suppose we want to get in on that side ourselves?"

"They could not make us any trouble. We don't want to get in there at this
time, although it is a better hiding place than this."

"Then you're going to let them stay there?"

"Certainly. They can't do us any harm. After we get away with our cargo we
don't care what happens to them."

The men went away or stopped talking, at any rate, and Jack did not hear
any further conversation between them.

"They will probably let us out as soon as they are ready to go," he said
to Percival, "but we don't want to stay here till they get ready to let us
out, and then there is just a chance that they may forget us altogether.
It was just as well that we sent Jesse W. off on his errand."

"I think so myself, and I don't doubt that he will carry it out."

"If Rollins knows the way out through the reefs," said Jack presently, "we
might either force or persuade him to pilot us out. If we should capture
him we might force him to do it. Otherwise, I might persuade him to do it
on consideration of allowing him to escape after we were perfectly safe
outside. Very few know of the way out, and it is not likely that the
vessel which they are sending to our relief will have any good pilot for
these waters on board."

"You don't know positively that this man knows the passage!"

"No, I do not, but he does know some one who does, to judge by his talk,
and if he cannot be bargained with perhaps the other man can. I am averse
to having anything to do with the man, as you can readily understand, but
I do not want to see the whole Hilltop Academy kept prisoners here for an
indefinite time."

When it began to grow dark one of the men who had brought them to the
place came in with some food and a bottle of wine, and said, as he put it
on a chest:

"There's something for you to eat. Other boy asleep, h'm? Well, there is
all the more for you then."

Then the man went away, never noticing the little bit of deception which
the boys had practised, locking the door after him.

"The things to eat are all right," said Jack, after the man had gone, "but
we would better not touch the wine. I never do, anyhow. This is likely to
be drugged to make us sleep, so that we will give no trouble."

"I don't want it anyhow," said Dick.

The boys ate a supper, and then, as it grew dark, sat and waited for some
sign of their friends, and at last when it was quite dark hearing a
peculiar whistle somewhere ou