ng 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.

"Here, Rowdy," commanded Arnold, "come here, sir."

Slowly the dog returned to his master's side. The hair on his shoulders
was standing straight on end while hoarse growls issued in thunderous
tones from his throat around which the muscles tightened in anticipation
of a desperate struggle with an enemy.

"There's someone in there," declared Harry in a tone of discovery.
"Somebody came aboard while we were asleep."

"Sure enough," scorned Tom rumpling Harry's usually smooth hair. "What
did you suppose was making all that noise, friend?"

"Well, there is someone in there," stoutly maintained Harry.

"Hush, boys," commanded Jack. "Let's see who it is."

Automatics were produced from under pillows and the boys moved forward
to investigate. The cries still came loudly.

"Who are you and what do you want?" questioned Jack.

"Oh, help me, help me," groaned the figure lying at the foot of the
companion-way. "Help me, I'm hurt badly."

"Where are you hurt?" inquired Jack solicitously bending over the
prostrate form curled in a heap. "I'll help you if I can."

"My foot, oh, my foot," wailed the stranger. "It's cut off."

"Look at the blood," declared Frank. "Good gracious, that's a bad wound.
Wonder how he got it. How did he get aboard?"

"There's something sticking into his foot," cried Harry. "Look at that
thing projecting from his foot. No wonder it bleeds."

Frank and Jack exchanged glances