During Frank's
second term on guard and somewhere around four o'clock, while darkness
covered the land, he thought he caught a glimpse of a shadow crossing
the deck, headed in the direction of the lazerette.
He had been lazily reclining on a soft cushion made of several blankets
and looking up at the silvery stars, but immediately he became fully
aroused. This might mean danger in some shape toward the aeroplane. And
no matter, it behooved him to investigate.
So he softly arose to his knees and crept after the shadowy figure.
Cautiously he approached the place where the door belonging to the
storeroom was to be found. As he advanced thus he could occasionally
catch a peculiar clicking sound, which he believed must be made by some
one trying to pick the lock!
The engine of the boat kept up considerable of a racket as it steadily
worked along without the dreaded hitch. Besides, there was always more
or less splashing of water against the sides, as they pushed against the
swift current of the Magdalena. All these things combined to muffle the
clicking sound frequently, yet during little lulls Frank could catch it
again.
The tumult also served to deaden any shuffling he may have made while
creeping toward the lazerette door, and for this Frank was thankful.
It was very gloomy here. A hanging lantern some distance away only
served to accentuate the gloom apparently.
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