for he believed that the cupidity of the young man had
already been excited, and a most unfortunate complication threatened.

"You will excuse the excitement of my friend," said he to Sanders,
"though mine is nearly as great; but he had almost settled into the
belief that we were doomed to perish in this desolate spot, and the
reaction caused by your joyous tidings is too much for him."

"Oh, that's all right!" was the cheery response. "I understand how
that is. But, begging pardon, I believe you have another companion?"

Fred looked so earnestly at the figure of Inez Hawthorne, standing a
short distance off, that his meaning could not be mistaken.

"It is I who should beg your pardon," said Storms, in turn, beckoning
to Inez to approach; "but we were so much interested in you that we
forgot her for the time."

While the girl was approaching the group, Captain Bergen turned about,
and without a word, walked slowly away in the direction of the cabin,
his manner showing still more clearly than ever that his mind was
unbalanced--a fact which caused Storms great discomfort. Aside from
his love for the good, honest man, he saw that he had already
imperiled, and was likely still further to imperil, their great
possessions by his rambling, and yet significant, talk.

The pearls still lay some distance away, buried in the sand in their
canvas bags, and must be procured before leaving the island.

Since the captain had already awakened suspicion respecting the truth,
the difficulty of getting the prizes away without detection was
immeasurably increased, while the likelihood of his making still
further disclosures remained.

Storms was fearful that this sudden movement on the part of Bergen
meant something of the kind, but the situation was such that he could
not interfere, and all he could do during the few minutes remaining of
the trying interview, was to keep a furtive watch, so far as possible,
upon the movements of the captain.

"Mr. Sanders," said the mate, "this is Inez Hawthorne--a little girl
who became a companion of ours through no fault of hers or of either
of us. She has been here during the three years we have spent on the
island, and though she has stood it so much better than we, she is
fully as anxious to get away. Inez, this is Mr. Fred Sanders, who has
come to take us off."

The handsome young fellow doffed his hat and bowed with a certain
grace and deferential regard in his manner, which led Storms