“Look out that you don’t get struck!” cried Jack, when the steam yacht loomed up just ahead of them. “She’s bobbing around pretty lively, in spite of being water-logged. Try to grab one of those ropes on the broken mast.”
As the two youths drew closer they could hear the swash of the ocean as it struck the sides of the water-logged boat. But mingled with these sounds came others that made them look at each other in wonder.
“What do you suppose that noise is?” questioned Randy.
“I don’t know. Maybe some people in distress.”
“Maybe the steam yacht is a hospital ship, as Small said.”
The strange noise continued to come from the water-logged steam yacht, but what it could be the boys could not surmise. As the vessel surged closer, each caught hold of the ropes which held the broken mast and then did his best to pull himself up to the slanting deck above.
“Be careful!” called out Randy. “These ropes may give way and let us and the mast down in a hurry.”
“Oh, they’ve held so long, I guess they’ll hold a little longer,” answered Jack. “Up you go!”
A minute later the two Rover boys stood on the deck of the water-logged vessel. The craft was so badly listed that they moved around with difficulty.