nyway. You won't join?" again asked Gerald.

"Can't."

"I will, if he doesn't ask too much. What's the price, sailor? We'll
take them if it isn't too high," said Melvin.

The man named a sum that was greater than the combined capital of
Gerald and Melvin. Then, although he wasn't a purchaser himself, Jim
tried his usual "dickering" and succeeded in lowering the price of the
simians, "clever enough to talk English," to ten dollars for the pair.

"All right! Here's my fiver!" cried Gerald, reluctantly pulling out a
last, dilapidated bill from a very flat pocket-book.

"And mine," added Melvin, tendering his own part.

"Now, we must go, right away!" declared Jim, hastily rising.

He thought the sailor who had promptly pocketed the ten dollars of his
friends was suspiciously kind, insisting upon carrying the cage of
monkeys down to the "Stem," and himself placing it securely in the
bottom of the boat. The little animals kept up a chattering and showed
their teeth, after a manner that might be as clever as their late
owner claimed but certainly showed anger.

Indeed, they tore about their cage in such a fury of speed that it
nearly fell overboard and in the haste of embarking everyone forgot
the original object of this trip, till Jim exclaimed:

"Went a-fishin' and caught monkeys! Won't they laugh at us?"

An hour later they brought up alongside the wharf which they had begun
to think was their own, so familiar and homelike it had become. But
there was nothing familiar about it now. The water lapped gently
against the deserted pier and a forgotten painter dangled limply from
the post at its end.

"Gone!" cried one and another of the lads, looking with frightened
eyes over the scene.

"Gone! Somebody's stole--my--ship!" groaned Cap'n Jack, for once in
actual terror. For that the Water Lily could "navigate" without his
aid under any circumstances was a thing beyond belief.

CHAPTER X.

A MERE ANNE ARUNDEL GUST.

Then they found Dorothy's note.

"Dear boys and Captain:

"We've gone on to Ottawotta Run. Farmer Stillwell's tug,
that he owns half of, is towing us to the Branch. There some
more men will be hired to pole us to Deer-Copse. Aunt Betty
says you're to hire a wagon, or horses, or somebody to bring
you and the Stem after us. She will pay for it, or I will,
that's just the same. And, oh! I can't wait to tell you!
There's a _buried treasure_ up there that