“Be careful how you move around,” warned Randy. “Otherwise, somebody may slip through one of those openings and break his neck.”
On account of the condition of the steam yacht, and because there might still be some of the wild beasts or snakes present, they moved around the wreck with great caution. Thus an hour or more passed. They found a sheep and a little deer, both wedged in the wreckage and dead.
“The animals and the snakes seem to be gone,” declared Jack, at last. “And all of the monkeys have gone, too, and also the parrots. About all that are left are a few of the small birds, and I guess we might as well give them their liberty.” And this was done.
When the noon hour was reached all were tired and hungry and glad enough to sit down on the deck and eat a portion of the food they had brought along. As they did this they talked over the situation.
“There are plenty of stores here, and most of the stuff seems to be in good condition,” remarked Jack. “So, no matter what else happens, we’re not liable to starve to death.”
“I suppose we could stay on board if we wanted to?” suggested Fred. “It might be safer to sleep in the cabin here, even in its partly wrecked condition, than to bunk out on the beach with those wild animals at large.”
“Oh, I don’t want to stay all the time,” put in Randy. “We can’t stretch our legs here. Besides, it might be dangerous if another hurricane struck us. I saw some rifles on board, and if we arm ourselves with those, I’d rather be back in the vicinity of the old camp.”
“Well, whatever the crowd want to do——” began Jack, and then came to a sudden stop. A distant humming had reached his ears, and this humming steadily increased in volume.
“What do you suppose that is?” questioned Andy, looking at Jack curiously. He, too, had noticed the humming.
“Sounds like an aeroplane motor,” was the quick reply. “Hear how loud it’s getting!”