Bob looked in the direction of the pointing finger and saw, dimly through the fog, a white object of considerable size, at least as compared to their improvised vessel. It floated well up out of the water, and as the drifting currents brought the two nearer Bob saw that it was a ship’s life raft. It consisted of two large steel cylinders, filled with air and sealed. Between them was a platform and a raised object which Bob knew was a water-tight box, or locker, containing food and water.
“Look!” cried the professor. “There he is! There he is! Oh, I hope the bug is still on him!”
And then Bob observed that the life raft held a lone occupant. It was a sailor, and it needed only a second glance to show that it was the same man from whom Professor Snodgrass had been about to remove a “specimen,” when the crash came.
Almost at the same instant that Bob and the professor observed the lone sailor on the life raft, the man noticed them. He stared a moment, then waved his hand in greeting and called:
“Are you alive?”
“Very much so!” answered Bob. “Have you room for us there?”
“Plenty and to spare,” was the answer. “This raft is built to hold twelve. Wait, I’ll row over to you!”
Then Bob saw that the queer craft was provided with oars; and though it moved clumsily in the water it progressed toward him and the professor. The latter gave one look and observing that substantial help was on the way, he began to examine the specimens in the bunch of seaweed. Not before he had called out, however to the sailor:
“Don’t lose that bug, whatever you do!”