ted.

"I believe we made no mistake when we consented to the captain's
plan," said Mr. Henderson.

"If it will only last," added his wife.

That day a letter came from Captain Spark saying he would be
detained a few days longer and would not reach Moreville until
Wednesday.

"The ship will sail the following Saturday," he stated in his note.
"I could sail Friday, but I don't want to take any chances. Some of
my sailors are superstitious, and I want them all to be in good
humor. I trust Bob has not changed his mind about going."

"No indeed," said the boy, when the letter was shown to him.

That afternoon as Bob was coming back from the store, he met, on the
main street of the village, an old man who lived on the outskirts of
the town. His name was Captain Obediah Hickson and he had once been
a sailor, though he told so many different versions of his life at
sea, that it was hard to say where truth began and fiction left off.
Still he might not have meant to deceive any one, for he was rather
simple-minded.

"What's this I hear about you going to take a long sea voyage?" he
asked of Bob.

"It's true, Captain Obed," which was what every one called the aged
man. "I'm going around Cape Horn with Captain Spark. We start
soon."

"Around Cape Horn, eh? Then you'll strike the Southern Pacific."

"I expect so."

A curious change seemed to come over the old man. He looked
carefully up and down the street to see that no one was in sight,
and then, approaching quite closely to Bob, he whispered:

"Bob, come to my house to-night."

"What for?"

"Hush! Not so loud. I've a great secret to disclose."

"What about?" asked Bob with a smile, thinking to humor the old
captain.

"About buried treasure. It's on a lonely island in the Southern
Pacific Ocean. I'm the only living man who knows where it is. If I
wasn't so old I'd go along and help find it. But I'm too old. It
needs some one young and strong. You'll dig it up for me, won't
you?"

"If I could find it," replied Bob, believing the aged man was
speaking of some delusion.

"Oh, you can find it. I have the secret map. I'll give it to you.
Come to my house to-night, but after dark--after dark, mind." And,
once more looking around to see that no one had observed him,
Captain Obed shuffled on down the street. Bob did not know what to
think.

CHAPTER IX

BOB'S LAST LAND JOKE

Returning home, Bob said nothing to his mother about what