u're about right," said Ben, "but there's plenty who do look for it,
and spend their lives at it and don't get nothing. This here is one of
them islands, and I thought mebby you boys had come a-lookin' for
something like that. Boys haven't anymore sense."

"Thank you, but you'll find that the Hilltop boys have a good deal more
sense than that."

After breakfast two of the yacht's boats were lowered, and some of the
boys went ashore to explore the island and amuse themselves in various
ways while the captain sent a party to find the outlet of the bay, and see
what their chances for leaving the island might be.

Jack, Percival, Harry, Arthur and young Smith went on one boat, and were
the first to land, walking up the beach and into the woods as the other
boat came ashore.

Picking a path as they went on Jack and his companions pushed into the
deep everglade, the lush undergrowth sometimes quite impeding their
progress, and making their advance very slow.

"If we were going to be here any time," said Percival, "we should have to
make a path so that we could get about with greater rapidity. If we had
thought to bring an axe it would have been better."

After a time their progress was more rapid, as the undergrowth was less
rank, and they went on with more comfort.

Many varieties of cactus, prickly pears, plums and plants with the most
gorgeous flowers lined their path, and gave constant delight to young
Smith and some of the others, but Jack and Percival were more intent on
seeing where they would come out than in looking at plants and flowers,
and they gave the latter little attention.

"There is certainly no one on the island," said Jack at length when they
came out upon an upland glade more open to the sky than the parts already
traversed, "or we should have seen them by this time. I think we have been
going in the same general direction, Dick, so suppose we push on in the
same line, and see where we come out."

"All right, but there are hills, which we may have to climb if we keep
straight on. There they are ahead of us."

"Yes, I see them, but they do not seem to be very high nor far away. If
they want us back at the yacht they will probably blow the bugle."

They pushed on across the open space, and then through a wood where it was
not so easy to advance and at length, without noticing it, began to
descend, the way being good at times and at others very difficult so that
they were frequently obliged to ha