the man's
voice as he asked this question that acted very much as a danger-signal
to Leslie. It seemed to suggest that thus far the man had merely been
fencing with him, but that he was now trying to get within his guard;
that, in short, the object of the _Minerva's_ visit to the island was
nearing the surface. He therefore replied, with studied carelessness--

"No, indeed I do not. On the contrary, I know very little of it--not
nearly as much as I ought to know. I have been to the summit once, and
took a general survey of the island from that point, and I have wandered
for a short distance about the less densely bush-clad ground on this
side of the island; but that is about all. The fact is that I was much
too keen upon saving everything I possibly could out of the brig to
think of wasting my time in wandering about an island the greater part
of which is covered with almost impassable bush."

"Ah, yes; I s'pose you would be," rejoined Turnbull, with an expression
of relief that set Leslie wondering.

What on earth did it matter to Turnbull whether he--Dick Leslie--had
explored the island or not? he asked himself. Turnbull's next remark
let in a little light upon the obscurity, and distinctly startled
Leslie. For, staring steadfastly at the island, the burly man presently
observed--

"Yes; it's a fine big island, that, and no mistake. With a mountain on
it and all, too. I should say, now, that that island would be a very
likely place for _caves_, eh? Looks as though there might be any amount
of caves ashore there in the sides of that there hill, don't it?"

_Caves_! Like a flash of lightning the true explanation of the
_Minerva's_ visit stood clearly revealed to Leslie's mind. That one
word "caves," spoken as it was in tones of mingled excitement and
anxiety, ill-suppressed, had furnished him with the key to the entire
enigma. _Caves_! Yes, of course; that was it; that explained
everything--or very nearly everything--that had thus far been puzzling
Leslie, and gave him practically all the information that he had been so
anxious to acquire. He had read of such incidents in books, of course,
but had so far regarded them merely as pegs whereon to hang a more or
less ingeniously conceived and exciting romance; but here was a similar
incident occurring in actual prosaic earnest; and he suddenly found
himself confronted with a situation of exceeding difficulty. For the
mention by Turnbull of the word "cav