Bob and Jerry were standing on the raised after-deck, near the wheel, talking, when Miss Payson, who, with the doctor and his sister, was in the cabin, came to the door, and asked:
“Is there anything wrong, boys? There is some water on the floor in here. Perhaps something has spilled.”
“Water?” cried Bob.
Jerry handed his chum the wheel, and went into the cabin. He saw a little pool of water oozing up from the cracks in the cabin floor.
“That’s what’s been holding us back!” he exclaimed. “I wondered what made her so heavy.”
“What is it?” asked the doctor.
“A small leak,” Jerry replied. “Probably the same seams that opened before are widening now. We’ve been running pretty fast, and the vibration of the motor has probably shaken out some of the caulking.”
“Is there—is there any danger?” asked Miss Wright.
“Not at all,” Jerry assured her, though he was not quite as sure as his voice indicated. “I’ll start the pump.”
This soon brought the water down to a level below the boards of the cabin floor, and for some time no more came in. But the leak must have grown, for, in spite of what the pump took out, the floor was soon covered.