The boy stopped in the midst of his light-hearted speech and looked again through the broken panels of the door at the end of the hall. What he saw was a side door opening.
As the door swung back an old man, white haired and walking with a stout cane, came into the room and sat down in the chair by the hearth. Then, without glancing toward the broken panels and the boys beyond, he spoke:
“The door is not fastened, boys. You are welcome to enter.”
The boys entered, feeling ashamed and half afraid, and the old man pointed to two chairs by the hearth which had not been seen through the broken door.
“Sit down!” he said, almost with an air of command, “and tell me why you are here.”
The boys sank down into the chairs; then there came a sharp click, and they felt themselves falling through the floor!
[CHAPTER V—A NEW CAPTAIN ON BOARD]
Clay continued his work on the motors for a long time after the departure of Alex. and Jule. It was impossible to make them work with safety without the repairs Case had gone after, but the boy decided that the present would be a fine time to clean them.
While he worked, polishing and oiling, Mose and Teddy came out of the cabin arm-in-arm! At least the little negro boy had one arm around the cub’s neck!
“You’ve got over your scare, eh?” Clay laughed, as the two came to his side.