“Just a little hunch of mine that they may be up to some mischief,” answered Don. “What you’ve told me about them and Phalos has made me feel uneasy, especially as the old fellow didn’t turn up at meal time.”
Teddy’s previous experiences with Don in the Sahara had given him considerable respect for his friend’s “hunches,” and he went along with alacrity.
Twice they made the circuit of the deck without seeing the people of whom they were in search. Then, in the growing dusk, Don caught a glimpse of Tezra and Nepahak emerging hurriedly from a cabin a little way ahead.
He clutched Teddy’s arm and drew him into a corridor leading from the deck, where they stood until the men had passed.
“Come along,” he said, relinquishing his hold on his friend’s arm and hastening out on deck.
“But I thought you were going to follow them!” exclaimed Teddy, as he saw that Don was going in the opposite direction.
“Not now,” replied Don. “That was Phalos’ cabin they came from, and I’m going to take a look at that first.”
In a moment the two boys were standing before the cabin in question, and Don knocked on the door.
There was no answer and no sound of any one stirring inside. Don waited a moment and then knocked again. Still no answer. Then he tried the knob. The door refused to give. It was locked.
Don looked hurriedly about and saw that the door of the room immediately adjoining was standing a little ajar. He pushed it open and found that it contained no bed but a miscellaneous collection of boxes, and was evidently a storeroom.