n league with Merrick and his crowd," said Anderson
Rover, "and that being so, we must be on constant guard against him."

The ladies and the girls were much alarmed to think that such a
character as Wingate might be roaming around the vessel in secret, and
at night they locked every stateroom door with care. The boys and Mr.
Rover were also on the alert, and some of them slept with loaded
pistols near at hand. Had Wingate shown himself unexpectedly he might
have met with a warm reception.

"That feller's disappearance puts me in mind o' something that happened
aboard the _Nancy Belden_, bound from the Congo to New York, jest
eight years ago this summer," said Bahama Bill, who had searched as
hard as anybody for the missing man. "We had on board a lot o' wild
animals fer a circus man, an' amongst 'em was an orang-outang, big an'
fierce, I can tell you. Well, this orang-outang got out o' his cage one
night, an' in the mornin' he couldn't be found. We hunted an' hunted,
an' the next night nobody wanted to go to sleep fer fear he'd wake up
dead. The cap'n had his family aboard and the wife she was 'most scart
stiff an' wouldn't hardly leave her room."

"And did you find the orang-outang?" asked Songbird, with interest.

"We did an' we didn't. The fifth night after he was missing we heard a
fearful noise right in a cage wot had a lion in it. We run to the place
with shootin' irons an' spears and capstan bars, thinkin' the lion was
loose. When we got there we found the orang-outang had twisted one o'
the bars o' the cage loose an' got inside and disturbed Mr. Lion's best
nap. Mr. Lion didn't like it, an' he gets up, and in about two minutes
he makes mince meat o' the orang-outang. When we got there all we see
was bits o' skin, an' the feet an' head o' the orang-outang, yes, sir.
We was glad he was gone--especially the cap'n wife--but the circus men
was mad to lose sech a valerable beast," concluded Bahama Bill.

"That was a pretty good one," was Tom's comment. "Too good to be
spoiled," and at this remark the others laughed.

"Vell, it's someding like ven dot snake got loose py Putnam Hall," was
Hans' comment. "Dot Vingate vos noddings put a snake, hey?"

"You hit it that time, Hans," answered Dick. "A snake and of the worst
kind."

According to Bahama Bill's reckoning they were now less than two days'
sailing from Treasure Isle, and all on board who were in the secret
were filled with expectancy. So far nothing had b