“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” suggested Henry Burns; “you and Tom start forward, and George and I will start aft, and we’ll work toward one another, examining everything carefully as we go. We’ll pass the stuff to Bob and he can carry it outside.”
Setting the example, Henry Burns began with the provision locker on the starboard side, next to the bulkhead. He took everything out, scrutinized every board with which the locker was sealed, and tapped on the boards with a little hammer. But there was no unusual fitting of the boards that suggested a hidden chamber, nor any variance in the sound where the hammer fell, to warrant cutting into the sides of the locker. He examined top, sides, and bottom, with equal care and with no favourable result.
Next, on the starboard side, was the stove platform and the stove. There was no use disturbing that, so he passed it by.
A chamber, sealed up and lined with zinc for an ice-box, afforded a likewise unfavourable field for exploration.
Then came a series of lockers, with alcoves and shelves between, which occupied the space above the berths. These, and the drawers beneath the berths, were searched, but yielded no secrets.
George Warren, on the port side, searched likewise, but with equally discouraging results.
Harvey, forward, had the hatch off and the water-casks and some spare rigging thrown out on deck. The cabin deck and cockpit of the Viking looked as though the boat had been in eruption and had heaved up all its contents.
“My!” exclaimed George Warren, “this is hot work. I feel like a pirate sacking a ship for gold.”
“Only there isn’t any gold,” said Harvey; “but I’ll try the ballast before I quit.”
“I’m afraid that’s not much use,” said Henry Burns. “They wouldn’t go so deep as that to hide anything. I’m afraid I’ve raised your hopes for nothing.”