... I mean , sister , in San Francisco !"
I knew at once the cause of the ship ' s collapse from the sky had been the blob .
" It was so tiny ," she said . " I feared it was not strong , and would perish from lack of care , but you see how it escaped . Through the pirate — by eating it !"
And then we heard a noise come from below like the great groaning of a whale . The metal of the ocean liner ' s hull was buckling beneath . At that moment the Pirate King pushed between our group , kicking out a window . Sir Hammerhorn grabbed the nearest lady and yelled , " To the life boats !" After that , there was considerable commotion . I tried to take hold of Brunhilde or Percy , but both were far too distraught to be of any real help in this venture .
" It ' s my best hat !" Cyprien wept bitterly in the commotion .
I grabbed Cyprien ' s arm . " Quickly - perhaps it is not too late to save the ocean liner ."
It was a simple matter to see which way the creature had gone : straight down .
" Do you see any wayward water down there , Cyprien ? For I am wearing wool , and I dare not risk the destruction of my only remaining dress !" " No , Miss ." " Through the hole !" I charged . Cyprien grabbed a rope , and we both climbed down to the next level . The hole in the deck below was larger than the hole on the floor above . We proceeded through it as well , passing through many decks . It was darker than I would have liked in the boiler room . There was , of course , the ambient red glow of the massive furnaces , but the boiler pipes were melted and corroded far beyond what seemed safe . The floors , however , were intact . There , laying in some ooze , was Cyprien ' s hat . He clutched it to