CHAPTER XVI
A DESERTED STEAM YACHT
"Dick, am I mistaken, or do I see a vessel over yonder?"
Tom asked the question, as he suddenly straightened up and took along look over to where the mist had temporarily lifted.
"It certainly does look like a ship of some sort," answered Dick,gazing forward with equal eagerness.
"Shall ve call owid?" asked Hans.
"It is too far off."
"Is she coming this way?" asked Sam, who had gotten so much saltwater in his eyes that he could not see very well.
"I am not sure if it is a ship," said Tom. "But it is certainlysomething."
"Let us try to paddle closer," suggested his older brother, and allset to work; Tom using the folded campstool, and the others some bitsof boards from the crates.
Very slowly they approached the object, until they felt certain itwas a vessel, a steam yacht, as they made out a few minutes later.But no smoke curled from the funnel of the craft, nor could they makeout anybody on the deck.
"Yacht ahoy!" yelled Dick, when he felt that his voice might be heard.
To this hail there was no answer, and although the boys strainedtheir eyes to the utmost, they saw nobody moving on the craft ahead.
"Yacht ahoy!" screamed Tom, using his hands as a trumpet. "Yacht ahoy!"
Still there was no answer, nor did a soul show himself. The curiosityof the castaways was aroused to the highest pitch, and as vigorouslyas they could they paddled to the side of the steam yacht. The craftwas not a large one, but seemed to be of good build and in first-classtrim. The wheel was lashed fast, causing her to ride fairly well inthe faint breeze. Not a sail was set.
"Ahoy! ahoy!" yelled all of the boys in concert.
"Vos you teat, alretty?" asked Hans. "Of you vos, vy ton't you tolesomepoty?"
"Gracious, do you think all on board are dead?" cried Sam.
"Either that or else the owners belong to a deaf and dumb asylum,"responded Tom.
The castaways continued to call out and in the meantime brought theirrude raft close to the side of the steam yacht. As the vessel slippedpast them slowly, they threw a bit of rope to the rudder post andmade fast.
"Everybody must be below and asleep," said Dick, "although I neverbefore heard of such strange proceedings."
"Nor I," came from Sam. "But the question is, Are we going on boardor not?"
"Are we? Of course we are!" burst out Tom. "They couldn't keep meoff with a pitchfork. I want a drink of water if nothing else, andI am bound to have it."
"Aboard the yacht!" yelled Dick again. "Why don't you show yourselvesand say something? Are you all deaf?"
Still no answer, and the boys looked at each other in amazement.
"Am I dreaming?" demanded Tom.
"Maybe the ship is a--a--phantom?" whispered Sam, and gave a littleshiver.
"Well, I am going on board, even if it's the _Flying Dutchman_himself," cried Tom, bravely.
"_Flying Dutchmans_?" queried Hans. "Der vos no Dutchmans vot fly,vos dare?"
"Tom is speaking of a phantom ship with a phantom crew, I guess,"said Sam. "Tom, how are you going to get on deck?" he added, to hisbrother.
This was a question Tom could not answer at once. The rail of thesteam yacht was some feet above their heads and how to reach it wasa problem.
"You can take the ropes from the rafts," suggested Dick. "Perhaps wewon't want them any longer."
They took the ropes, tied them together, and Tom threw one end upward.After several failures he got the rope around the rail and the enddown within reach, and then he went up hand over hand, in true sailorfashion, for Tom had been a first-class climber from early childhood,"Always getting into mischief," as his Aunt Martha had been wont to say.
"Don't you fellows want to come up?" asked the fun-loving Rover, assoon as he was safe.
"Certainly we do," answered Dick. "Go on, Hans and Sam. I can waittill last."
It was not so easy for Hans to get up and Tom at the top and Dick atthe bottom had to aid him. Then Sam went up like a monkey, and theeldest Rover followed, and the crates and boxes, with the campstool,were allowed to drift away.
Once on board the steam yacht the Rovers and Hans looked around withkeen curiosity. Not a soul was on deck, in the upper cabin, or inthe tiny wheelhouse.
"This is enough to give a fellow the creeps!" declared Sam. "I mustsay I almost hate to go below."
"Just the way I feel," added Tom. "Perhaps we've run into some greattragedy."
"Everything on deck is in apple-pie order," was Dick's comment. "Itcertainly is a mystery. But I am going below."
"Wait, Dick!" cried Sam. "Would it not be as well to arm yourself?"
"Perhaps," was the reply, and then all of the "boys procured belayingpins or whatever was handy, with which to ward off a possible attack.
"Maybe they had a lion on board and he ate the whole crew up,"suggested Tom.
"Say, of der vos a lion--" began Hans, drawing back.
"Oh, Tom is fooling," interrupted Dick. "They don't carry a menagerieon a vessel like this. Why, this is a gentleman's pleasure yacht."
"Well then, bring on the gentleman," responded the irrepressible Tom."I shouldn't like anything better than to be introduced to him."
They had almost passed to the last step of the companionway when Samcalled a sudden halt.
"Boys, perhaps, after all, we had better keep out of that cabin," hesaid.
"Why, Sam?"
"This may be a pest ship. The whole crew may have died of yellowfever, or something like that!"
At this announcement all looked at each other with added alarm showingin their faces. A pest ship! The idea filled them with horror.
"If it's that--and we've caught the fever--" began Tom.
"Oh, I vish I vos home, oder at school!" groaned Hans, beginning toshake from head to foot. "Of ve catch der yellow fefer ve peen allteat in a veek!"
For several seconds there was silence, then Dick walked down the laststep of the companionway and threw the door below open with a bang.
"I am going to find out what this means," muttered the eldest Rover."If we are to catch the fever, maybe we've got it already." And hewalked into the cabin, and one after another the others followed.
All was in as good order as on deck. On the table lay several booksand magazines, one opened and turned face downward as if just placedthere.
"Somebody has been reading," murmured Sam. "What did he stop for?"He picked up the magazine and read the heading of one of the articles,"Famous Suicides of Modern History." "Ugh! what delightful literatureto read. Just the thing for the young ladies' department of a publiclibrary!"
Dick had moved forward to one of the staterooms. With caution heopened the door and peeped in. The apartment was empty, but the berthlooked as if it had recently been used.
"Hullo, somebody has been camping out in here," he called. "The bedis mussed up and here's a suit of clothes hanging on the wall."
"And a pair of slippers on the floor," added Sam, over his shoulder.
Gradually the boys grew bolder, and traveled from one stateroom toanother and then to the dining room and the cook's galley. Not aperson was to be found anywhere. In the galley some cooking had beendone and several pans and pots were dirty, but that was all.
"Water!" cried Tom, coming to a cooler. He got the cup and took along drink, and the others followed.
"And something to eat," added Sam, with satisfaction. "Owner or noowner, I am going to have a square meal just as soon as this inspectionis over."
"I dink I sthart now," commented Hans, reaching for a box of crackers.He helped himself and passed them around, and soon all were munching.
From the cook's galley they visited the engine room. The machineryappeared to be in perfect order, the bunkers were half-full of coal,and the firebox was still somewhat warm. But the place was totallydeserted.
"This is a deserted steam yacht," said Dick, at last. "I do not thinkthere is a soul on boa
rd. We are in absolute possession."