d John. "Just as I told you a few
minutes ago, Pop, you've certainly got something missing in that head of
yours."

"I thought maybe he'd gone around to the hardware store and bought it,"
drawled George soberly with a wink at Grant. He loved to stir up his
companions, and none of them more so than his tall friend, John, who
almost invariably rose to any bait he might happen to offer.

"What have you got there, Sam?" called Fred when the negro was within
earshot.

Sam merely grinned and waved the object he held in his hand to the boys.

"As I said before it certainly looks like a knife," murmured George.

"What is that, Sam?" asked Fred again when Sam had come up to the spot
where the four boys were standing.

"Ah's makin' a knife," said Sam proudly.

"Where did you get the steel?"

"Dat ain't steel," grinned Sam. "Dat am one o' dem iron hoops off o' dat
dere bar'el o' water. Ah is gwine sharpen her up and den we'll hab a
sho' nuff knife."

"I'm afraid it'll never cut much," laughed John. "No knife with a blade
made of iron is apt to be much good. It'll be all right to dig holes in
the ground with, though."

"Wait 'til she's sharpened," warned Sam.

"How are you going to sharpen it?" asked Grant curiously.

"On a big black rock Ah done discovah roun' dat dere point."

"The rock that looks like a shark," exclaimed George. "That ought to be
a good one, for it certainly seemed hard enough."

"Dat rock look lak a shark, yo' say?" remarked Sam suddenly.

"Yes," said George. "Didn't you think so?"

"Now dat Ah comes to think on it, it sho' did," said Sam. "Ah wondahs if
dis yere can be de island."

"What do you mean?" demanded Fred eagerly. "What island?"

"Well," said Sam, "evah sence Ah done commence to foller de sea Ah has
heard tales of some island where dey is treasah buried. Dat island was
said to hab a big rock on it what done look lak a shark. Mebbe this am
de one."

"Where was this island?" asked George eagerly.

"No one ebber knew," said Sam. "All Ah knows is dat on dis island dey
said dere was all so'ts ob treasah. Yo' could tell de pahtikelah island
by its habbin' a big rock on it what done look lak a shark. Dat's all Ah
knows."

"Did you ever meet any one who had seen the island?" inquired Grant.

"Nebber," replied Sam. "Some say dat de island done disappeah or dat de
ocean had swallowed 'er up. Dese was all stories Ah heard."

"Well!" exclaimed Fred, his eyes shining with excitement.