“Who’d want it?” asked Bob.
“Why Dr. Hallet, of course,” was the answer, as if there could be no other. “I’ve had to fight tooth and nail the last month to keep him from securing things that really belong to me. And now that I am in this unfortunate position he may get ahead of me. There is only one hope.”
“What’s that?” asked Bob. “Do you see a boat coming for us?”
“No. The hope I refer to is that the sailor on whom I saw that bug may remember that I have first claim to it. He may save it for me and not let Dr. Hallet get it.”
“Is Dr. Hallet on board?” asked Bob, beginning to get a glimmer of light on some matters that had puzzled him and his chums during the past few days.
“Well, he was at the time I left,” announced the professor. “But he, too, may have been tossed overboard as we were. If he was, I hope he doesn’t want to get aboard our present craft. There is hardly room for one more.”
“No, indeed,” agreed Bob. “But, say, Professor, we ought to do something.”
“Do what, Bob?”
“Shout and yell to let ’em know we’re out here. They’ll send a boat for us. Come on, yell!”