u know just as well as I do; but those words were whispered for our
ears to hear. We heard them."

"I do not believe in ghosts any more than you do, Merriwell, but I will
admit that there was a mighty queer feeling came over me as we stood
there near that grave."

"I felt it," confessed Frank. "Had I believed in ghosts, I should have
been badly frightened."

"Well, let's look this building over. We may find something in here."

So they began to explore the old boarding house. It was a large
building, and they climbed the stairs to the second story, where none of
the windows were boarded up. Up there were the rooms where the laborers
had slept. They looked through them all, but found nothing of interest.
At last they stopped by a window and looked out upon the water.

"By Jove!" exclaimed Merriwell. "Look down there!"

"What is it?"

"A boat."

"Where?"

"Beyond the land at the other side of the cove. It's laying close in to
shore. See the mast?"

"Yes, I see it now. Why, it almost seems aground! Wonder what it's there
for?"

"Whoever was in the boat has come ashore on the island."

"Then why didn't he run into the cove down here?"

"Because the boat would be seen in the cove, and where it lays it is not
liable to be seen from the island."

"Why should anybody wish to come onto the island here and not be seen?"

"I don't know, but I'll wager something that that is the lap-streak
sailboat belonging to our friend, the cock-eyed man. If I am right, he
is somewhere on this island."

"He warned us not to come here."

"Yes. He told us what happened to the Boston man who came here. It was
plain to me that he wanted us to keep away. He ran down ahead of us, and
he is on the island. Why should he care to frighten us away? Why should
he hurry to get here ahead of us? I tell you, old man, this is a mystery
worth solving."

Bruce grunted. He felt that Merriwell was right, but he realized it
might not be an easy thing to solve the mystery of the island.

The big Yale man stood looking out of the window and watching the boat,
while Frank continued his investigations. Merriwell wandered from room
to room, and at last descended the stairs again.

"If he gets an idea that there is really a wonderful mystery here,"
muttered Bruce, "he will stay till he has solved it if he spends the
remainder of the summer in this vicinity. Never saw a fellow who took
such an interest in anything mysterious."

The wind was risi