re still buried, and he
knew of no way of getting them without discovery.

One of the ships was a Dutch one, from Java, and the other was
British, bound for Ceylon--neither very desirable, as they would have
compelled a long, roundabout voyage home. But Storms would have
accepted the offer of one on account of his distrust of the young man,
Fred Sanders, but for the reason given.

Captain Bergen, after the "setting back" given him by Storms, became
quiet and tractable, and stayed almost entirely with Inez, for whom he
showed the greatest affection. Since she was tenderly attached to him,
and sympathized in his affliction, this kept the two together almost
continually--an arrangement which it was plain to see was not
agreeable to Fred Sanders, though he was too courteous to make any
mention of it.

During the afternoon such goods as were deemed necessary were
transferred to the proa, which lay at anchor in the lagoon. These were
not very numerous or valuable, and consisted mostly of garments which
Storms had manufactured for Inez.

When night came, after a meal had been eaten on shore close to where
the proa lay, it was arranged that Sanders should sleep on board with
his crew--if two men might be termed such--while the others should
stay in their cabin, as was their wont.

Storms contrived this on the plea that his companion, the captain,
would be more tractable. His real purpose was to gain a chance to
secure the pearls unnoticed. The young man made not the slightest
objection to the plan, for he had too good sense to do so; nor did his
silence in that respect lull the suspicions of Storms himself.

"I wish there was not such a bright moon," said the mate to himself,
not far from midnight, "for I need all the quiet and darkness I can
get; and I don't see any use of waiting longer," he added.

Captain Bergen had been sleeping quietly for several hours, while the
silence in the apartment of Inez showed that she, too, was wrapped in
slumber, and possibly dreaming of far-away scenes, of which her memory
was so misty and indistinct.

As to those upon the proa, everything must necessarily be conjecture;
but, in the middle of the night, with his senses on the alert, and his
imagination excited, Abe Storms conjured up all sorts of fancies and
suspicions. There were many times when he believed that these men,
including the boyish leader, were the worst kind of pirates, who were
only waiting the chance to secure the pe