"
"Sure it's safe, but I feel uneasy just the same," Arnold protested.
"There's no knowing what's going on in these ports."
It was voted, however, that no watch was necessary so the boy composed
himself to sleep drawing the blankets closely to his chin.
Scarcely had he gotten into a quiet sleep before Rowdy came to his bunk
and insisted on making himself a bed fellow of the boy.
At last everything was still. Only the heavy breathing of the tired boys
gave evidence of life aboard the Fortuna as she rode to her anchor,
swinging with the currents and wavelets. Her riding lights were burning
brightly, fed from the storage batteries below decks, and everything to
the passer by betokened peace.
Once Rowdy lifted a watchful eye and growled menacingly. Arnold stirred
uneasily in his sleep and threw an arm over the dog.
Suddenly a shriek of agony pierced the air with startling distinctness.
Shriek after shriek followed intermingled with cries of distress. The
boys bounded from their beds in alarm.
CHAPTER X
FIRST AID AND AN ESCAPE
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" came the cries of pain. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Quickly Jack's hand stole toward the switch that controlled the overhead
lights. Instantly the cabin was a blaze of light.
"What's the matter?" cried the boy looking toward the source of the
disturbance. "What's going on here, anyway?"
Rowdy bounded off his bed and dashed toward the forward cabin with a vim
and energy that bespoke ill for someone.
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