INSIDE OF THE "SEARCHER."
All three of the boys were greatly astonished.
"It beats the Dutch!" cried Carl.
"If that is so," said Mont, "there must be some internal mechanism to
make it work about."
"Evidently."
"It gives no sign of life."
"Not at present," answered the man of science. "But we have seen it
move. It has appeared and disappeared. Consequently, it must have hidden
machinery."
"Of course."
"So that we come to the conclusion, which is inevitable, that there must
be a man or men inside to direct the ship."
"Hurrah!" cried our hero; "I didn't think of that. We are saved if that
is so, and it must be as you say."
"Hum!" muttered the professor; "I don't know so much about that. If,
when it makes a start, it glides along the surface of the water, we are
all right; but if it goes down, we are lost."
"I've got an idea," said Mont, after a pause. "We must knock at the
door, and see if we can find anyone at home."
His companions laughed.
"I have searched carefully," said Carl, "but I can't find even a
manhole."
There was nothing to do but to wait until morning.
Mont wanted to keep his feet warm, so he amused himself by kicking his
heels upon the body beneath him.
"I'll wake 'em up," he said. "They shan't sleep if they won't let me
in."
Their safety depended absolutely upon the caprice of the mysterious
steersman who inhabited the ironclad, fish-shaped machine.
It seemed to the professor that before those inside descended again they
would have to open some hole to obtain air.
All were now very tired, wet, and hungry, and soon a raging thirst began
to attack them.
Our hero fancied he heard vague sounds beneath him, but could not be
sure.
Who were the strange beings that lived in the floating iron shell?
Kicking angrily upon the iron surface, Mont said:
"You are very inhospitable inside. I am hungry and thirsty. Do you want
me to die up here?"
He had no sooner spoken than a flap beside him opened and a railing came
up as if by magic.
Half the body of a strong, wiry, thick-bearded man appeared. He held a
curious wire net.
The net fell over Mont's head, and he felt himself dragged over the
railing and down into the interior of the iron shell.
A cry of terror broke from his companions, answered by a smothered yell
from Mont, as the flap fell back and shut out any further view of the
interior.
Our hero had vanished.
This removal, so brutally executed, was accomplished with the rapidity
of lightning.
Dr. Woddle felt his hair stand on end, and as for Carl and Stump they
were chilled to the marrow of their bones with fear.
"What have they done with him?" Carl asked.
"Your friend is the first victim," replied the professor. "Perhaps they
mean to eat him. For my part, they may eat me as soon as they like;
anything is preferable to this."
"I wish I could get at them," replied Stump. "I'd soon have Master Mont
out."
The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the trap door opened
again, and the servant was dragged down below in a similar manner.
"Really this is very extraordinary," said the professor; "two of us are
gone. We are no doubt in the hands of pirates, wretched rovers of the
sea, who have brought science to their aid. It is to be hoped----"
The door opened while he was speaking and a long arm twining round his
waist dragged him too into the heart of this floating prison.
His legs kicking up ludicrously in the air attracted the attention of
Carl, who could not refrain from laughing, miserable though he was.
"My turn next," muttered the youth.
He was not long kept in suspense.
The long net twined, snakelike, round him, and he too descended into the
bowels of the infernal machine.
Mont's experience was that of all of them.
He had descended an iron ladder and was pushed into a room, the door of
which shut to with a heavy bang.
In ten minutes they were all together in the same compartment.
The darkness of their prison was so intense as to prevent our hero
seeing his hand before his face.
Thus it was impossible to guess where they were, or even to tell if they
were alone or not.
"This is an outrage," said the doctor. "I protest against it. Is the
author of a dozen immortal works to be treated like a naughty
schoolboy?"
"We're prisoners," remarked Mont, "and it's no use hallooing. They're
not going to eat us. This isn't an oven, and I think we are better here
than up above."
"At least we had our liberty," continued the doctor, who was never
satisfied or happy unless he was at work or grumbling.
"I've got a knife," said Stump boldly, "and I'll stick the first that
comes near me. It's a regular pig-sticker, my knife, and I'll bet they
feel it."
"Don't you do anything of the sort!" cried Mont. "You might get us all
killed."
"It's very hard if a poor boy can't do something."
"You'll get it hot if anyone is listening to you. If you don't care for
yourself, think of us."
Stump grumbled inaudibly, and Mont began to take the dimensions of the
prison in which they were.
This he did by walking about, and he made it twenty feet long by ten
wide. The walls were of iron, made of plates riveted together.
Half an hour passed. At the expiration of that time, the cabin was
illuminated by a flood of light so vivid and blinding that it was
difficult to bear the intensity.
Mont recognized the electric light that had floated round the ship when
he first saw it.
When he got used to its clear whiteness, he looked up and saw that it
proceeded from a globe which hung from the ceiling.
"Light at last; our captors are becoming more civil," said the doctor,
rubbing his hands gayly.
"It's about time, I think," answered our hero.
They were not much better off, however, for the cabin only contained a
table and five wooden stools, but the light was refreshing and made them
more cheerful.
Not a sound reached their ears; everywhere reigned the silence of the
grave.
Perhaps the ship had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, for it seemed to
have the power of going where its strange owner wished.
In a short time the door opened and two men appeared.
"Visitors at last!" murmured Mont to himself.