“Some men are talking up on deck. I can hear them,” Bart answered in a low voice.
He listened intently for a moment and came down from the table.
“I don’t know who they are,” he said. “I didn’t recognize Captain Needham’s voice, but one man was saying: ‘It was a great idea, him calling himself the King of Paprica. That must have thrown ’em all off the scent.’”
“What do you make of it?” asked Frank.
“It only confirms what we guessed at, that the men on this boat are, in some way, connected with the mystery.”
“See any way of getting out around that ventilator?” asked Fenn.
“No,” replied Bart. “We’ve got to try the floor or walls. Say!” he went on in an excited tone. “Why didn’t I think of it before. The way that door slid back ought to have given me the tip. There must be some secret passage in the walls or floor. Let’s look for it!”
Excited over the prospect of escape, the boys carefully examined the walls. They seemed solid, except where the door slid back to reveal the bunk room. This was operated from outside, they decided. There was no way of escape open there.
“Look at every inch of the floor!” said Bart, dropping to his knees.
The others followed his example. They crawled about with their eyes close to the boards. Suddenly Frank uttered an exclamation.