"Some men are talking up on deck. I can hear them," Bart answered in a low voice.
He listened intently for a moment and came down from the table.
"I don"t know who they are," he said. "I didn"t recognize Captain Needham"s voice, but one man was saying: "It was a great idea, him calling himself the King of Paprica. That must have thrown "em all off the scent.""
"What do you make of it?" asked Frank.
"It only confirms what we guessed at, that the men on this boat are, in some way, connected with the mystery."
"See any way of getting out around that ventilator?" asked Fenn.
"No," replied Bart. "We"ve got to try the floor or walls. Say!" he went on in an excited tone. "Why didn"t I think of it before. The way that door slid back ought to have given me the tip. There must be some secret pa.s.sage in the walls or floor. Let"s look for it!"
Excited over the prospect of escape, the boys carefully examined the walls. They seemed solid, except where the door slid back to reveal the bunk room. This was operated from outside, they decided. There was no way of escape open there.
"Look at every inch of the floor!" said Bart, dropping to his knees.
The others followed his example. They crawled about with their eyes close to the boards. Suddenly Frank uttered an exclamation.
"Find anything?" called Bart, who was in the bunk room.
For answer Frank pointed to a long, straight crack in the floor, under the table. It was about a quarter of an inch wide, and was at right angles to the other cracks which appeared wherever the boards joined.
"I"ll bet that"s a sliding trap-door!" exclaimed Frank. "We must try to open it."
At that moment a knock sounded on the door and a voice called out:
"If you boys will promise to behave and not cut up rough I"ll bring in some breakfast."
"We"ll promise," agreed Bart, his voice trembling slightly. "We"ll take the food," he added in a whisper to his companions, "and then we"ll try to escape to-night. Don"t say anything to whoever comes in."
The person outside proved to be a husky man with a big tray of food.
Standing behind him in the pa.s.sage were two other men, so there would have been little use in the boys making a dash for liberty. In silence the food was placed on the table, and without speaking the man withdrew, locking the door after him.
The boys waited until the footsteps died away. They were so excited over the prospect of escape they did not think of the food. Eagerly they looked for a knife. There were only spoons. Ned uttered an exclamation of disappointment, but Bart seized one of them.
"The handle will go into the crack," he said. "Maybe we can shove the door back."
He tried, but was unable to budge the slide, if it was one.
"Let"s all try," suggested Frank.
There were four large spoons. The chums moved the table so they could kneel side by side and inserted the handles into the narrow crack.
"All together!" called Bart.
The piece of flooring suddenly slid back, revealing a flight of steps leading downward into the hold of the boat.
"Hurrah!" cried Ned. "Now we"ll show Captain Needham a trick or two!"
"We must wait until night!" said Bart. "It will be easier then. Besides, we"ll need a lantern in that dark hole, and they"ll bring one with our suppers. Now I can eat with a good appet.i.te."
"How can we escape in these clothes?" asked Fenn, looking at his overalls and jumper.
"I"m not so afraid as you are of meeting the girls," spoke Bart. "Let"s eat now. I wish it was night!"
The chums thought they had never known such a long day. At noon their dinner was served, the same precaution being observed as with the breakfast. With supper the man brought a lantern which he hung up on a hook in the ceiling. Then he went out, closing the door and locking it.
All the while the barge had been steaming ahead.
"Wonder why they used that trap door to take the things away by last night?" asked Ned.
"Probably to impress us with the mystery of the thing," answered Bart.
"Lucky they didn"t close it tight or we"d never noticed where it was."
They ate their supper and waited in anxiety until it would be late enough to make the attempt to escape. They wanted to delay until all but the watchmen would be asleep. At last Bart said he thought it must be close to midnight. The lantern was taken down, and, using the spoons, they slid back the trap door.
"I"ll go first with the lantern," said Bart. "The rest of you follow.
Don"t make a bit of noise. We must make our way to the deck, somehow, and, as soon as you do, rush for the side and overboard. We can easily swim ash.o.r.e. No matter what kind it is, it"s better than being held here prisoners."
"What about our clothes?" asked Fenn.
"If you want to ask for "em, go ahead," said Bart. "I wouldn"t stop for a full dress suit now. These togs are good enough for me."
Cautiously Bart began to descend the steps. The lantern showed a black hold, filled with boxes and barrels. The others followed, stepping gingerly, for they were in their bare feet.
Bart looked about for some means of reaching the deck. Ahead he saw a glimmer of light. Placing the lantern where it would show him the way back he went closer. He found the light was at the head of a companionway which he ascended and noticed it led to the after part of the barge. He could feel the cool wind blowing on his face.
"We"ll chance it," he said, and he went back to tell his chums.
They made their way up the stairs, pausing to listen. There was no sound save the throbbing of the engine and the churn of the screw.
"I see the stars," whispered Ned. "This must lead to the deck."
It did, and two minutes more and they stood at the side of the barge, ready to leap overboard. They could see the sh.o.r.e not far away.
"Come on!" said Bart in a low tone.
At that instant a voice called:
"Hi there! Come back! Captain, the boys are escaping!"
The sound of feet running across the deck toward them could be heard.
Then, in the light of a lantern, a man was seen approaching where the chums stood.
"Overboard!" yelled Bart.
There were four splashes in the water, and the four boys were striking out for sh.o.r.e.