bers.

"I am willing to do anything I can to make matters right," went on
Wingate.

"O' course you are, now you're caught," sneered Bahama Bill.

"Can you tell us if the _Josephine_ was coming to this spot?"
asked Captain Barforth.

"Is this the south side of the isle?"

"Yes."

"Well, Captain Sackwell said he knew of a landing place on the north
side of Treasure Isle, and he was bound for that spot."

"The north side!" cried Anderson Rover. He looked at Captain Barforth.
"Can they have tricked us?" he asked.

"I never heard o' any landing on that side," said Bahama Bill. "But
then I never visited the place but onct, as I told ye afore."

"Did the Spaniard Doranez know of the landing on the north side?"
questioned Songbird.

"So he told Merrick," answered Wingate. "He said he was the one to
speak of the isle first, for he had visited it half a dozen times
during his voyages among the West Indies."

"Then they may be on the north side of the island now!" cried Fred.

After that Walt Wingate was questioned closely and he told all he knew
about Merrick and his plans. He was very humble, and insisted upon it
that he had meant to do no more than put Bahama Bill into a sound
sleep.

"Well, you are a dangerous character," said Captain Barforth. "For the
present I am going to keep you a prisoner," and a few minutes later he
had Wingate handcuffed and placed under lock and key in a small
storeroom. The deck hand did not like this, but he was thankful to
escape a worse fate.

Anxious to know if the _Josephine_ was anywhere in the vicinity of
the isle, some of those on board the _Rainbow_ ascended one of the
masts and attempted to look across the land. But a hill shut off the
view.

"We'll have to wait until morning," said Mr. Rover, and was about to go
down to the deck when something attracted his attention. It was a
strange shaft of light shooting up from along the trees in the center
of Treasure Isle.

"A searchlight!" he cried. "Somebody is on shore, and it must be
Merrick with his crowd." And this surmise was correct, as we already
know.

CHAPTER XXIV

A MISSING LANDMARK

The searchlight was watched with interest for fully quarter of an hour.
It was, of course, visible only now and then, but from the shafts of
light seen, those on the steam yacht were certain somebody was moving
from the north side of the isle to the location of the treasure cave.

"We ought to head them off, if possible,"