ck though and sure enough he was, and again I
scared him away, but I knew it couldn't last forever. He was getting
more determined and closer to me each time and Sam got there none too
soon I can tell you."

"How did you know what was happening, Sam?" demanded Grant. "I thought
you were on watch up by the flag."

"So Ah was. Ah could see jes' the same, couldn't Ah?"

"I guess you could," laughed Grant. "It's lucky you could too."

"Maybe a ship has passed while we were down here," remarked Fred.

"A fine chance," said John skeptically. "No ships ever pass here."

"This island reminds me of that old story about the farmer at the
circus," said Grant. "He looked at the giraffe for a long time and then
finally turned away in disgust. 'Oh, shucks,' he said, 'there ain't no
such animal.' That's the way I feel about this island. There isn't any
such place."

"It does seem so, doesn't it?" laughed Fred. "At any rate all the boats
seem to avoid it. We may never get a chance to use that signal."

On the summit of the hill near the spot where George's shirt did duty as
a flag the boys had prepared a great pile of driftwood. The moment a
ship was sighted this pyre was to be lighted to attract the attention of
those on board the boat.

"Dey's plenty ob people wot would lak to find dis island all right,"
said Sam confidently. "Ah knows piles ob sailors wot would gib dere eye
teeth to see dis yere island wid de sha'k rock on it."

"Well, we found it all right," exclaimed Grant, "and from the look of
things it is just as hard for us to get away from it as it is for most
people to find it."

"We've done better than most of them anyway," said Fred. "We've found
the island but we can't find the treasure. Most people can't even find
the island."

"It hasn't done us any good so far," said Grant. "Now that we're on this
wonderful island what are we going to do about it?"

"Solve the code," replied Fred promptly. "Once that is done the rest is
easy."

"The same old cry," exclaimed Grant. "That code is beginning to haunt my
dreams. I think of it all day and I dream of it all night."

"Perhaps you'll find the answer to it in a dream some time," suggested
John.

"If I only could," sighed Grant disconsolately. "Come on," he added,
"let's go back to the cave. Have you fixed your shoulder up all right,
Sam?"

"It am as good as ebber," replied Sam cheerily.

They made their way along the bank of the little stream that flowed d