bottom was written:

"In some other place will be found the account of our miraculous return
from this strange and mysterious island of many barbarians and much
gold."

As Curlie finished, he glanced up with a sigh.

The girl was staring at him so intently that he could not but think she
was attempting to read his thoughts.

"Isn't it wonderful?" she breathed at last.

"Yes," said Curlie quickly, "you expressed it even better before. It's
great!"

He looked away. His head was in a whirl It was the long-lost map; he was
sure of that now. He remembered the figures he had copied from that
other reproduction. They were blurred and unreadable on this one. Should
he tell her?

His lips opened but no sound came out. No, he would not tell her, not at
this time. There might be some other way.

"Your brother and his chum," he said evenly, "have gone in search of
that island of gold."

She stared at him in silence.

"If they haven't gone already, they may be gone before we reach the
coast," he continued. "They will probably go in Alfred Brightwood's
seaplane."

"Yes, yes," she broke her spell of silence. "That is the way they would
go. It's--it's a wonderful plane! You--you don't think anything could
happen to them, do you?"

"Supposing they do not find the island?"

"But they will."

"It is to be hoped that they will find an island--some island."

"It's a wonderful plane. It would cross the Atlantic!" She clasped and
unclasped her hands.

"But supposing," he rose from his chair in his excitement, "supposing
they don't find the island exactly where they expect to find it?
Supposing, in their eagerness to find that gold, they circle and circle
and circle in search of the island until there is no longer any gas in
the tank to bring them home."

"Oh, you don't think that!" She sprang to her feet and, gripping his
arm to steady herself, looked up into his eyes. There was a
heartbreaking appeal in those blue eyes of hers.

"I think," said Curlie steadily, "that my pal, Joe Marion, and I, if we
find them gone when we get there, will take your father's speedy yacht
and go for a little pleasure trip in the general direction they have
taken. Then if they chance to get into trouble, we can give them a lift.
Besides," there came a twinkle in his eye, which was wholly lost on the
girl, "they might need the yacht to carry home the gold."

"Oh, will you?" she exclaimed, gripping his arm until it hurt. "That
will be gr