The Shadowy Figure

NANCY stopped at the top of the companionway. She could see nothing clearly. If someone had come aboard he might be crouching close to her on the shadowy deck. She moved forward cautiously.

Heavy mist swirled about the ship, making the masts and rigging seem vague and unreal. Somewhere in the distance a foghorn wailed.

Suddenly Nancy froze, her hands clenched. A figure was coming over the rail, directly in front of her! Nancy slipped quickly into the shadows. Whoever he was, he had not seen her. She had the advantage!

The intruder dropped catlike to the deck, then moved quickly out of sight in the mist. Nancy made her way cautiously after him. If only she could see the stranger’s face!

Would he turn around if she flashed her light on him?

“I’ll try it, ” she decided, and snapped on the light.

The man was startled but did not turn around. Bent almost double, with his sleeve raised to conceal the side of his face, he scurried ahead into the shrouding mist.

Nancy ran after him, but he disappeared in the inky shadows. She had not heard a splash. He must still be aboard!

Nancy’s heart beat rapidly. It was one thing for her to follow a fugitive she could see, but quite another to have a stranger jump at her from some dark spot.

Where was Captain Easterly? Nancy thought uneasily as she pondered what to do next. To her relief, the skipper’s voice boomed out behind her.

“Nancy, where are you? What’s up? ”

Quickly Nancy retraced her steps and in whispered tones told him what had happened. “I’m sure the man’s still aboard, ” she concluded. “Maybe he’s gone below.”

“We’ll look up here first, ” the captain ordered. Swinging their flashlights, he and Nancy covered the damp planking, the coiled ropes and hawsers, the rigging, the hatch covers. There was no sign of the man they were hunting. Before going below to continue the search, Captain Easterly said: “Where did he come aboard? ”

Nancy led the skipper to the spot where she had seen the intruder come over the side. As they reached it, their flashlights revealed a rope wriggling over the rail. A moment later it dropped to the water. Together they bent over the rail, sweeping the water with their flashlights. A man was sitting in a rowboat!

“Who are you? Stop! ” the captain roared.