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And on that errand Mayo departed the next , alert, and bold, could have scaled the side of

the stea erated icicle But it was on the lee side of her, and

his dory was fairly well protected from the rush of the seas With his

hatchet he hacked foothold on the ladder, left his men in the dory, and

notched his perilous way to the deck The fore-hatch was open, just as

the hastily departing salvagers had left it He went belon the

frosted iron ladder He was fronted with a cheerless aspect Cargo and

water hid what dae she had suffered The fat o that the water had not ruined

He cliine-room

was partially flooded, for her forepeak was propped on the higher part

of the reef, and water had settled aft Her crew's quarters were above

the o-carriers of the newer

type He found plenty of tinned food in the steward's do in the officers' staterooms

Mayo scrambled back to his dory and went aboard the schooner He

reported his findings

"And here's the only sensible plan for the present, Captain Candage: