a gang of them working between our border, Cuba and the South American
ports. Whistling cyclones! they might be working among some of these
little islands. A man who would defraud his government is no better than a
pirate and pirates used to hang around these waters a lot. It isn't such
an unlikely thing that these new pirates should do it now."

The next day quite unexpectedly the captain got a call and at once sent
for the doctor and said:

"I've had word at last. From our owners. From Mr. Smith himself. He has
just heard from us, and is going to send out a vessel to get us away from
here. It seems that one of our smaller vessels, a steamer, has been
captured by some smugglers working around Cuba, Porto Rico and the
neighborhood, who are using it in their trade. Some of the men got away,
and took the news to Havana. The name of the vessel is a good deal like
our own, and Smith thought that we had been taken at first, and began a
lot of investigating. Then he got our messages, which had been held up by
some one else, thinking they were fakes, or some boys' play. These young
wireless operators make a lot of trouble now and then."

"Well, as long as we know that help is being sent to us we can feel
relieved," said the doctor. "That is something, at any rate, but----"

"But you don't think that it will do any good, Doctor?"

"Well, if you cannot get out how is any one else going to get in?" the
doctor asked, as if merely seeking for information, and not being
especially interested in the matter.

"There's something in that, sir," replied Captain Storms musingly, "but
we'll see how it turns out when they get here. At any rate we are not
forgotten altogether, and that is something."

The boys were told about the message, and were greatly interested, Jesse
W. saying to Jack:

"Now I'll have a chance to speak to father about you, Jack, and to tell
him what you have done for me. He has always been interested in you, and
now he will be all the more so."

"Never mind doing too much for me, J.W., or you will spoil me altogether,"
laughed Jack, who, nevertheless, felt grateful to the younger boy for his
interest. "We Hilltop boys should help each other, and so I don't deserve
any extra credit for simply doing what is expected of me. It is only the
big brother idea which is gaining ground every day, and is a good thing
both for the little brothers and the big ones."

That night as Jack Sheldon lay asleep in his berth in t