"That's one point settled!" Nick declared, with a sigh of relief. "The light-house is all right, anyhow. So the trouble must be either with the keepers or the lantern."
From that moment the skies seemed to favor their work. Every few seconds the lightning flashed, and before many minutes they ran up safely to the lee side of the light-house and made the sharpie fast to a round of the perpendicular iron ladder that runs down into the water. They had been there before, and knew just what to look for: first four or five rounds of the iron ladder leading to a little iron platform, and from there a steep iron stairway leading to the deck, twenty feet above, on which the keeper's house stands.
"Ahoy-oy-oy, there, in the light-house!" Rex shouted.
"Halloo-oo-oo!" Nick echoed.
Without wasting more time Rex seized the lantern and sprang up the iron ladder with Nick close at his heels. With his first step on the narrow platform Rex stumbled, but saved himself from falling by catching the rail.
"Look out here!" he called; "there's something lying here that tripped me." And he turned and held the lantern down.
"It's a man!" Nick exclaimed. "Hello, here, mister!" And he stooped down and seized the man's arm and shook it. But there was no reply.
"We'll see to him later, Nick!" Rex cried; "the light's the first thing;" and stepping over the man they both sprang up the steep iron stairs. In a moment they were in the first room of the keeper's house. It was empty and silent.
"Halloo-oo-oo!" both boys shouted.
"Here, here!" came back the answer, in a low, weak voice.