Part 29 (2/2)

”It's queer to me that they sailed with us. It's not such a pleasant voyage.”

”I overheard a little of their talk,” answered Dave, and, knowing he could trust the captain, he related what had been said.

”Pirates' gold, eh?” muttered the master of the s.h.i.+p. ”Most of those yarns are fairy-stories. I've known expedition after expedition to be fitted out, to search for treasures said to be hidden by the old-time buccaneers, but I never saw a man yet who got even a smell of a treasure. Where were they going for it, Dave?”

”I don't know. I think one of them mentioned Cave Island. Is there such a place?”

”There may be, although I never heard of it. Many of the islands in this part of the globe, being of volcanic origin, contain caves.”

”They must expect to get to Cave Island from Barbados.”

”More than likely,” answered the captain, and then hurried on deck again.

The storm continued for the remainder of the day, but by nightfall the wind commenced to die down, and by midnight the clouds had pa.s.sed and the stars were s.h.i.+ning brightly. In the morning the big sun came out of the sea to the east like a globe of fire.

”Now we are going to have some warm weather,” remarked Billy Dill, and the old tar was right. As the sun mounted in the heavens it grew positively hot, until the boys had to go to their staterooms and don thinner clothing. With the departure of the storm, Roger's seasickness left him, but the two Englishmen remained slightly unwell for some time longer.

”Phew! how warm it is!” remarked Phil. ”And just think of it!-up at home they are having snow and ice!”

With the pa.s.sing of the storm, the boys settled down as before. They saw but little of the Englishmen, especially of the pair who were sick. But one day something happened which came close to causing a crisis.

The boys were seated on the rear deck, talking over matters in general, when a strong puff of wind caused a sheet of paper to blow from somewhere ahead towards Dave. He reached out and caught the sheet just as it was about to go overboard.

”h.e.l.lo, what's this?” he cried, as he looked the sheet over. ”Must be some sort of a chart.”

”It is,” answered Roger, gazing at the paper. ”See, here is a spot marked Barbados, and another marked Cave Island, a little to the eastward.”

”Why, look what it says, up here!” cried Phil. ”'_Map of the Don Amorandos Treasure, buried in 1715_.' Say, do you think those Englishmen--”

”Hi, you! Give me that map!” bawled a voice from near by, and with a very red face, the Englishman named Geswick bore down on the boys.

”How dare you look at this?” he went on, as he s.n.a.t.c.hed the sheet out of their hands and folded it up.

”We wanted to see what it was and whom it belonged to,” answered Dave, as calmly as he could.

”You had no right to look at it,” stormed Andrew Geswick. ”That is private property.”

”Then why did you let it fall in our hands?” asked Phil.

”If it hadn't been for Dave, it would have gone overboard,” put in Roger.

”Humph!” The man fell back a little. ”Well, I am thankful for that.

But you boys had no right to look at it,” he grumbled.

”Why, it's only a chart, isn't it?” asked the senator's son, curiously.

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