ankle widout half tryin', sah."

"I will be careful, Ben. So this is the wreck?"

"Yes, sah."

"I presume all that was movable in the ship has been carried off?"

"Long ago, sah."

"But the inside of the ship itself was not torn out?"

"No, sah. De folks around yeah is too afraid ob ghosteses fo' dat."

"Ah, yes! so I heard--at least, I would suppose so," replied the doctor,
in some confusion. "By the way, you need not remain here. I will visit
the wreck alone. You can come back in an hour or so."

"Wery well, massah."

"But don't forget to come back. I don't want to be left here all night."

"Don't worry, sah; I'll be back fo' dat dollah, sah," and Ben grinned.

"Oh, yes! I forgot about the dollar. Well, you shall have it when you
take me back to shore."

The doctor walked slowly toward the wreck, glancing back several times
to see if Old Ben was following him.

The colored man rowed away in a thoughtful mood.

"Somet'ing is on dat man's mind, suah!" he muttered to himself. "He's
gwine ter do somet'ing."

With difficulty the surgeon climbed up to the deck of the wreck. A
desolate spectacle presented itself. Everything was charred by the fire.

"Truly a nice place to come to," said the man to himself. "Now,
supposing this thing turns out a wild-goose chase, after all? Let me
see, the stateroom was No. 15. I wonder if I can still locate it?"

With caution he descended the companion way and entered the main cabin
of the stranded vessel. Here he drew from his pocket a candle and lit
it.

He walked slowly toward the side of the cabin until he reached a
stateroom bearing the number 7 upon the door.

"Seven," he murmured. "And the second from this is eleven. That shows
the numbers on this side are all odd. The next must be thirteen, and the
next fifteen."

He held the candle to the door, but the number plate was gone. Without
hesitation he pushed upon the door, which was already partly open. It
fell back, exposing the interior of the stateroom, now bare of all
things movable, and covered with dust and cobwebs.

"A dirty job this," he murmured, and set the candle down upon a beam
running along the side of a wall. He gazed around the stateroom
curiously, as if hardly knowing what to do next.

"The little closet was set in the wall at the foot of the bed. Now which
was the foot of the bed? I'll try both ends." He did so, tapping on the
woodwork with his knuckles. Presently he found a hole where there