Saw there wasn't any time to loaf."

"You saved my life," declared Frank. "The identity of the monster is
solved, but the mystery of the island is as deep as ever."

"Shust vot do I mean ven you said dot?" asked Hans.

"Why should the hunchback rig himself up in that horrible manner and try
to frighten persons away from the island?"

"There is a mystery," confessed Diamond.

"Certainly it is," nodded Merriwell. "Discovering the identity of the
monster has not seemed to clear things up much. It has added to my
curiosity."

"Berhaps id peen a healthy thing to stayed avay dot islands from,"
observed Hans, sagely.

"Whatever the secret of the island may be," said Frank, "those men are
ready to commit murder in order to guard it."

"They came near succeeding," said Hodge.

"It looks as if they have succeeded."

"Eh? How?"

"You remember the story of the Boston man who was landed on the island
and never seen afterward."

"The cock-eyed man told that story."

"Yes."

"Perhaps that was a part of his plan to scare us away from the
island--to keep us from going there."

"Perhaps so; but you remember he told us there was a grave on the island
and the headstone was marked, 'Sacred to the memory of Rawson Denning.'"

"Yes. More of his plan to scare us away."

"The grave is there."

"What?"

"Sure."

"You--you----"

"Found it. Bruce was with me. We came out into a dismal glade in the
heart of the black woods, and there was the grave and the headstone with
the words upon it."

"Jingoes!"

Hodge stared at Frank a few moments, and then asked:

"Do you really believe the Boston man was murdered and buried in that
grave?"

"Rawson was the name he gave, and the grave was found on the island
after his strange disappearance. It seems probable enough that he is
planted there."

"By Chorch!" exclaimed the Dutch boy, turning pale; "I don'd vant to
monkey aroundt dot island all alone by yourself."

"Do you have any idea what the mystery of the island can be, Merriwell?"
asked Hodge, eagerly.

"Of course I do not know any better than yourself, but I have a
suspicion."

"What do you think?"

"Yaw!" cried Hans; "vat do I think?"

"I believe some kind of unlawful business is carried on there, and for
that reason the criminals are using every means to frighten away anybody
who might prove troublesome or inquisitive."

"Then will it pay us to be troublesome and inquisitive?" said Diamond.

"That is the v