“Suits me,” came from Ned and Bob.
Accordingly, after the side lamps and the search lantern had been lighted, the Dartaway was swung down the river.
Suddenly from the gloom in front of them, there sounded a loud crash. Then a bumping noise, followed by confused shouts.
“Trouble of some kind!” exclaimed Jerry. He swung the search lamp in the direction from which the noise had come. In the white blinding glare of the gas lamp the boys saw the outlines of a schooner, partially hidden behind some big black object.
“That’s the Bluebird!” exclaimed Ned.
“And something has run into her!” cried Jerry. “I wonder what it is. Put us over that way, Ned.”
Ned shifted the wheel. As the Dartaway came nearer, and the black object was illuminated more by the search lamp, the boys could see that it was a barge loaded with hay which had drifted upon the schooner.
“Help! Help! Save me! The schooner is sinking!” cried a voice from the darkness.
“You’d better jump!” another voice answered. “I can’t pull the barge back!”