A candle, however, with an old piece of a clay pipe, a few nails, and an empty box, were found.
Turk took the candle, and endeavored to light it. This was done with some difficulty, after which the party passed into the hold. Here, saturated with salt water, which had broken in through the bottom of the schooner, were seen several coils of old rope and a few empty barrels.
"All of which," philosophized Turk, "will come in good use, 'specially if we can find some nails."
After a long search, he came upon a bag of rusty nails, lying upon one of the beams.
"With these," said Turk, "we can manage to make a boat, leastways a good raft."
The flickering candle shed lurid light upon the old, creaking beams of the schooner, as the party vainly searched the hold for signs of Mary's father.
"Thought it would be of no use," said Turk; "Poor old man, he was drowned, you may be sartin."
"Oh, papa! papa! would that I could find him!" wailed Mary, mournfully.
Brand shuddered, as he always did, when the girl's father was mentioned.
Seating himself on a detached coil of rigging, with his back turned to the rest of the party, he suddenly fancied he felt a strange, creeping sensation stealing over his body; a feeling, as if a multitude of worms, were crawling up his back.