Page:Cruise of the Dry Dock.djvu/199

 “W'ot are they doin'?” queried Galton.

“Nothing.” Madden was puzzled over the strange condition of the tug.

“Ain't they crowdin' to th' side, sir, lookin' at us and fixin' to come to us?”

“Nobody's on her,” replied Madden. “At least I don't see anyone.”

“W'ot! W'ot! Nobody on 'er! Is she deserted, too? Just like the Minnie B!” chorused apprehensive voices.

“Seems so,” frowned Madden, then he made up his mind quickly and moved over to the small boat which had been hauled up on the forward pontoon.

“Fall to, men, lower that dinghy. We'll go over and see what's the trouble.”

The crew went about their task with a sudden slump of enthusiasm.

“If the crew's gone, sir,” mumbled one of the men, as he paid out the rope, “w'ot's the use goin' across?”

“To get to the tug, of course.”

“An' w'ot'll we do?”

Madden looked hard at the cockney. “Get the provisions aboard if nothing else.”