ppose this
is? Have they all gone mad?"

"Mutiny!" said Marjorie. "Why should they mutiny?"

"Search me," said her father, disgustedly. "We seem to have brought
a fine pack of maniacs with us."

They could see Dinshaw exploring the beach, apparently oblivious of
what had happened, or careless of the quarrels which Jarrow and
Peth might have, so long as he was on his beloved island.

So the watchers in the schooner gave their attention to Doc, who
continued to drive the long boat ahead jerkily, working as though
he expected to be pursued from ashore and prevented from gaining
the _Nuestra_.

"What was that all about?" demanded Trask, as the steward,
breathing hard and to every appearance terror-stricken, brought the
long boat alongside the schooner.

"Lordy me!" he gasped, his eyes white and rolling. "They shore
messed up things this yer time!" He quit sculling and stood up in
the stern of the boat, allowing it to make the distance which
separated it from the schooner by its own momentum.

"But what did they say?" demanded Locke.

"It's Mr. Peth," said Doc, and turning, looked ashore. "He's got
the skipper up a tree. Ah tell yo' all that man Peth, he's a
danger! Yassir!" He made the boat fast, and scrambled up the ladder
and over the side.

"Now," said Trask, "tell us everything that you heard."

"Mr. Trask, fo' Gawd, if you'll slip me a gun, I'll go back en blow
dat man's haid off'n his neck! Mr. Peth he don't need to think he's
goin' do no foolin' round with me, no, suh! I'm jest as mean as
anybody when I'm stirred up, en I'm mad to mah marrer! If I'd had a
gun----"

"You're more of a sprinter than a shooter, if I'm any judge," said
Locke. "Never mind what you'll do. What did you hear?"

"Well, suh," said Doc, scratching his head, "I was a just sort of
circulatin' 'round when I filled that bucket. I wanted to see what
Mr. Peth was projectin' about wid the skipper, so I jest aidged up,
closer en closer, when the cap'n he call me to shuffle along.

"They was a-talkin', kind o' low lak'. Mr. Peth he was a-sayin' how
they all been fooled 'cause there ain't no gold on the island
nohow. How they done dug en dug, but nary any gold. And Mr. Peth he
'lowed he was there for gold, and not a-gitten' any, he was goin'
to be paid, en paid big, en all hands wanted a batch o' money. He
said nobody comin' back here nohow, en how Jarrow'll have to stay
there with 'em ontil they was paid.

"De old man he 'lowed he ain