Instantly both lads resumed the same positions they had occupied when Herr Muller left the cabin. They had just time to assume them when the man himself opened the companionway doorway and descended.
"Well, have you made up your minds?" he began, without any preliminaries.
"We have," replied Ned. "I'll do as you wish in regard to the plan of the battleship. But you haven't mentioned anything about compensation as yet."
"It will be large. You have my word for that. Isn't that enough?"
Ned, inwardly thinking that it certainly wasn't, agreed that it was.
"I'll get you pencils and paper, and you can set to work right away," said Herr Muller.
But just as he spoke there came a loud crash on deck, and a series of alarmed shouts. Herr Muller turned and sprang quickly back up the stairway. The boys, feeling certain that some calamity had occurred, followed him.
As they gained the deck they were astonished to find that the sloop was out of sight of land. A desolate expanse of gray, tumbling billows was stretched about her. But their glances only dwelt on this for an instant. Their immediate attention was caught by a group in the stern, bending over a prostrate figure.
"It's Chance!" exclaimed Ned, hastening aft, followed by Herc.
"A block tore loose from above and struck him on the head," one of the followers of Herr Muller was explaining as the boys came up.