's what he is going to do," went on Mrs. Martin. "His doctor
says he is much better, and can walk with hardly a limp now, and the
trip here will do him good. So to-morrow Grandpa Martin is going to
bring him to Star Island."

"Oh, goody!" cried Ted and Jan, jumping up and down and clapping their
hands. Trouble did the same thing, though he did not know exactly what
for.

"We'll have fun with Hal!" cried Ted. "Maybe he'll help us find the
tramp-man. Hal's smart--he can make kites and lots of things."

The next day Hal Chester came to visit the camp on Star Island.

"Say, this is a dandy place!" he exclaimed as he looked about at the
tents and at the boat floating in the little cove. "I'll just love it
here!"

"It's awful nice," agreed Jan.

"And there's a mystery here, too," added Ted.

"What do you mean?" Hal demanded. "What's a mystery?"

"Oh, it's something queer," went on Ted. "Something you can't tell what
it is. This mystery is a tramp."

"A tramp?"

"Yes. Jan saw him when she was picking flowers, and he pulled Trouble
out of the spring afterward. And there's a cave here where maybe he
sleeps, 'cause there's some bags for beds in it. He's looking for
something on this island, that tramp-man is," declared Ted.

"Looking for something?" repeated Hal, quite puzzled.

"Yes. He goes all around, and we saw him picking up some stones. Didn't
we, Jan?"

"Yes, we did."

"Picking up stones," repeated Hal slowly. Then he sprang up from where
he was sitting under a tree with the Curlytop children.

"I know what he's looking for!" Hal cried.

"What?"

"Gold!" and Hal's voice changed to a whisper. "That tramp knows there's
gold on this island, and he's trying to dig it up so you won't know it.
He's after gold--that's what he is!"

"Oh!" gasped Jan, her eyes shining brightly.

"Oh!" exclaimed Ted. "Can't we stop him? This is grandpa's island. He
mustn't take grandpa's gold."

"There's only one way to stop him," said Hal quickly.

"How?" demanded Ted and Janet in the same breath.

"We'll have to dig for the gold ourselves! Come on, let's get some
shovels and we'll start right away. It must be up near the cave. Come
on! We'll dig for the gold ourselves!"

CHAPTER XV

THE BIG HOLE

Hal Chester was very much in earnest. His eyes shone and he could not
keep still. He fairly danced around Janet and Ted.

"Do you really think that tramp-man was looking for gold?" asked Ted.

"'Deed I do," dec