abandoned. But it was not given up entirely. As Tom
had announced to Ned, a new theory would be worked out. So far,
cruising about in the place where the fillibuster ship was supposed to
have gone down had resulted in nothing.

Mr. Damon, who had been below, shaving, came up on deck to see Tom and
Ned tossing into the water large pieces of cork taken from spare life
preservers. Tom tossed his in from one side of the deck, and Ned from
the other. Then, as the eccentric man listened, he heard Tom say:

"I think mine is going to beat yours, Ned!"

"Then you've got another guess coming," declared the young financial
man. "Mine's going twice as fast as yours is now, though yours did
start off better."

"Bless my beefsteak!" exclaimed Mr. Damon, "what's this, Tom Swift? I
thought we came on a treasure-hunting expedition, and here I find you
and Ned playing some childish game! I hope you aren't laying any wagers
on it!" Mr. Damon did not approve of gambling in any form.

"No, we aren't doing that," laughed Tom, as he dropped another bit of
cork into the ocean.

"We are trying to arrive at some valuable scientific facts, Mr. Damon."

"Scientific facts--that childish play?"

"It isn't play," said Tom, turning to remark to Ned: "I think we've
settled it. The current has a decided twist to the north."

"Yes," agreed his chum. "You were right, Tom."

"If you don't mind explaining," began Mr. Damon, "I should like to
know--"

"We're trying to determine the drift of the ocean currents in this
locality," Tom said.

"So we'll know better where to look for the Pandora," added Ned.

"Oh, so you haven't given up the hunt, then?" asked the eccentric man.

"By no means!" exclaimed Tom. "It's this way, Mr. Damon. We went down
at as nearly the exact spot where the treasure-ship was sunk as we
could determine by means of calculations. She wasn't there, nor could
we find her by going around in circles. Then it occurred to me, and to
some of the others also, including Ned, that the ocean currents might
have shifted the position of the craft after she had sunk. There are
powerful currents in the ocean, as you know, the Gulf Stream being one
and the Japan Current another. Now there may be smaller ones in these
waters that would produce a local effect.

"So Ned and I have been dropping bits of cork of different shapes into
the water and watching which way they drifted. Our conclusion is that
the currents here have a decided set to