“No; I don’t believe it’s the Manhattan,” agreed Bob.
Ned certainly hoped that it was not, for that would mean the end of his efforts to find Mr. Jackson alive. As they drew nearer to the floating mass, they saw that it was the part of some sailing craft, which had come to grief through stress of wind and wave.
“A derelict,” remarked Professor Snodgrass, as the Comet came to a stop not far from it. “A floating derelict, and a great menace to navigation. If some steamer were to hit that in a fog, or on a dark night, it might send her to the bottom. I wish we could go aboard.”
“Why?” asked Ned.
“Because I might get some specimens on her. Perhaps some of the crew, before they abandoned her, might have had some strange birds, animals or insects from the tropics, and if they were left behind, as they probably were, they would prove to be a valuable addition to my collection.”
“I’m afraid we can’t go on her unless we swim,” said Jerry. “We have a small boat aboard, but the sea is a little too rough to permit its use to-day.”
“Circle around the wreck, and see if we can discover her name,” suggested Ned. “Perhaps there might be a dog or cat aboard, that we could rescue.”
Slowly the Comet made a course around the wreck, and far enough away so that the wash of the sea would not ram her up against the abandoned vessel’s sides. The boys could discover no name on the derelict. Either it had been worn away by the action of the water, or that part of the ship where it should have appeared was ripped off. It seemed as if the wreck had been abandoned some time ago.
There was no sign of life aboard her, though Mr. Snodgrass was sure he could have at least discovered some stray bugs had he been given a chance to search, but it could not be done.
“Well, we’ll get under way again, I guess,” observed Jerry. “Perhaps to-morrow we’ll have better luck.”