can't do much more in this darkness," said Dick at last.
"I must confess I thought walking in the direction of the cave would be
an easy matter."

"Well, what's to do next?" questioned Sam, gazing around in perplexity.

This was no easy question to answer. As if by magic darkness had
settled all around them, shutting out the sight of objects less than a
hundred yards away. To go forward was all but impossible, and whether
or not they could get back to where they had come from was a serious
problem.

"If we can't get back we'll have to camp right here," said Dick.

But they did not want to stay in such a thicket and so they pushed on a
little further, until they reached a slight rise of ground. Then Dick,
who was in advance as before, uttered a cry of surprise:

"A trail! I wonder where it leads to?"

He was right, a well-defined trail or footpath lay before them, running
between the brushwood and palms and around the rocks. It did not look
as if it had been used lately, but it was tolerably clear of any
growth.

This was something the Rover boys had not counted on, for Bahama Bill
had never spoken of any trail in his descriptions of the isle. They
gazed at the path with curiosity. Tom was the first to speak.

"Shall we follow it?" he asked.

"Might as well," answered Sam. "It's better than scratching yourself
and tearing your clothing in those thorn bushes."

The boys took to the trail and passed along for a distance of quarter
of a mile or more. It wound in and out around the rocks and trees and
had evidently been made by some natives bringing out wild fruits and
the like from the forest.

"It doesn't seem to be leading us to anywhere," was Dick's comment. "I
don't know whether to go on or not."

Nevertheless, they kept on, until they came to a sharp turn around a
series of rocks. As they moved ahead they suddenly saw a glare of light
cross the rocks and then disappear.

"What was that?" asked Sam, somewhat startled.

"A light," answered Dick.

"I know. But where did it come from?"

"It was like the flash of a bicycle gas lamp," said Tom.

"There are no bicycles on this trail," said Dick.

"I know that, too, Dick. But it was like that kind of a lamp."

Just then the flash of light reappeared, and now they saw it came from
a point on the trail ahead of them. They listened intently and heard
somebody approaching.

"Several men are coming!" whispered Dick.

"Not from our yacht?" said Tom.

"I