"Wha--what's a offling?" she demanded. "We're orphans--Ruthie, and Aggie, and Tess, and me. So's Mr. Luke and Cecile. And so's Neale O'Neil," she added thoughtfully. "Is an offling like an orphan?" "Keep still!" hissed the boy. "They're nearer." "Who's nearer?" "Shall I make 'em heave to when they come near 'nough, or shall we let 'em go on and give chase?" "Goodness me, Sammy!" cried Dot, greatly puzzled. "You'd better come right down here. If anybody's coming we don't want to get into trouble. You _know_ we didn't ask the man if we could come into this boat, and perhaps he don't like pirates." This idea appealed to Sammy, too, as the mules and the little company with them drew near. He slipped over the edge of the hatchway and came down the ladder. Overhead a threatening black cloud had obscured the sun. Thunder muttered in the distance. A tempest would probably break soon and neither Sammy nor Dot liked thunder and lightning. "And we didn't bring any umbrella, Sammy Pinkney!" gasped Dot. "Aw, we won't need one down here. We'll be dry enough," the boy declared. Just then a drawling voice said: "Lowise, you better pull over that hatch right smart. It's agoin' to pour cats and dogs in a minute." "You get the mewels hitched on, Pap," said a shriller and younger voice. "Where's the key to the house? Give it here. And you, Beauty, come aboard. Ain't no rabbits fur you to chase so near town as this." "Oh," whispered the little girl below in the hold, "they have come on to our boat!" "Hist!" said Sammy, shakingly. "Do--do people do that to pirates?" demanded Dot, anxiously. "I--I thought we were going to--to get on to other people's boats and make them walk over a board." "_Walk the plank!_" hissed Sammy. "And aren't we?" "Wait!" commanded the pirate chief in a most threatening tone. They waited. By and by somebody came along and kicked the hatch-cover into place and the light was suddenly shut out of the hold. At the same time big drops of rain began drumming on the deck and the thunder burst forth in a rolling reverberation overhead. "I guess we _will wait_, Sammy Pinkney!" gasped Dot, nervously. "They've shut us up down here!" CHAPTER XI AFLOAT ON THE CANAL Dot Kenway might have been much more frightened, shut into the canalboat hold in the dark, had it not been for two things. She was more afraid of the thunderstorm raging overhead than she was of the dark. Secondly, she had Sammy Pinkney with her. That savage pirate might shake with nervousness, but he certainly could not be afraid! "Don't you mind, Dottie," he said to her. "They don't know we're here yet." "And if they do find out?" she asked. "Why, if they _do_-- Well, ain't we pirates?" demanded Sammy boldly. "I guess when they find that out they'll sing pretty small. Besides, there's only one man and a dog." "But isn't there a girl!" asked Dot doubtfully. "Pooh! what's a girl!" demanded Sammy loftily. "Girls don't count. They can't fight."