e little white skull.

"Somebody is coming this way! Let's hide," and Dolly and Jack quickly
whisked themselves behind a clump of trees.

Guy Holmes and Maisie Norris came along and they spied the white skull
which Jack had left placed rather more conspicuously than he had found
it.

"Oh, look at that!" cried Guy, and Maisie exclaimed, "This is the right
place, of course! We've struck it at last! That pirate flag was just to
fool us. Hooray! let's dig!"

Dolly and Jack could scarcely keep from laughing aloud as they saw the
newcomers digging desperately in the very spot they had dug themselves.

At last Jack beckoned to Dolly and they softly glided away without
letting the others know of their presence.

"Now we want to find where it really is," whispered Jack as soon as they
were out of hearing of the others. "I say, this is a great game! and
we've learned something from those people. The spot marked with a pirate
flag is not the right one! When we find that, there is no use of
digging."

The pair went on, prospecting for a likely place to dig. There were so
many trees and shrubs, that often there would be no view of any of the
other seekers. And then again they would come across groups of two or
three, or perhaps one alone digging desperately or looking disappointed
at a failure.

Gay greetings were exchanged or words of sympathy and commiseration and
each went on his chosen way.

"Do you know," said Jack at last, "I shouldn't be surprised if the real
place isn't marked at all. Hullo, what's this?" Right at his feet lay a
toy bowie-knife. Though made of pasteboard, it was a ferocious-looking
affair and the spot where it was had not been disturbed.

"I don't believe that's the right place," said Jack, who had grown
suspicious of misleading clues. "Anyway, Dolly, let's leave that, and
come back to it if we don't find anything more hopeful."

So they wandered on and next they came to the pirate flag. This black
and white emblem was planted above a much dug up space and they laughed
as they concluded that several trials had been made there.

Soon they came upon Dotty and Josie Holmes who were hastily digging at a
spot which had been marked by two stakes. They had pulled up the stakes,
but as yet had not found any treasure.

"Bet it isn't there," said Jack, looking closely at the two stakes.

"Why?" demanded Dotty.

"Dunno. Somehow it doesn't seem 'sif it is. Come on, Dolly, let's try
again."

"Go on,"