speak to Jack. Each
day was filled with work, or rehearsals, and some of the films had to be
taken several times, due to the uncertain footing on the deck of the
ship, which produced awkward motions on the part of the actors.

It was on a warm afternoon, with a hint of a storm in the atmosphere,
when Mr. Pertell said:

"Well, I guess that will do for a while. This will pretty nearly bring
us up to the shipwreck scene. We shall have to make a landing on one of
the islands here, to get the proper background."

They were then well down among the West Indies.

"Where do we land?" asked Alice, who was on deck with her sister,
standing near Jack Jepson, who was acting as lookout, with a telescope
in his hand.

"Well, I'm not particular," Mr. Pertell said. "Perhaps Jack can suggest
a good place."

"Well, I know something about the locality here," the old sailor
answered, and he looked at Alice with a friendly wink. "I shouldn't want
to go ashore at the place where I escaped from after that mutiny," he
went on. "They might not want to let me go again."

"No, that's so," agreed Mr. Pertell. "It might not be just the thing,
though you could prove your innocence."

"No, I can't! That's the trouble!" cried Jack, who had told his story to
the manager. "I don't want to be caught, and put in jail. I'm going to
keep away from that island where I was locked up."

"Which one was it?" asked Ruth.

"I don't know the name," Jack said, "but I can tell it the minute I set
eyes on it. I don't want to go there. I had enough----"

Jack paused suddenly. The glass went to his eye, and he called out:

"Sail ho!"

"Where away?" demanded the helmsman.

"Two points off on the lee bow. She's a small steamer, and she--she's
flying the British flag!" added the old man.

A strange look of fear came over his face.

CHAPTER XVI

THE ACCUSATION

"What's this?" demanded Captain Brisco, coming on deck just then.
"What's up?"

"Sail ho!" repeated Jack Jepson. "Over there, Captain!" and he pointed,
and extended the telescope. Alice noticed that the hand of the old salt
trembled, though usually he was as steady as the proverbial surgeon.

"Hum! Yes. One of the English revenue ships," remarked Captain Brisco.
"It's the first one we've met down here."

"It is a British vessel, isn't it?" asked Jack Jepson, and there was a
queer strain in his voice.

"Yes," replied his superior. "What of it?"

"Oh, nothin' sir! Nothin'."

But