over the treasure, which is now hidden in a secret place. As I and
my brothers and cousins own this isle we are to have our share of what
is uncovered. Now we warn you again to go away. We are ten to your
four, and we are all armed with shotguns and pistols, and we have the
drop on you."

"Good for you, Dick, pile it on," whispered Tom. Then he pulled Sam by
the arm. "Come on, let us appear from behind another rock--they'll
think we are two more of the brothers or cousins!"

"You won't dare to shoot us," blustered Merrick, but his voice had a
trace of uncertainty in it.

"Won't we?" answered Dick. "There is a warning for you!" And raising
the pistol he carried he sent a shot over the heads of the other party.

"They are shooting at us! We'll all be killed!" yelled Tad Sobber, who
had come back during the conversation, and again he and Cuffer took to
their heels.

"Mind the warning!" called out Dick, and dropped almost out of sight
behind a rock. At that same moment Tom and Sam appeared from behind a
rock far to the left.

"Mind that warning!" they cried. "Remember, we are ten to four!"

"There are two more of 'em," cried Shelley.

"Confound the luck, what sort of a game is this anyway?" said Sid
Merrick, much chagrined.

"Well, it is more than we expected," answered Shelley. "I, for one,
don't care to risk being shot down. I reckon they have the bulge on us,
if there really are ten of 'em."

"I've seen but five--the three ahead and the two over yonder."

"There are two more!" answered Shelley and pointed to another rock, to
which Sam and Tom had just crawled. "That makes seven."

"Go back, I tell you," warned Dick. "We'll give you just two minutes in
which to make up your mind. If you don't go back we'll start to shoot!"

"Come on back!" cried Tad, from a safe distance. "Don't let them shoot
you, Uncle Sid!"

"We'll go back to our ship," called out Sid Merrick. "But remember,
this thing isn't settled yet."

"If you have any differences with the Stanhopes you can settle with the
folks on the steam yacht which has just arrived," answered Dick, not
knowing what else to say.

The party under Sid Merrick began to retreat, and Dick, Tom and Sam
watched them with interest, until the lights faded in the distance.
Then Tom did a jig in his delight.

"That was easier than I expected," he said.

"Even if we didn't scare them playing ghost," added Sam. "I wonder if
they really thought we were ten in number?"