"Perhaps he thinks to find one or both of our bodies," suggested the young machinist.
"Did you hear me?" called out Meg again. "Pooler and Mosey are comin’, and they’ve both got guns! Better skip out!"
Meg’s language was forcible even if not well chosen. In her anxiety to do her two friends a good turn, she had overcome her dread of the so-styled haunted craft, and approached to within a few feet of the side, so that her shrill voice sounded plainly.
"It’s a shame to leave these things here," said Mont, as he too, stuffed several papers in his pockets. "This boat was undoubtedly my father’s property, and I believe I’m entitled to whatever is here."
"Certainly you are," replied Jack. "As it is, I intend to come back myself. But we can’t do much, now, and if those two men see us they may make it very unpleasant, to say the least."
"Wish we were armed. This is the first chance I have ever had of learning the true state of my father’s affairs, and how he died, and I don’t want to leave until I have sifted the matter thoroughly."
Mont was already on the companionway, and Jack quickly followed him.
"It’s queer that Pooler should know that this stranded boat is here, and yet not touch a thing on board," remarked the young machinist. "He seems to be so close, it’s a wonder he hasn’t carried all the stuff away."
"You don’t remember that he thinks this is haunted," replied Mont.
"Not altogether; yet the man is certainly a strange fellow."
Meg was eagerly awaiting them on the shore.
"I don’t see Mosey and Pooler," said Jack, as he stepped to the rail and looked over.
"They’re comin’ through the woods," explained the young girl, hurriedly; "I just saw ’em through the clearing ahead."
"Don’t know. Pooler comes only once in a great while, and I never knew that Mosey to go anywhere but to the cottage."
"Well, what shall we do?" asked the young man, turning to Jack.
"Better get out of his way," suggested Meg. "He’s a wicked man when he’s mad, and he’ll be the maddest man in the district if he catches you two on this boat."
"Suppose we go below and hide," replied the young machinist. "It ought to be an easy thing to do so on such a craft as this."
"Just the idea!" exclaimed Mont. "How slow of me not to think of it."