m and of their vessel?" asked Anderson Rover anxiously.

"Broke down an' drifting out on the ocean," answered the old tar, and
then he continued: "You know how they tried to board us--after Carey,
Bossermann, that skunk o' a Wingate, an' Ulligan went to 'em. Well,
fust we kept 'em off with fireworks and with a shotgun. We didn't have
much steam up, but Frank Norton--bless his heart--worked like a beaver,
and the boys, Fred and Hans, helped him. I went to steer an' by good
luck kept off the rocks an' reefs. They came after us pell-mell an'
onct or twict we thought sure they had us, an' all o' us got pistols
and cutlasses an' prepared to fight. The ladies an' the gals was most
scared to death an' locked themselves in their staterooms. But we put
some ile on the fire an' putty soon we had steam enough up to bust, an'
then we walked right away from 'em. I reckon the captain o' the
_Josephine_ was mad, for he kept on a-followin' us and onct he got
putty close ag'in. But then came some sort o' an explosion from the
other boat, an' we see a cloud o' steam rushin' up from below, an'
somebody jumped overboard. Then the steam blew away an' the engine
stopped, an' we went on--an' left them away out in the ocean, fifteen
or twenty miles from here. We calkerlated they'd follow us soon as they
could make repairs, so we came on at full speed, to take you on board."

"Is everybody safe?" asked Dick.

"Yes. That Dutch boy burnt himself ag'in with a rocket, but it ain't
much an' he don't care, for he said the rocket hit a chap named Sobber
in the stomach and keeled him over."

"Good for Hans!" cried Sam. "That will give Tad Sobber something to
remember him by!"

As quickly as it could be done, the treasure was transferred to the two
rowboats, and the entire party set out for the steam yacht. They were
careful in going through the opening in the reef, for nobody wanted to
see either boat swamped and its precious contents lost. The passage was
made in safety, the searchlight aiding them.

"Back again!" cried Dick, as he mounted to the deck.

"Oh, Dick, are you safe?" cried Dora, rushing to him.

"Yes, and we have the treasure!" he answered proudly.

"Oh, how glad I am everybody is safe!" put in Nellie.

"We are all glad," said Mrs. Stanhope. "The last forty-eight hours have
been so full of peril!"

Of course everybody has to tell his or her story, and for a long time
there was a perfect babel of voices. Fred and Hans related ho