With this Rodgers left the captives, as he heard some of the sailors moving about and did not want to be discovered. The professor and the boys wondered what the mate’s plan might be, but they had to be content to wait and see.
The night passed without incident. About nine o’clock the next morning the mate came to the door of the room where the professor and his friends were prisoners. He made no secret of his approach, but knocked boldly.
“Tell Mark I want to see him,” he said, as the professor answered. “All of you keep quiet,” he added in a whisper. “There may be good news soon.”
Mark slipped from the room. He followed the mate to the upper deck which, at that time was deserted as all the sailors were in the dining room eating, which practice they indulged in as often as they could.
“I have a plan to get rid of these rough men,” the mate said to Mark. “It may work, and, again it may not. At any rate it is worth trying. It all depends on you with what help I can give you.”
“I’m willing to do my share,” Mark said, and for the next ten minutes the boy and the mate were in earnest conversation.
It was about thirty-five minutes later when there arose a sudden commotion in the ship. Mark had returned to his friends and the mate had disappeared. The confusion seemed to come from the engine room where Tony had posted some of his men.
“We’re falling down! We’ll all be killed!” shouted the men. “The ship is falling into the sea!”
“What is the trouble?” asked the professor as he heard the commotion.
“It is part of the mate’s plan,” said Mark. “He told me to tell you to do nothing. If Tony or any of the other men come to you just refer them to me.”