CHAPTER XVII
ANIMALS, BIRDS AND SNAKES
“A menagerie ship?” queried Randy.
“That’s it, lad. Those must be wild animals you hear. An’ mebby some monkeys,” added the lanky sailor, listening to the roaring and chattering. “Are any of ’em loose?”
“So far we haven’t seen anything that’s alive,” answered Jack.
“Well, we might as well go aboard,” called Andy. “If there are any wild animals loose, though, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
The wreckage was pounding so hard and constantly against the side of the steam yacht, nobody cared to remain upon it, and so with all the care possible Andy and the old sailor were helped to the deck above, and then Fred followed them.
“Better not cut the wreckage loose just yet,” advised Jack. “We may want to get on it in a hurry.”
“Gee! do you think those wild animals might get loose and chase us around?” questioned Fred.
“I don’t know what to think, Fred. We haven’t had a chance to look the boat over. I guess the best thing we can do first is to arm ourselves.”
It was no easy matter to find anything in the way of clubs, because the storm had swept the deck of the steam yacht almost clean. But they finally managed to break out some pieces of wood from the wreckage at the bow, and from these made a number of heavy sticks.
“You two had better stay near the ladder leading to the roof of the cabin,” said Jack to Ira Small and Andy. “Then, if there’s any trouble, you can climb up there somehow to safety. There is no use of staying down on the deck with those game legs of yours.”
The two injured ones did as advised, and then the others moved around cautiously to the cabin door. Opening it inch by inch, Jack peered into the compartment to find it deserted.
“Nothing here!” he exclaimed, and walked into the cabin, followed immediately by Fred and Randy.
The place was in great disorder, showing that those aboard the steam yacht had evidently left in a hurry. Lockers stood wide open, much of the contents strewn in all directions. On the floor lay a number of dishes along with some knives, forks and spoons, evidently swept from the cabin table by the hurry of those who were escaping from the vessel or by the action of the storm. Around the cabin were a number of staterooms, some of the doors of which stood wide open, and here the same disorder prevailed.
“I suppose they didn’t have much time in which to leave,” was Jack’s comment. “They probably grabbed what they could lay hands on and ran for the boats.”
“I don’t see anything to eat around here!” exclaimed Fred. “Let’s find the cook’s galley.”
“Here’s some drinking water, anyhow,” came suddenly from Randy, as he caught sight of a cooler on a stand at the end of the cabin.
The cooler was almost full, and the three lads lost no time in getting all the water they wanted. Then they picked up a pitcher from the floor and filled this, and Fred took it to Andy and the lanky sailor.
“Gosh, that tastes like heaven!” said Ira Small, as he smacked his lips. “Now if I had a bite to eat, I think I’d feel like a new man.”
“You never know how good water is until you have to do without it,” remarked Andy.
Having assured themselves that there was no cook’s pantry attached to the cabin, the three boys came out on deck again, and then went on a hunt for the cook’s galley. This was soon located, and much to their satisfaction they came upon a quantity of food which made their eyes sparkle in anticipation. There were all sorts of canned goods, both fish and meats as well as vegetables, and in addition boxes of crackers, sides of bacon, and canisters of tea, coffee, cocoa, and also salt, sugar, rice and a great variety of other articles.
“We can’t cook anything on that stove—at least not the way it’s standing,” said Randy, pointing to the tilted-up kerosene stove of which the galley boasted.
“I am hungry enough to eat a cold meal,” came quickly from Fred, who was already munching a cracker. “Come on, let’s take some of this stuff to Andy and that sailor. They’re just as starved as we are.”
With their hands full of good things, the three boys made their way to the top of the cabin, and soon the whole crowd were regaling themselves with the first meal they had eaten for several days. They broke open several cans of soup, and though the soup was cold, it tasted better to them than any meal they had ever eaten.
“I’ll tell you what—hunger is the great sauce,” declared Jack, as he munched his sixth cracker. “At home we’d probably turn up our noses at this, but here—wow!”
While they were eating they discussed the situation, but could arrive at no conclusion as to what would be their next best move.
“We can’t do much of anything, lads, until we have examined the ship,” declared Ira Small. “For all we know, she may be leakin’ so fast that she’s liable to go down at any time.”
“In that case, the best thing we can do is to put a supply of grub and water on the raft and make the raft as substantial as possible,” cried Andy.
“That wouldn’t be no bad idee, lad. That wreckage did us a mighty good turn. We kin lash all the timbers together with a few more ropes, an’ git some kind of a spar for a mast, an’ then hoist a sail if we have to leave the yacht. But examine the ship first—it might not be so bad after all.”
The thought that the steam yacht might go down suddenly filled the Rovers with a new dread, and in spite of the old tar’s last words, they decided to pack a lot of the ship’s stores in some sailcloth, the bundle being then hung over the side where it could be lowered to the wreckage without much trouble. Then they found a cask filled with drinking water, and placed this near the rail.
“Now if the worst comes to worst, we’ll have something to rely on,” declared Jack. “I don’t think she’ll go down so fast but what we’ll have time to get that stuff aboard the wreckage. Then we can take a lot of ropes along and other things and fix the raft up after we’ve shoved off.”
Having eased their minds about the food and the water, Jack, Randy and Fred continued their inspection of the yacht.
“I’m rather afraid to go below on account of what may be loose down there,” said Fred.
They found a door, and beyond this there was a sort of runway, or gangplank, leading to the deck below. As the ship was on so much of a slant, it was no easy matter for the boys to get down, and they advanced with caution, Jack holding up before him a ship’s lantern he had found and lit.
The smell of wild animals was powerful below decks, and the sounds they had heard above were now increased tenfold. Close at hand were a number of empty stalls, or cages. But presently they came upon one cage containing a live tiger. Farther on were several more tigers and also four lions. Then came a number of leopards and other wild beasts, some of which the boys were unable to identify.
This was on the upper side of the vessel. On the lower side were two cages of monkeys, three of parrots, and several heavy wire cages the occupants of which made the boys draw back in a hurry.
“Snakes!” cried Fred, in disgust. “What do you know about that? Great big snakes!”
“Yes, and look at the number of them!” returned Randy. “There must be fifteen or more. Just look at that big brown thing! He’s as thick as my arm and at least ten feet long.”
“This certainly is a menagerie ship, and no mistake,” came from Jack, and then he added: “I suppose those poor beasts haven’t had anything to eat or drink since the crash came. We ought at least to give them some water.”
“Here’s a hogshead full of water,” said Fred, “and half a dozen pails. We might as well give them a drink while we’re at it.”
The hogshead, even though on a slant, was more than half full of water, and into this the lads dipped the pails, and soon all of the animals were supplied. At once they stopped their roaring and growling, and set about satisfying their thirst.
In another part of the ship the boys discovered a dozen sheep and goats, and also a cage of live rabbits. In a closet they discovered many canisters of crackers which were not unlike dog biscuit, and they rightly guessed that these were food for the monkeys. There were also several kegs of grain for some birds which hung suspended in a row of cages, and for the parrots.
“I suppose those live rabbits must be for the snakes,” said Jack. “You know, such reptiles won’t eat anything dead.”
“Well, I don’t know that I want to feed any snakes rabbits,” said Randy, making a wry face.
They had soon fed the birds and the monkeys. Then, as there seemed no help for it, they slaughtered one of the sheep and threw portions of the carcass to the various wild animals.
“I hate the job,” was the way Jack expressed himself. “But I can’t leave those beasts to starve to death. They probably suffer as much from hunger as we did.”
The boys had opened several of the portholes of the lower deck, so that the breeze, coming in, made the air below much sweeter. Yet it was not a pleasant place to be in, and they were glad when the last of the animals and the birds had been taken care of.
“Now we’d better get down in the lower hold and see what condition the ship is in,” declared Jack. “According to Small, we should have done that in the first place.”
“Maybe,” answered Randy. “Just the same, I’m glad we took care of those animals and birds. That awful growling and moaning and chattering got on my nerves.”
Looking around once more to see that all of the things which were alive below decks had been properly cared for, the three lads advanced to the runway down which they had come from the deck above. They were just about to start up the runway when Randy uttered a scream of horror.
“Look out, there!” he called. “Look out, or he’ll be after you!”
“What is it?” came simultaneously from the other Rover boys.
“A snake! One of those big snakes!” was the reply. “He’s at the top of the runway! There he goes out on deck!”