I'll look to you, Captain Jarrow,
to carry out the terms of our agreement."

"What ye drivin' at?" demanded Jarrow.

"This: Your pay by the day for schooner and crew is for a definite
purpose--to visit this island for exploration purposes, and to have
in our employ a certain number of men. If we have to go back to
Manila without accomplishing the business, or lie around waiting on
the crew, it'll be out of your pocket. It's up to you, captain."

"You say I don't git no money at all if we have to go back?"
Jarrow's colour heightened, and his eyes flashed angrily, but he
held a certain restraint over his voice.

"What I say and what I mean."

"There ain't no law that compels a master to guarantee against
mutiny," said Jarrow, and began to chew a biscuit reflectively.

"Mutiny!"

"My mates have jumped ship with the crew. That's mutiny."

"You expect them to make trouble for us?"

"I look for anything with that gang," said Jarrow. "Peth he's a bad
one when he gits started. So are all them chaps with him. But as I
see it, they'll be back here in no time. If they don't find gold
we'll have 'em back on our hands. So there ain't no great hurt
done."

"But if they do find gold?" suggested Locke.

"They might walk on gold and not know it," said Trask. "If they are
looking for a fortune in fifteen minutes, I doubt if they'll find
it, and they'll like the looks of this schooner pretty well."

"My idea exactly," said Jarrow, with a grin. "We might as well take
this as a joke. If they ain't back by the time we have breakfast,
I'll take a run over to shore in the long boat and see 'bout
huntin' 'em up. You folks go aft, and let me handle it. I'll see it
smoothed over. We don't want to start back for Manila short-handed
if we can help it. What's the odds, if they are a passel o' fools?"

"Perhaps you're right," said Locke. "It wouldn't look very well for
us if we went back to Manila and left them here."

"I'll tell you what you do, captain," said Trask. "Take a run
ashore, as you said, and bring me back a bucket of that sand."

"I thought yould like to go over with me," said Jarrow.

"No, I'll stick by the schooner until this hitch with the crew is
straightened out."

"Maybe Mr. Locke'll want to go?"

"Not for me," said Locke. "Marjorie'll want to go when I do, and I
don't want to have anything said about what's turned up. You take
Dinshaw."

"I'll need two men to row," objected Jarrow. "I might take the old
f