Page:Cruise of the Dry Dock.djvu/201

 sight, that never again would he live in its great walls. Like all crafts in this mysterious sea, it seemed completely forsaken, deserted. With a shake of his shoulders he put the thought from him and turned to face the future in the motionless tug that lay ahead.

Half an hour later the dinghy drew alongside the silent Vulcan and the crew clambered aboard. As they had suspected, there was no sign of the tug's crew aboard.

Although the binoculars had forewarned them of this, the adventurers bunched together on the deck with a qualmish feeling and began talking in low tones, as men converse in the presence of mystery, or death.

“We'll search her first,” directed Madden, in a tone he tried to make natural.

“Yes,” agreed Greer, “and, men, keep a sharp eye out for lunatics. Don't let anything jump on you——”

“Lunatics!” gasped Mulcher.

“Greer and I fancied someone scuttled the Minnie B,” explained Madden with a frown, “but that's no sign such a person is aboard the Vulcan.”