much as possible.

Bob saw a big turtle crawling down the beach toward the water, and,
knowing the flesh was good for food, he ran forward to catch it.
He was too late, however, and when he turned, with a feeling of
disappointment, to catch up with Mr. Tarbill, who had continued on,
Bob was surprised to hear the man utter an exclamation. He had
come to a halt near a pile of rocks and was looking over the tops.

"What's the matter?" asked the boy.

"There are two men down there on the beach! Perhaps they are
cannibals! We had better go back!"

"Let me take a look," proposed Bob.

Cautiously he went forward, gave one glance at the figures to which
Mr. Tarbill pointed, and then he uttered a cry.

"Hurrah!" he shouted. "They are Captain Spark and Tim Flynn, one
of the sailors! They've managed to get to shore! Ahoy, captain!
Ahoy! Here we are!" and he ran down the beach toward them.

CHAPTER XX

MAKING THE BEST OF IT

Captain Spark and the sailor turned at the sound of Bob's voice.
The captain gave a joyful cry and started forward. But Tim Flynn,
the sailor, with a yell of fear, ran off down the beach in a
different direction.

"Here! Come back!" cried the captain, pausing. "What's the matter
with you, Tim?"

"Sure I don't want to meet no ghost!" exclaimed the man.

"Ghost? What do you mean?"

"Him," replied Tim, pointing a shaking finger at Bob. "Didn't we
see him drown, an' now ain't he here ahead of us to haunt us? Let
me go, cap'n."

He was about to run off again, but Bob, who began to understand the
superstitious rears of the man, called out:

"It's me, Tim! I'm alive, all right!"

The sailor paused, turned, and, after a long and rather doubting
look at the boy, came slowly bade.

"Well, maybe it's all right," he said, "but it's mighty queer.
How'd ye git here?"

"Swam until I struck land. But how did you get here, captain?" and
Bob clasped his relative warmly by the hand.

"Our boat must have been close to the island when it capsized,"
replied the former commander of the _Eagle_. "A big wave did the
business for us, and then it was every man for himself. Poor
Tarbill, he's lost, and so is Pete Bascom. We'll never see either
of 'em again. And I'm afraid the rest of the crew are gone, too.
No boat could live long in that sea."

"Mr. Tarbill is alive," said Bob.

"How do you know?"

"He's right behind those rocks. He didn't come on because he
feared you were cannib