to back water, the which Josh did
regarding our own boat. Then, being ready to fly if we had been in
danger, the bo'sun hailed the stranger; but got no reply, save that some
echo of his shout seemed to come back at us. And so he sung out again to
her, chance there might be some below decks who had not caught his first
hail; but, for the second time, no answer came to us, save the low
echo--naught, but that the silent trees took on a little quivering, as
though his voice had shaken them.

At that, being confident now within our minds, we laid alongside, and, in
a minute had shinned up the oars and so gained her decks. Here, save that
the glass of the skylight of the main cabin had been broken, and some
portion of the framework shattered, there was no extraordinary litter; so
that it appeared to us as though she had been no great while abandoned.

So soon as the bo'sun had made his way up from the boat, he turned aft
toward the scuttle, the rest of us following. We found the leaf of the
scuttle pulled forward to within an inch of closing, and so much effort
did it require of us to push it back, that we had immediate evidence of a
considerable time since any had gone down that way.

However, it was no great while before we were below, and here we found
the main cabin to be empty, save for the bare furnishings. From it there
opened off two state-rooms at the forrard end, and the captain's cabin in
the after part, and in all of these we found matters of clothing and
sundries such as proved that the vessel had been deserted apparently in
haste. In further proof of this we found, in a drawer in the captain's
room, a considerable quantity of loose gold, the which it was not to be
supposed would have been left by the free-will of the owner.

Of the staterooms, the one upon the starboard side gave evidence that it
had been occupied by a woman--no doubt a passenger. The other, in which
there were two bunks, had been shared, so far as we could have any
certainty, by a couple of young men; and this we gathered by observation
of various garments which were scattered carelessly about.

Yet it must not be supposed that we spent any great time in the cabins;
for we were pressed for food, and made haste--under the directing of
the bo'sun--to discover if the hulk held victuals whereby we might be
kept alive.

To this end, we removed the hatch which led down to the lazarette, and,
lighting two lamps which we had with us in the boats,