CHAPTER XXIII

MAKING THE BEST OF IT

When Jerry Hopkins looked over the side of the derelict _Altaire_, and saw, slowly rising and falling on the swell, the life raft containing Bob, Professor Snodgrass, and the sailor, Judd, and when the lone navigator heard the welcome greetings in response to his own shouts, he was filled with delight.

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

“And some sort of basket or bag!” added Professor Snodgrass. “I don’t want to lose my seaweed. There are yet several valuable specimens of marine 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 small boat on some specimen-hunting expedition and was now returning. Instead he had been saved from death only by a narrow margin, and even now he was far from a dignified figure in his undergarments, a condition of attire in which Bob shared. Judd, having been more simply clothed at the start, had kept on his own soaked garments, which were of light texture.

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

“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 is Ned?”

“He must still be on the _Sherman_,” Bob answered, after a moment of hesitation. “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 she sink, or what?”

“We don’t know,” Bob answered, while the professor busied himself in making a compact mass of the bunch of seaweed and Judd held the raft as close 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 one on 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 cable Jerry dropped down to them. And, after a warm hand clasp between the two Motor Boys, and a look that meant much, they turned their attention to getting Professor Snodgrass on board.

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

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

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

“The sailor seems to be calling you,” interrupted Professor Snodgrass, who had spread his seaweed out on deck and was gleefully preparing to examine 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 more secure the rope that attached the life raft to the derelict. Then with his aid, and that of Professor Snodgrass, for the task was not easy, the raft was hauled around to the stern and fastened there. It rode buoyantly.

“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 well off 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 the answer.

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

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

“Now get on some dry clothes, and then we’ll have a talk,” suggested Jerry. “But, first of all, what do you really think about Ned?” and he looked 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 as Jerry, of this.

He wanted to believe this, but, in reality, he did not know. Ned had been standing close to Chunky when the crash came, and Bob had not seen his 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 was stove 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 than the _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. “Things are sure turning out queer!”

Jerry led them below, and they soon all changed to dry garments, which had the additional merit of being warm, though not much could be said for the fit--especially in the case of Professor Snodgrass, whose small form 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 saw how snug and comfortable they could be on the craft of which Jerry had been in lone command for a while.

“And, now that we feel pretty certain Ned is all right, we can begin to 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 time since the crash. “Come on down and I’ll show you.”

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

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

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

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

“Fall in, Chunky! No, I don’t mean exactly that, either,” and Jerry laughed 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’ll decide what’s best to be done.”

“I wonder if the professor wants anything?” mused Bob. “He didn’t eat much 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 he could not find time to stop now to make a meal. He had managed to get hold 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 the bunch of seaweed and making notes of the different creatures he found.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s right,” agreed Judd. “I see you have some signals hoisted,” and he looked at the wireless masts from which fluttered the flags Jerry had hoisted. “They’re all right during the day, now that the fog has lifted, 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 and rolled restlessly and void.