“Not a soul in sight, dead or alive,” murmured Jack, after they had gazed up and down the long deck.
“Do you notice anything funny in the way of a smell?” questioned his cousin, suddenly.
“I certainly do!” Jack gave a sniff. “Smells something like a stable.”
“Maybe she’s a cattle boat.”
“That might be, Randy. But come on, we might as well take a look around and see if anybody is in charge. And we want to see, too, what we can do about getting the others on the wreckage aboard.”
“Maybe we can find some kind of small boat. They may not have taken all of them,” was the hopeful response.
Not only did the deck slope at a dangerous angle, but it was also exceedingly slippery, so that it was with great difficulty that the boys managed to move around. It had been the foremast that hung by the board, and they had come aboard close to where rested the remains of the smashed-in bow.
“There is that noise again!” exclaimed Randy, while they were moving amidships. “What in the world can it be!”
“Some animals, I guess,” answered his cousin. “They may have some horses or cows or sheep, or something like that, on board. Come on, let’s investigate. This thing is getting on my nerves.”
The cousins moved with caution to the middle portion of the yacht. Here were the remains of a deckhouse, smashed flat by the fall of the mainmast, which was now missing. Behind this was a cabin, the door and windows of which were all tightly closed.