"'She's abandoned,' says I. 'That's what's the matter. There ain't
NOBODY aboard of her.'

"Then we both says, 'Salvage!' and shook hands.

"The schooner came nearer and nearer. It begun to look as if she'd smash
against the rocks in front of us, but she didn't. When she got opposite
the mouth of the lagoon she heeled over on a new tack and sailed in
between the rocks as pretty as anything ever you see. Then she run
aground on the beach just about a quarter of a mile from the shanty.

"'Twas early morning when we climbed aboard of her. I thought Lazarus'
schooner was dirty, but this one was nothing BUT dirt. Dirty sails, all
patches, dirty deck, dirty everything.

"'Won't get much salvage on this bally tub,' says Hammond; 'she's one of
them nigger fish boats, that's w'at she is.'

"I was kind of skittish about going below, 'fraid there might be some
dead folks, but Hammond went. In a minute or so up he comes, looking
scary.

"'There's something mighty queer down there,' says he: 'kind of w'eezing
like a puffing pig.'

"'Wheezing your grandmother!' says I, but I went and listened at the
hatch. 'Twas a funny noise I heard, but I knew what it was in a minute;
I'd heard too much of it lately to forget it, right away.