e morning and we'll stand by you and keep these black
rascals in order. But I wanted to ask you, Captain Jorgsen, how did you
come to be so far out of your course?"

"I was right on my course," the skipper growled. "That's what makes me
so sore. But when I passed Cross Keys light, I thought I must have
figured wrong. I never stopped to think why the light was nearly a
quarter of a degree from where she should have been by my reckoning, and
I changed my course by that."

"Well?"

"One of my men heard those chicken-livered black-hided cowards laughing
to themselves about the way they fooled vessels with their 'patent
light.'"

[Illustration: THE SIGNAL OF DISTRESS THAT WAS NEVER SEEN.

The missing lifeboat from the burned steamer, Columbian, abandoned. Note
the coat at the masthead.

Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard.]

"You mean that the wreckers have put up a false light to lead vessels on
to the reefs?"

"It's that decoy light that brought me here," said the skipper, "and if
you hadn't come when you did, I reckon every one of us would have had
our throats cut and the vessel would have been skinned by this time."

CHAPTER XII

THE GRAVEYARD OF THE DEEP

Following on the information given by the captain of the Norwegian
steamer, which had so nearly been looted by wreckers, the _Miami_
started on a search for the decoy light that had led that steamer to her
fate. The captain was an able navigator, and, until the moment he had
seen the false light and been led astray by it, he had been absolutely
upon his right course. Under such circumstances it was not difficult to
find the latitude and longitude where the captain reported having first
seen the light. He had also given the bearing in the log, so the _Miami_
crept slowly forward in the direction indicated, heaving the lead
constantly for treacherous shoals.

From where the captain of the steamer had cited his position there was
not a single sign of a lighthouse or a light. But, as the _Miami_ crept
on, far out of the regular ship's channel, as suddenly as though it had
been just placed there, rose a spar, held in place with three wire
stays. On the top was a little round platform, not more than a foot
across, and spikes had been driven into the mast to act as a ladder by
which to climb it. The _Miami_ was almost on the tiny outcrop of rock
before the mast was visible. It was painted a watery blue, which merged
in with the color of both sea and sky,