Ship of Death by Benjamin Hulme-Cross, Nelson Evergreen Page A

open.”
    Edgar handed the axe to Mr Blood. “But are you sure we should open the door?” he asked. “If this is such a bad ship, can’t we just sink it?”
    â€œI want to find out what happened to Pete,” said Tom.
    Edgar sighed. He didn’t like danger. Mary smiled. She loved it!
    â€œRight,” said Mr Blood. “Let’s have a look.” He got ready to hit the door.

    But just as he was about to bring the axe smashing down, the door swung open by itself.
    Mr Blood’s eyes opened wide at what he saw inside the room.
    Old Tom put a hand to his mouth.
    Mary gasped.
    Edgar turned green again.
    The room was filled with a huge pile of human bones.
    Â 

Chapter 4

Trapped!
    Mr Blood bent down and put the axe on the floor.
    â€œStay here,” he said to the others. They didn’t argue with him. Mr Blood took a deep breath and stepped into the room.
    As soon as he was in the room, the door slammed shut.
    Edgar and Mary shouted in terror. Mr Blood began banging on the door.
    â€œI can’t open the door!” Mr Blood shouted.
    Tom and Edgar pulled at the door. It didn’t open.
    Then they heard a loud clanking, rattling sound from above. It sounded as if the anchor was being raised.

    Slowly, the ship was beginning to move. It wasn’t just rocking in the water. It had started turning around.
    â€œI remember this happened when Pete went aboard three years ago. The anchor came up and the ship sailed away,” said Tom.
    â€œBut who is pulling it up?” cried Mary. “We must stop them!”
    â€œLet’s go up and look,” said Edgar. He picked up the axe and gave it to Tom.
    â€œTom, break down the door,” Edgar said. “Get Mr Blood out.”
    Tom started to hit the door with the axe.

    Edgar and Mary ran back up to the deck.
    Up in the open air, it seemed as if the ship had come alive. The anchor lay on the deck. The ropes were coiled up. The sails were stretched out from the masts.
    â€œBut there is still nobody here!” shouted Mary.
    Â 

    Â 
    â€œThe ship must be haunted,” said Edgar. “All those bones…”
    Mr Blood and Tom came up on deck. Old Tom had let Mr Blood out of the room.
    â€œIt’s not haunted by their ghosts, my boy,” Mr Blood said. “Those poor people were trapped in there by the ship itself.”
    â€œOne of them was Pete,” added Tom. “Look, this was his hat.”
    Â 

    Â 
    â€œSo what’s going on?” asked Edgar.
    â€œIt’s the ship doing all this,” said Mr Blood. “Don’t you see? The ship kills anyone who comes aboard. Now it is trying to kill us.”
    â€œThen there’s only one thing to be done,” said Mary. “We’ll have to kill the ship.”

Chapter 5

Kill the Ship!
    â€œWhat do we do?” asked Edgar. “Can we smash a hole in the ship’s bottom with the axe?”
    â€œNot a chance,” said Tom. “The sides are too thick.”
    â€œSo how can we kill a ship?” Mary asked.
    â€œThe only way to stop the ship is to sail her onto the rocks and leave her there to sink,” said Tom. “I can do that.”
    â€œLook out!” shouted Mary.
    A heavy metal hook on a rope was swinging down from the rigging. It hit Tom’s leg.
    Â 

    Â 
    He cried out and fell to the deck, holding his knee. He tried to stand, and fell down again.
    â€œMy leg is broken,” he cried. “You’ll have to try and steer the ship to the rocks. I’ll tell you what to do…”
    Old Tom shouted out orders. Mr Blood stood at the wheel and steered the ship.
    Â 

    Â 
    Edgar and Mary ran around the deck, pulling on the ropes that set the sails.
    The ship was pointing towards the mouth of the harbour and out to sea. Outside the harbour mouth they could see a line of jagged rocks.
    All the time, the ship kept trying to hurt them.

    Edgar ducked as another hook skimmed over