Jack secured the door of the cabin, and then divested himself of his clothes. This done he let himself over the side of the Sea Gull and struck out with a long, steady stroke for the Tarpon. It was quite a swim, and the tide ran swiftly. The Maine water is cold, too, but Jack was strong and vigorous and did not mind this in the least. In fact, after his long spell in the stuffy cabin the water felt delightfully refreshing.
It was not long before he reached the side of the Tarpon, and swimming around her finally found a dangling rope by which he hauled himself on board. Once in her cockpit, he started for the cabin door. As he had expected, it was locked. But a big wrench lay by the engine box, and Jack, without hesitating an instant, picked it up and with one blow smashed the lock in.
Then he opened the cabin door and found himself in a compartment bigger than the Sea Gull’s, but in a wild state of untidiness.
“Phew! what a stuffy hole,” thought the lad; “I guess those fellows don’t clean it out once a year. I wonder——”
Jack almost did a back somersault as he broke off his soliloquy. From out of a corner of the cabin something had sprung at him with a fierce growl and a savage display of teeth. It was a bulldog and a powerful brute, which appeared quite determined to drive Jack off the boat.
“Gracious,” exclaimed the boy, as the dog stood snarling at him, its ugly teeth exposed and its hair bristling angrily, “this is a fix. I never dreamed they’d have left a guardian here.”
“Gr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!” came from the dog, as its nose crinkled up into a fierce snarl.
Suddenly the growl stopped, and the animal gave a spring at Jack’s throat. But, luckily, the boy had picked up the wrench with which he had broken in the door, and was prepared for the attack. As the dog was in mid-spring he raised it and brought the weapon down with crushing force on the animal’s head. The dog seemed to crumple up, and fell in a limp heap at the boy’s feet.
“He’s not dead,” said Jack, after an examination, “but I guess when he comes to he’ll feel pretty sick. I’m glad I didn’t kill him, although it might have been my life or his.”
He stepped over the dog’s body and entered the cabin. Then, without wasting time, he began a search. From the eager light in his eyes it was evident that Jack had an object in view, and was bent on accomplishing it as speedily as possible.