The Motor Boys Bound for Home; or, Ned, Bob and Jerry on the Wrecked Troopship

by Clarence Young

  CHAPTER XXIII

  MAKING THE BEST OF IT

  When Jerry Hopkins looked over the side of the derelict _Altaire_, andsaw, slowly rising and falling on the swell, the life raft containingBob, Professor Snodgrass, and the sailor, Judd, and when the lonenavigator heard the welcome greetings in response to his own shouts, hewas filled with delight.

  “Jerry! Jerry!” cried Bob. “Throw us a line!”

  “And some sort of basket or bag!” added Professor Snodgrass. “I don’twant to lose my seaweed. There are yet several valuable specimens ofmarine life in it that I haven’t had a chance to examine.”

  He was as calm and collected as though he had just been out in a smallboat on some specimen-hunting expedition and was now returning. Insteadhe had been saved from death only by a narrow margin, and even now hewas far from a dignified figure in his undergarments, a condition ofattire in which Bob shared. Judd, having been more simply clothed atthe start, had kept on his own soaked garments, which were of lighttexture.

  “Is it really you?” cried Jerry in delight. “Are you all right? Where’sNed?”

  “Isn’t he with you?” inquired Bob, with a sinking heart.

  “No, I’m all alone on board. Oh, but I’m glad to see you! But where isNed?”

  “He must still be on the _Sherman_,” Bob answered, after a moment ofhesitation. “We were thrown into the sea.”

  “So was I,” said Jerry. “And I floated around until I found this ship.She seems sound. Did you see anything more of the transport? Did shesink, or what?”

  “We don’t know,” Bob answered, while the professor busied himself inmaking a compact mass of the bunch of seaweed and Judd held the raft asclose as possible to the derelict by using one oar as a scull.

  “Come on up!” called Jerry. “Wait! I’ll throw you a line. There’s oneon the other side that I climbed up by, but I can toss you another.There are plenty of loose ends here. This ship was deserted in a hurry.”

  Bob and the sailor soon scrambled up on deck by means of the cableJerry dropped down to them. And, after a warm hand clasp between thetwo Motor Boys, and a look that meant much, they turned their attentionto getting Professor Snodgrass on board.

  The little scientist was not able to climb the rope hand over hand asBob and the sailor had done, but he was soon hauled up to the deck bythe three, clasping his precious seaweed in his arms.

  Judd had taken the precaution to make the line that Jerry sent downfast to the life raft, and, once the greetings were over, the old saltslid down again, and fastened the clothes of Bob and the professor to asmall rope. The garments were hauled up and hung out to dry in the airwhich was fast clearing.

  “You can put on other clothes in the meanwhile,” said Jerry. “There’squite a supply to choose from. Enough for the sailor, too. Now tell meall about it.”

  “The sailor seems to be calling you,” interrupted Professor Snodgrass,who had spread his seaweed out on deck and was gleefully preparing toexamine it more closely.

  “Ahoy up there!” shouted Judd from where he stood on the life raft.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Jerry.

  “Better pull this craft around to the stern and make her fast there,”was the answer. “We might need her again.”

  Once more the sailor scrambled up on deck, after having made moresecure the rope that attached the life raft to the derelict. Then withhis aid, and that of Professor Snodgrass, for the task was not easy,the raft was hauled around to the stern and fastened there. It rodebuoyantly.

  “We can use her as a sea anchor by weighting her,” the sailor said,“and we may have to if it comes on to blow. Well, you’re pretty welloff here--that is, if you have anything to eat,” he observed to Jerry,as he looked about. “If you haven’t----”

  “Yes, the Germans, or whoever looted this vessel, left plenty,” was theanswer.

  “Maybe we’d better hoist up our provision box from the raft,” suggestedBob. “No use wasting the stuff there, and if we have to get aboard thequeer boat again we can take the stuff with us.”

  This was considered a wise proceeding, and accordingly the water-tightbox of emergency rations and water was hoisted up. The food in it wouldnot really be needed as long as the supply on the derelict lasted, butthey all felt it was best not to take any chances.

  “Now get on some dry clothes, and then we’ll have a talk,” suggestedJerry. “But, first of all, what do you really think about Ned?” and helooked anxiously at Bob.

  “I think he’s still on the _Sherman_,” was the answer.

  “Do you really?” the tall lad demanded.

  “I really do,” and Bob tried hard to convince himself, as well asJerry, of this.

  He wanted to believe this, but, in reality, he did not know. Ned hadbeen standing close to Chunky when the crash came, and Bob had not seenhis chum after that. But, to his relief, Judd came to his aid.

  “I’m sure I saw your friend standing on deck near the hole that wasstove in us,” he said. “I remember seeing him as I slid overboard.”

  “Well, in case the _Sherman_ isn’t in any more danger of sinking thanthe _Altaire_ is, I hope Ned is on her,” said Jerry.

  “Is this the _Altaire_?” asked Bob.

  “Yes.”

  “Then it’s her life raft that helped save us,” said the sailor. “Thingsare sure turning out queer!”

  Jerry led them below, and they soon all changed to dry garments, whichhad the additional merit of being warm, though not much could be saidfor the fit--especially in the case of Professor Snodgrass, whose smallform was not built to fill out the rather roomy garments of seamen.

  But they all made the best of it, and their spirits rose as they sawhow snug and comfortable they could be on the craft of which Jerry hadbeen in lone command for a while.

  “And, now that we feel pretty certain Ned is all right, we can beginto take it a bit easier,” sighed Bob. “You said you had plenty to eat,Jerry?”

  “Yes, even for you, Chunky,” and the tall lad smiled for the first timesince the crash. “Come on down and I’ll show you.”

  Bob’s eyes opened with pleasure when he saw the larder. There wasplenty for the four refugees for many weeks, even though the Germans,or perhaps the hastily departing crew and passengers, had well suppliedthemselves.

  “It isn’t too early to eat, is it?” asked Bob, as he looked at thepackages and cans of food.

  “Haven’t you had anything since you went overboard?” asked Jerry, witha smile.

  “Oh, well, yes, we had a snack. But----”

  “Fall in, Chunky! No, I don’t mean exactly that, either,” and Jerrylaughed a little. “You’ve fallen in enough for to-day, and so have I.What I meant was ‘fall to’ and eat as much as you like. Then we’lldecide what’s best to be done.”

  “I wonder if the professor wants anything?” mused Bob. “He didn’t eatmuch on the raft--too much taken up with his crab.”

  “I’ll find out,” volunteered the tall lad.

  As might have been expected, the little scientist declared that hecould not find time to stop now to make a meal. He had managed to gethold of some blank paper, and, attired in a ship’s officer’s suit,many sizes too large for him, he was seated on deck poking through thebunch of seaweed and making notes of the different creatures he found.

  “I’ll eat later,” he said. “I want to take advantage of the daylightwhile it lasts.”

  “Thank goodness we have the sun for a change!” exclaimed Bob, as helooked around the horizon. “The fog is gone, and I hope it doesn’t comeback. But where do you imagine the _Sherman_ is, Jerry?”

  “Haven’t the least idea,” was the answer. “Maybe the sailor can tellus.”

  But the seaman was as much at sea, to use an appropriate term, aseither of the boys.

  “I’m all twisted,” he admitted. “I don’t know which way we driftedafter we were on the raft, and I don’t even know which way thetransport drifted during the time we were fogbound. I suppose th
eofficers did, but I never was much on navigation. However, we’ve gota sound bottom under us, that’s one blessing. She isn’t taking in anywater, is she?” he asked Jerry.

  “Not as far as I can tell,” was the answer. “She seems as sound as adollar--one of Uncle Sam’s dollars,” he added. “But I wish I knew whatwe ought to do. Night is coming on, and it’s possible we may sightsomething or some craft sight us.”

  “That’s right,” agreed Judd. “I see you have some signals hoisted,” andhe looked at the wireless masts from which fluttered the flags Jerryhad hoisted. “They’re all right during the day, now that the fog haslifted, but they won’t be any use at night.”

  “There are some lanterns,” the tall lad said.

  “Then we’ll hoist them,” suggested the sailor.

  Eagerly they all looked around the horizon for a sight of the_Sherman_, or any craft that might aid them. But the sea heaved androlled restlessly and void.