Then the boat trembled and puffed, and Prince Jan knew that he and Hippity-Hop and Cheepsie and their loved master were going somewhere together, and he was satisfied.

Chapter XIII

THE VOICES OF THE HOSPICE DOGS

Prince Jan could not tell how many days and nights passed while the boat throbbed on its way.  He grew accustomed to the motion and as the captain came often each day to see him and talk to him, and many other people also visited him, Jan found life very pleasant.

Among his visitors was a pretty young woman with big brown eyes and a gentle voice.  Nearly always a little child was in her arms, or held by the hand, for it was just beginning to walk.  Captain Smith and these two seemed to be great friends.  Many times he carried the baby in his arms and it laughed up in his face when he held it down to pat Jan’s head.  The dog watched for them every day, and he was never disappointed.  Once, the captain brought Hippity-Hop to see Jan, and the kitten purred loudly and rubbed against the dog’s legs, while Jan poked her gently with his nose.  The old man chuckled, “You haven’t forgotten each other, have you?” Then he picked up the kitten and carried it away.

That night, without warning, everything seemed to change, somehow.  The boat leaped and jumped as though it were frightened at the big waves that washed against and over it.  The night was dark, and down in the hold of the vessel it was still darker.  Jan listened to men running overhead, voices called loudly and then came a sudden crash.  The boat quivered as though it were hurt.

Jan was thrown so heavily against the side of the boat that he lay gasping for breath, then he dragged himself to his feet.  Swaying with the jerky motion, but managing to brace himself, he peered through the inky darkness toward the steps leading to the deck.  Again he heard the hurried feet, the loud voices of men, and this time there were cries of women and children, too.

He knew something was not right, and as he pulled with all his strength on the rope that held him, and strained his eyes toward the stairway, he heard a sound that made him give a loud bark of joy.

“All right, Jan!” his master was calling through the darkness, “I’m coming!”

The dog whimpered and licked the hands that fumbled at the rope which was tied to the side of the boat.  With a leap and yelp of joy, Jan scrambled up the stairs ahead of his master, and both of them reached the deck.

It was very early in the morning and the sky was heavy with dark clouds.  The wind screamed and big waves tossed so high that at times the boat appeared to be down in the bottom of a great hole.  Although the vessel jerked, groaned, creaked and crunched, it did not move forward.  When the water washed back a few minutes, Jan saw jagged rocks poking up and felt the boat pounding on them.  He could not understand it at all, and as he looked up with puzzled eyes at his master, he saw the old man was staring straight ahead at a strip of land not very far away, where a lot of people were running about in a great hurry.