I felt very weak. I almost fainted. We were trapped on a wreck (a broken, sinking boat) with a gang of murderers! We had to find their boat. We needed it to escape. We walked slowly and quietly.
Jim was very afraid. He said he had no strength left. I told Jim to follow me. We had to move or we would die. We climbed along the side of the boat. The wood was under the water.
Finally, I saw a skiff (a small, light boat for one or two people). I was very happy. I wanted to jump into it. But then a door opened. A man looked out. It was only two feet away from me!
The man went back inside. He told the other man to hide the lantern. Then the man put a bag into the skiff. He sat down. This man was Packard. Then the other man, Bill, came out.
Bill asked if Packard took the money from the man inside. Packard said no. They decided to go back and get the money. They did not want to leave it. They went back into the room.
The door closed. I jumped into the skiff. Jim jumped in after me. I used my knife to cut the rope. We moved away from the wreck very fast. We were very quiet.
We did not use the oars (long pieces of wood used to move a boat). We did not speak. We did not even breathe loudly. Soon, we were far away. The darkness hid the wreck. We were safe.
We saw a small light on the wreck. The murderers were looking for their boat. Now they were in trouble. They were trapped just like the man they wanted to kill. Jim used the oars and we looked for our raft.
I began to worry about the murderers. I thought about their terrible situation. I did not like murderers. But I did not want them to drown. I told Jim we must find help for them.
Then it started to rain very hard. There was more lightning. We could not see any lights on the shore. We floated down the river for a long time. Finally, we saw a dark shape.
It was our raft! We were very glad to be on it again. I saw a light on the shore. I told Jim to float down the river. I told him to show a light in two miles.
I took the skiff and rowed toward the shore. I saw a ferry-boat (a large boat that carries people across a river). I saw a watchman on the boat. He was asleep. I woke him up and started to cry.
The watchman asked me what was wrong. I told him a story. I said my father and mother were in trouble. I said they were on the wreck. I told him a woman named Miss Hooker was there too.
The watchman was worried. He said the wreck was the Walter Scott. He said the people there would die soon. He asked me how they got there. I told him a long lie about their journey.
I told him that Miss Hooker had a rich uncle. I said his name was Jim Hornback. The watchman knew that name. He knew Jim Hornback had a lot of money. He wanted to help rich people.
The watchman told me to go to a house nearby. He said he would get his workers. He promised to save the people on the wreck. I walked away, but I did not go to the house.
I went back to my skiff. I waited in the shadows. I wanted to see the ferry-boat start. I felt good because I tried to help the bad men. I thought the widow would be proud of me.
Soon, the wreck floated past me. It was low in the water. I rowed around it and called out. No one answered. It was very still. I thought the murderers were dead.
Then the ferry-boat came. It moved around the wreck to look for people. Then it went back to the shore. I rowed down the river as fast as I could. I wanted to find Jim.
After a long time, I saw Jim’s light. It looked very far away. When I reached the raft, the sky was gray. It was almost morning. We hid the raft near an island and went to sleep.