“I don’t see anybody on the deck,” came from Randy.
All looked eagerly toward the battered steam yacht. The craft was of good size and tilted over to port and up at the bow.
“Looks to me like the yacht had been abandoned,” said Ira Small. “Look, lads! All the small boats are missin’. I’ll bet after she was struck the cap’n thought she was goin’ down, an’ so abandoned his ship.”
Slowly the steam yacht came closer. She was considerably water-logged, and now the Rover boys and the sailor saw that her bow was greatly damaged and that part of the forward deck had also been torn up.
“She must have been in a terrible smash, whatever it was,” remarked Jack.
“Yes, and she may have cut the other boat clean to pieces,” answered Randy. “Just look at all the wreckage we got into!”
“But if she hit that boat, why didn’t we see the yacht before?” queried Fred. “She was right on the same spot.”
“Well, you must remember, this here wreckage is from a small sailin’ ship,” answered the lanky sailor. “That there yacht probably has a good engine aboard, and maybe after the collision the cap’n put on full steam, thinkin’ he could make land. Then the vessel got so water-logged he was afraid she was goin’ down, and so he and his crew and his passengers, if he had any, took to the boats. But I want to say one thing,” he went on impressively: “She’s the funniest lookin’ steam yacht I ever saw. Look at that queer house on deck, and look at them queer portholes along the side. Maybe she’s a hospital ship.”
“I wish we could get aboard to find out,” came from Andy. His hunger was making him desperate.
“I’ve a good mind to try to swim over to her,” said Jack.