“Must be something knocking on the bottom of the boat,” guessed Terry.
The knocking came again, and the boys listened keenly. Don turned startled eyes toward the others.
“What do you make of it?” Jim whispered.
“Someone, or something, is down under those boards!” was Don’s reply.
For a moment Jim stared at him. “What are we going to do?”
“We’ll have to go back to the Lassie, bring lanterns and go to work on that tangle of lumber,” Don answered.
22. The Secret of the Freighter
The boys left the hold of the freighter and made their way over the deck to the sloop. What little light there had been was now dying down and a wall of darkness was sweeping over the ocean. Unnoticed even by themselves, a silence had fallen over the boys.
They got lanterns in the hold of the Lassie and paused long enough to light them. When this had been done they once more climbed aboard the freighter, their lights twinkling out against the darkness. The freighter was gently pitching and tossing, and the loose gear was sliding all over the deck.
“I guess I’ll lash that wheel down,” Don decided, as they crossed the deck. He handed his lantern to Terry and locked the thrashing wheel in place. Instantly, the lumber boat rode more smoothly and evenly.