...The coast is clear.
Gingerly, you hoist yourself out of the barrel and slap the lid back on. Sneaking a quick peek through the nearby windows, you see only few guards patroling about. You exhale in relief when you realize that they must think you aren't on the boat. You get to have a moment of reprieve, for now.
Looking around, you see that more animals have filled up the stalls, leaving just a dozen or so empty. You can't help but shiver at how close you were joining them. Fortunately, most of them are too preoccupied with their own predicaments to notice you.
You spot a staircase on the other end of the stalls, right next to a room with its doors ajar.