t on, when they had sobered down a little, "let's
get down to brass tacks. There's jest one thing that remains to be
done, but it's a mighty big thing. We feel pretty sure that there is a
treasure, an' we think we know where that treasure is. Now the
question is, how are we going to git it?"

Drew experienced a feeling of dismay. He had been so engrossed with
the preliminary work that he had hardly given a thought to the
practical problem involved. He had taken it for granted that it would
be easy enough to get a ship to go after the pirate's hoard.

Now with Tyke's bald statement confronting him, a host of perplexities
sprang up to torment him. Where were they to get the right kind of
ship? How could they escape telling the captain of that ship just
where they were going and what they were going for?

But if the matter puzzled Tyke and his chief clerk, it bothered Captain
Hamilton not at all. He lighted a fresh cigar, crossed his legs and
smiled broadly.

"That's an easy one," he remarked. "Give me something hard."

Tyke looked at him in some surprise and Drew's face reflected his
bewilderment.

"Seems to me it's hard enough," grumbled Tyke.

"What do you mean?" asked Drew quickly.

"I mean," said the captain complacently, "that we'll make this voyage
in my schooner."

The two others jumped to their feet.

"Splendid!" cried Drew.

"Glory be!" ejaculated Tyke.

"The plan seems to suit you," smiled the captain.

"Suit us!" shouted Tyke. "Why, it's jest made to order. But how're
you going to git the owner's permission? How do you know he'll be
willing to have the ship chartered for such a cruise? An' how are we
going to keep the secret from him?"

"As I happen to be the chief owner, as well as the captain, I guess we
won't have any trouble on that score."

"Owner!" exclaimed Tyke, in astonishment. "I hadn't any idee that you
had any int'rest in her outside of your berth as captain. You've been
pretty forehanded to have got so far ahead as to own a craft like that."

"I haven't done so badly in the last few years," said the captain
modestly; "and as fast as I saved money I kept buying more stock in the
old girl. Mr. Parmalee encouraged that idea in his captains. He knew
human nature, and knew that when a man's own money was invested in the
deck under him he was going to be mighty careful of the ship's safety
and would have a personal interest in seeing that she was a money
maker. The