143
XVII UNDERGROUND WORK 151
XVIII IN THE WATER 159
XIX SHARK 167
XX TALKING IT OVER 176
XXI A NEW MEMBER 184
XXII A CLUE 193
XXIII Progress 201
XXIV Solved 211
XXV On the Beach 220
XXVI The Spot Is Marked 230
XXVII Conclusion 240

THE GO AHEAD BOYS AND THE TREASURE CAVE

CHAPTER I

THE VOYAGE IS BEGUN

"A-a-ll ha-a-ands! Up anchor! A-ho-oy!"

Instantly all was bustle and action on board the brig _Josephine_.
The sailors ran hither and thither, the sails were loosed and the yards
braced. The clanking of the windlass soon told that the anchor was being
raised.

"Whew! I never saw so much excitement and hurry in all my life,"
exclaimed a boy, who with three companions stood on the deck of the brig
and looked on at these activities without actually taking part in them
themselves. The speaker was Fred Button. He was a tiny little fellow,
known affectionately among his friends as Stub, or Peewee or Pygmy. This
last name was frequently shortened into Pyg, much to Fred's disgust,
though he had learned better than to lose his temper because of teasing
or little things that did not just suit him. He had given up such
foolishness long ago.

With his three companions he had embarked on the _Josephine_ for a
voyage to Buenos Aires in South America. The lure of the sea had
attracted these four boys and the desire to see something of foreign
lands had spurred them on. They were on board in the capacity of
passengers though it was also their desire to help the crew in whatever
way they were able.

Standing beside Fred Button was John Clemens, a boy who was as unusually
tall as Fred was short. He was extremely thin, however, and with his six
feet three inches of height he looked like a string, according to his
friends. In fact that was what they usually called him.

Next to him was Grant Jones. Grant was about eighteen, the same age as
the other three boys though he was their leader in a great many ways. No
matter what he attempted he always did it well. In school