ut once more.

With remarkable rapidity the light grew brighter, until the heavens
and the entire bay were lit up by the conflagration. There was a
strong wind blowing, which carried the sparks to the jungle back of
the ship. Listening intently, they could occasionally hear the roaring
and crackling of the flames.

"The ship is doomed, that is certain," said Sam. "I wonder if all
who were on board escaped?"

"The fire has caught in the brushwood on the shore," announced Captain
Blossom, who had continued to use the spyglass.

"Can you see any of the men moving around?" questioned Dora.

"I thought I saw one or two, but I am not certain. Most of the men
must have escaped, but if they were drunk, as Gibson says, perhaps
some have been caught like rats in a trap."

The flames continued to roar upward, and toward the island back of
the ship, for over an hour. During that time they heard two dull
explosions, caused by some barrels of chemicals catching fire. The
second explosion sent the bits of burning wood and rigging flying in
all directions.

"That will leave the mutineers without a home and without stores,"
said old Jerry. "They're in a poor fix now."

"I'd like to know how the fire started," said the captain. "Can you
explain it?" he went on, to Gibson and Marny.

"I've got an idea," said Marny. "Just before we came away old man
Shular went down in the hold with a light to look for some certain
brand of liquor we were carrying. He was more than half drunk, and
he most likely dropped his lantern and set something on fire."

At the end of an hour and a half the flames had died down to the
water's edge. A few small bits of wreckage continued to burn, and
also a grove of trees and brushwood on the island. But before morning
every bit of the fire was out, and only a heavy smoke showed where
the _Golden Wave_ had once rested.

No one had thought of retiring again, and sunrise found them all worn
out, and anxious to know what was going to happen next.

"You can rest assured that some of them will be over here sooner or
later," said Dick. "Now they have no place to shelter them, and no
provisions, they will want us to help them out."

"What will you do, Dick?" asked Dora.

"That depends on Captain Blossom, Dora. Personally I want nothing to
do with any of them."

"But some may be badly burnt, and they may need medicine and bandages,"
came from Nellie.

"We can send them whatever we can spare," said Tom. "B