as
wild as a loon. When we get him away, dress him up, change his food,
and give him a sight of a Boston vessel, he will be sure to come
around; but, he has said too much already.

"I wonder what sort of a fellow that Fred Sanders is?" added Storms,
whose intellect seemed to be sharpened by the same cause which
overturned that of the captain. "I would be glad to trust him fully,
but somehow, I can't. While he is courteous and kind--and, no doubt,
means to carry us all to the inhabited island, where we shall be able
to take care of ourselves--there is something about him that awakens
distrust. The fact of his having been five years, as he says, in these
South Sea Islands, shows that all is not right, which is confirmed by
his dislike of saying anything about his earlier history.

"The best thing in his favor is his youth, and yet," continued Storms,
thoughtfully, "that, after all, may be the worst. It would seem that
he is too young to have done a great deal of evil; and yet, if he has
committed many transgressions, it is a woful record for such a lad. It
was too bad that the captain hinted that we have so much means, and he
wouldn't have done it had he been in his right mind; but it has
produced an effect upon Sanders, as I could see by the flash of his
eyes, and the apparently indifferent questions he asked afterwards.

"But we have saved our ammunition," muttered Storms, a minute later,
compressing his lips; "and I know how to use my revolver, and it is
only for a short time that I shall have to maintain watch."

While Abe Storms was talking to himself in this fashion, he had his
eye on the captain, who was walking slowly toward that portion of the
island where the pearls had been concealed so carefully, and there
could be no doubt of his errand. He did not hear the soft footstep
behind him, which was so regulated that it came up with him just as
the latter paused at the all-important spot.

The captain first looked out to sea, and then behind him, catching
sight, as he did so, of the smiling countenance of his mate--so far as
his countenance could be seen through the wealth of beard.

"Hello! What are you doing here?" asked the captain, in a voice which
showed some perplexity, if not displeasure.

"What are you doing here?" asked Storms, in turn, slapping him
familiarly on the shoulder. "I suppose we came upon the same errand,
as we are so soon to leave for home. The pearls are buried here, and
we must carry