CHAPTER XVIII
ABOARD THE WRECK
The motor boat made good time, and about an hour later was almost atthe wreck, which, as the boys could see, was that of quite a goodsized steamer. She had run well up on a rocky reef, and when the tidefell, the strain had "broken her back" so that the bow and stern wereseparated. The stern was low in the water, and gradually settling.
"Good thing it's calm," Sam remarked, "we can get close up, and,perhaps go aboard."
"Will they let us?" asked Jerry.
"There's nobody to stop us," replied the sailor. "The ship isabandoned. True, we can't take anything away, but we can pick upanything we see floating, and claim salvage on it, and, by the looksthere's a lot of cargo gone overboard."
By this time they were quite close to the wreck. On one side the waveswere breaking against the steamer in a way that made it dangerous toapproach. The motor boat was sent around, however, and Sam saw a placeprotected enough to allow the _Dartaway_ to go up close.
It required a nice bit of seamanship to get aboard, but here was whereSam's long years of service served him and the boys in good stead.They made their boat fast to some dangling ropes, and soon were on thesloping deck of the after part of the wrecked steamer.
All about were evidences of the haste with which the crew andpassengers had departed. On the deck were scattered articles ofclothing; boxes and trunks had been broken open and the most valuablethings taken.
The boys ventured to the edge of the deck, where it had been almostcompletely separated from the forward part. They could look downthrough the various holds and into the engine room.
"Pity to see all this gone to waste," remarked Jerry. "Can't they saveany of it?"
"Don't look so," replied the sailor. "It's about as bad a wreck as Iever saw. They'll have hard work lightering the cargo off here. Maybeit's well insured."
It was a new and novel experience for the boys to be aboard a bigwrecked steamer. They went below, though it was anything but easy,considering the condition of the companionways which were at allangles. They went through the cabins, into some of the staterooms, andsaw many valuable articles, but Sam advised them not to touch any.
"I'm not clear on the law," he said. "I know it's all right to pickstuff out of the sea, but it may be piracy or worse to take it off avessel so near shore. We'll get enough as it is. I see the stuff isfairly tumbling from the hold in the forward part of the ship."
"Hark! What's that noise?" asked Jerry suddenly, holding up his handfor silence.
Above the splash of the waves against the side there sounded a long,drawn-out cry.
"It's a baby! Some one has forgotten their baby!" cried Sam. "The lifesavers took everybody off, and left the baby behind!"
Once more the cry came. It was a regular wail.
"That's a cat!" declared Bob.
"I tell you it's a baby!" the sailor insisted.
This time there came an unmistakable "mew!"
"Where is it?" inquired Jerry.
They listened and the cry was repeated several times. They finallytraced it to an open hatchway, and, looking down could dimly make outthe form of a cat on some boxes.
"Come on up, pussy," called Ned.
"Mew! Mew!" cried the feline, as though asking for help.
"Guess it can't get out," Sam said. "Things are all topsy-turvy downthere."
"Will we have to leave the poor thing here to drown?" Ned asked. He wasvery fond of animals.
"I guess not," the sailor replied. "Salt Water Sam ain't that kind. Iwish it was a baby though, I'm terrible fond of babies."
"How are you going to get it?" asked Bob.
"I'll show you," and the sailor began looking about for a means ofrescuing the kitten.
He soon found what he wanted. It was a long rope, and before the boyshad fathomed his intention he rove one end of it through a pulley onthe end of a boom that projected from a mast, and which had been usedto hoist cargo from the hold.
"Now if you boys will lower me down I'll get the pussy and you can haulus both up," Sam said, as he fastened the rope about his waist. Thechums did as he requested, and soon Sam's head disappeared into thedepths of the vessel. The boys could hear him calling:
"Here, pussy! Here, pussy! Sam'll take care of you! Must be hungry,poor little kittie!"
They felt the rope slacken, indicating that the sailor had landed onthe pile of boxes. Then it shook, showing that Sam was after the cat. Alittle later they heard him calling:
"Haul away! I've got her!"
Just as the boys began to pull on the rope that was to hoist the sailorfrom the hold there came a sudden jar to the wreck. The deck, that wastilted at a sharp angle, assumed a more decided one. At the same timethere was a grinding, crashing sound.
"Hurry!" yelled Sam. "She's breaking up!"
There was a sickening lurch to the after part of the ship. The boyscould hardly keep their feet.
"Pull! Pull!" cried Sam, from the depths of the hold, where the cargocould be heard shifting about.
"All together!" sang out Jerry, and the boys put all their strength tothe rope. Sam came up "on the run" and was landed on deck. He held thecat in his arms, the frightened creature clinging closely to him.
"No time to lose, boys!" cried the sailor, as he loosened the rope fromhis waist. "She's sliding off into deep water. We must leave her!"
They made a rush for the side, climbed over the bulwarks and slid downthe rope into the _Dartaway_. The cat still clung to Sam. The boyscould see the wreck moving off the reef which had hitherto held it inplace. It was slipping into the deep water astern.
"Start the engine!" cried Jerry as he sprang to the wheel. Ned turnedthe fly wheel over. The chug-chug sounded at once, and with a splutterthe boat was off, darting away from the wreck.
"Get well out! Well out!" cried Sam, "or we'll be sucked under!"
Jerry speeded up the motor. The boys looked back. Faster and faster thestern of the wreck was slipping into the sea. The waters seemed to bereaching up to swallow it.
Then, with a sound like a great sigh half the steamer disappeared fromsight beneath the waves. There was a boiling and bubbling in the water,and a giant whirlpool formed. But the _Dartaway_ was beyond the reachof it. The force of the sucking currents tossed the small craft about,but Jerry kept the engine going at full speed, and soon they were incalmer water.
"That was a narrow squeak," observed Sam. "But we saved the cat,anyhow," and he patted the animal.
The sea, all about them, was dotted with bales and boxes from theships. More were constantly coming to the surface as they werereleased from the sunken wreck.
"Better make hay while the sea is calm," observed Sam. "There'll be alot more boats out here in a little while, and we want to get our shareof the wreckage."
Then with the boat-hooks they had brought the boys and the sailor beganpulling in what they could reach. Some of the boxes seemed to be verylight.
"I wonder if there's anything in 'em?" Bob asked.
"They're labeled," spoke Ned.
"Cinchona bark," read Jerry. "Why, that's the stuff they make quininefrom. This is valuable."
"I thought we'd make something on this deal," said Sam, much pleased."You stick to Salt Water Sam and you'll be rich."
"It begins to look so," admitted Ned, with a laugh.
"Here come some more boats," called Jerry, and he pointed to whereseveral power craft, and some big dories could be seen approaching.
The occupants were bent on the same work as were the boys, and theypicked up all the floating wreckage they could.
"Better not overload the craft," Sam cautioned, after half an hour'swork.
"Why, it's calm, and we only have a short run to shore," objectedJerry, who wanted to get all of the valuable bark he could. Some of theboxes and bales were too heavy to be taken into the _Dartaway_.
"Well, I don't like the looks of the weather," Sam answered. "There'sno immediate danger, but you never can tell what a gasolene engi
ne willdo. Remember our one experience."
"Then you think we'd better start back?" asked Ned.
"Well, say in an hour," was the sailor's reply.
"Why, it's two o'clock," exclaimed Bob, as he looked at his watch. "Twohours past dinner time. I'm starved!"