“It sure does,” answered Teddy. “I shouldn’t care to sleep here over night.”
“You wouldn’t do much sleeping,” affirmed Fred. “You’d be expecting every minute to see something standing at the foot of your bed.”
But these first fancies could not long endure in the flood of sunlight that beat upon the schooner, and the boys soon recovered their normal confidence. They went through the captain’s cabin and two others that had evidently been set apart for the mates. Except one or two sodden mattresses and a huddled bunch of mouldy bed coverings, there was nothing of the slightest value. Whatever there had been at the time of the wreck had either been washed overboard or taken possession 223 of by the authorities, shortly after the wreck occurred.
“Nothing more to see here,” declared Bill, after a brief look around. “I guess we’d better join the other fellows now. Lester’ll be anxious to get going.”
“Right-o,” acceded Fred. “Let’s get a move on.”
But something, he did not know what, moved Teddy to stay a little longer.
“You fellows go back and unfasten the rope,” he suggested, “and I’ll be with you in a minute.”
They went slowly back to the stern and started to untie the rope, bantering meanwhile with Lester and Ross, who were getting restive.
Teddy ran forward toward the bow and looked into the gloomy depths of the forecastle. He could see that the floor was solid, but it was some inches deep in water. He hesitated only a moment and then leaped lightly down.
Three minutes later, Fred and Bill were startled to see Teddy running toward them, his face as white as chalk and his eyes blazing with excitement.