By this time all the other boys were out in the cabin. They had all gone to bed with their clothes on, and stood now wide awake and prepared for any emergency. They all stared fixedly at Solomon, expecting to hear some dreadful disclosure. They had never before seen him so completely upset. “Dar’s g-g-ghosts a-b-b-b-b-b-b-oard,” said Solomon. “I went to bed. I waked at de row dey made down below, in de hole.” “What, in the hold?” “Y-y-yes, Mas’r Bart, in d-d-d-d-e hole ob de ship. It’s a haunted ship--an--full ob hobgobblums.” “Pooh!” said Bart, with a sigh of relief; “is that all? Some nightmare or other. Never mind, old Solomon; it’s all right; we’ll go and lay the ghosts. You come and show me the place.” “Darsn’t,” gasped Solomon. “If you’ll come with us, you know; we’ll all go.” “D-d-d-arsn’t,” said Solomon again. “Well, we’ll go, and T think it’ll be better for you to come with us than to stay here alone,” said Bart. “Come along, boys; let’s find out what it is. Perhaps something’s the matter.” With these words he went out. The other boys followed. Solomon gave one wild glance around, and then, finding himself forsaken, and dreading the loneliness, he hurried after the others. XIII. _Rushing forth at the Alarm of Solomon.--The rolling Waters.--The flooded Decks.--Strange, uneartlily Noises.--Dread Fears.--is the Ship breaking up?--Consolations.--Refuge in the Cabin.--A Barricade against the Waters.--A damp Abode.--A Debate.--Where shall we pass the Night?--Solomon on Guards--The fourth Day.--No Antelope.--A long Watch.--The Cabin deserted.--Sleeping on Deck._ AT the alarm of Solomon, the boys thus all hurried out upon deck. The night was dark. The sky was overcast. The motion of the ship was greater than it had been. As they stepped out, they felt their feet plash in a stream of water that rolled towards them, and perceived by this that the waves had risen high enough to break over the low-lying deck. But it was only enough to wet the deck, and not enough to cause either alarm or even discomfort, since it had not penetrated to the cabin. As they advanced forward, however, they encountered deeper streams of water, which swept down from the bows towards them, rising as high as their ankles. Yet even this excited but little attention. Solomon’s alarm had prepared them all for something serious, and so slight a thing as this was not deemed worthy of notice. They hurried on, therefore, and at length having reached the forecastle, they stood and looked all around. The motion of the vessel would have been considered very ordinary in any one differently situated. The waves had risen somewhat, and at their motion the ship rose and fell about four feet. This was sufficient to bring her deck under the surface of the sea, and at each fall the water streamed in and rolled about. The wind was rather fresh, but not by any means violent, and it sighed through the rigging overhead.