In the walls of the cabin were iron rings from which hung rusted iron chains inclosing the skeletons of unfortunate prisoners.
It was a terrible thing to think of that these poor souls had thus gone down to their death in utter helplessness.
In this cabin a way was found into the hold.
Frank went boldly into this, and was not a little surprised to find that it was cleverly partitioned off in compartments.
Breaking in the door of one of these compartments, it was found to be the powder magazine.
Here were tons of saltpetre, ruined, of course, by the action of the water.
Frank put his helmet against the others and said:
“There was powder enough here to have blown the whole thing to the zenith.”
“You are right,” agreed Von Bulow; “but the magazine was in too secure a place to stand any chance of being fired.”
This was certainly true.