ll, but this is better for our purpose. Watch!"

The flame presently began to flicker, and indicated the presence of a
draught of air, Jack noticing the direction whence it came, said:

"Try this way, Dick. There is a draught which makes the flame flicker. Try
the axe on the rocks and see if you can loosen them, or, better yet, see
if there isn't a fissure somewhere."

"Yes, there is," said Percival, climbing a mass of rock somewhat to one
side of where the others had fallen. "Yes, I see it, Jack."

Between them, working with the axe and their hands, the boys opened up a
passage between the rocks wide enough for them to crawl through, and in a
few minutes were on the top of the wooded point only a few yards from
where they had entered the strange place.

"The boat's gone, Jack!" exclaimed Percival.

CHAPTER VIII

DISCUSSING THE FIND

The boys could see the water and the bank from where they stood, and Dick
had been the first to notice that the boat was not where they had left it
before going down into the buried wreck.

"I suppose it might have drifted away," said Jack. "The warp could have
become loosened."

"Yes, it could have done so," sputtered Percival, "but it did not do so
without help. The same fellows who tumbled the rocks into the hole took
away the boat. I have an idea who they were. I spoke pretty sharp to
Herring the other day, and he has probably been nursing his wrath ever
since."

"You are too suspicious, Dick, and--hello! did you bring that bag with
you?" for the first time noticing that Percival had the bag of coin which
he himself had handed to his friend.

"Yes, you told me to take care of it, and I did," and Percival put the bag
in the outside pocket of his jacket. "Well have to hail the yacht, old
chap. We can make our way in that direction along the top of the bank. It
is not such bad going, and then we have the axe if it is necessary to cut
our way through the undergrowth."

They set out along the top of the bank, keeping a lookout for the vessel,
now and then having to cut their way on account of the thickness of the
growth, which was often as high as their waists.

"The rocks could not have fallen in by themselves, and the boat gotten
adrift at the same time," muttered Percival as they went on. "Both of
these things were done by some one who wished to annoy us. Watch and see
how some of the fellows look when we get back."

"Very well, I will, but I don't see why any on