her nodded and passed a slip of paper to the officer.

"Yokohama exchange," Ned heard him say.

"It must be that the native is paying for the guns," Ned said, and Ben,
looking half frightened, half angry, nodded his head.

The Lieutenant now turned to the unloading of the _Martha_, which was
now at the north Tusk. The hatches were soon lifted and the unloading of
the cargo began. It consisted principally of boxes and barrels.

"Ammunition," Ned whispered.

Again the sailor nodded.

"Nice old government officer he is!" Frank said, in a half whisper.

"He doesn't act like himself," Ben said, "not since he came out of the
cabin after being ill for a day and a night. And the boxes coming out of
the hold now do not look like the boxes that were put in it on the China
coast. I don't know what to make of it all."

During all this talk Ned had been listening intently for the shriek of a
rocket, casting his eyes up the mountain side in the hope of seeing the
green light of a signal reflected there. But no reports of rockets in
the sky had come to his ears, and there were no signal lights reflected
on the mountain.

The moon was well up in the heavens when the unloading of the _Martha_
was completed. Then the Lieutenant called the dignified native to his
side again, and once more the toll of the boxes was taken and a slip
passed over to the officer. This done, the men went back into the hold
again and began unloading small boxes, evidently containing tinned
provisions.

"There," whispered Ben, "those are the goods Lieutenant Carstens took on
board at the Chinese port."

"Then where were the guns and the ammunition taken on?" asked Ned.

"That is what gets me," was the reply.

"Tinned goods were also put into the _Clara_?" Ned asked.

"Yes; and they are going to take them out."

"Thought they'd get the guns out first," said Ned. "Don't you see," he
added, "that this man Carstens is a traitor! Can't you see that he is
turning guns, undoubtedly stolen from the government, over to the rebel
chiefs, and getting his pay for them?"

"It looks that way," was the slow reply, "but what am I to do about it?"

"Talk with some of the men," urged Ned. "If those arms are taken away
from this island by the natives they will be used to murder soldiers and
sailors."

"I know it," said the sailor, "but what can I do?"

"Go and talk to the officer he just ordered under arrest."

"And have him report the conversation in order