Sammy very soon made this discovery. Dot, scarcely able to see him from below, the hold was so dark, made out that he was balked by something.
"Can't you budge it, Sammy?" she asked anxiously.
"I—I guess it's locked," he puffed.
"Oo-ee!" she gasped. "Holler, Sammy! Holler!"
Sammy "hollered." He was getting worried himself now. It was bad enough to contemplate facing a man who might not be fond of pirates—even small ones. But if they could not get out of the hold of the canalboat, they would not be able to face the man or anybody else.
The thought struck terror to the very soul of Sammy. Had he been alone he certainly would have done a little of that "blubbering" that he had just now accused Dot of doing. But "with a girl looking on a fellow couldn't really give way to unmanly tears."
He began to pound on the hatch with his fists and yell at the top of his voice:
"Lemme out! Lemme out!"
"Oh, Sammy," came the aggrieved voice of Dot from below. "Ask 'em to let us both out. I don't want to be left here alone."
"Aw, who's leavin' you here alone?" growled the boy.