about leaving me riches of
some sort. I took that circumstance for my key and tried to think what
a race as poor as the chief and his people would consider as riches.
The picture of that bird answered the question. Plumes are their only
form of wealth, hence plumes must be the treasure of which he spoke."

"Reasoned like a detective," approved Walter, scarcely less excited
than his chum.

"The rest was simple. The picture of the tree was to show where it was
hidden and the object at its base is intended as a shovel to tell that
I would have to dig for the treasure, but," and his face fell, "how are
we to find that identical tree?"

"There's only one palm on the island," Walter assured him.

"Then all we have to do is to go there and dig and we'll find the
treasure," Charley declared. "But we must wait for the captain, we
must all be present when it is unearthed."

The morning slipped away quickly, the boys amusing themselves by
exploring their little island, fishing from the bank, and loafing in
the shade of the solitary palm, at whose base was supposed to lie the
buried treasure.

Dinner time came and the meal was eaten without the captain, who had
not returned. As the afternoon wore away without any sign of the old
sailor, the boys began to feel a vague uneasiness which increased as
the sun set and night began to fall. Walter, who alone knew the real
object of the captain's trip, was greatly worried. Long after the
others had retired to the wigwam for the night, he sat alone straining
eye and ear for sight or sound that would herald the absent one's
return. As the night wore away, anxiety deepened into certainty with
the troubled lad. Something must have happened to the captain.
Impatiently the lad waited for daylight, determined to set off at the
first break of dawn in search of the missing one. Suddenly, the lad
started up from the reclining position weariness had caused him to
assume. Full and deep upon the still night air rang out the tolling of
the mysterious bell. To the anxious watcher, its tones no longer rang
full and sweet as upon the previous evening, but sounded slow and
threatening, as if freighted with an ominous meaning.

A step sounded behind him and the overwrought lad sprang to his feet,
every nerve a-tingle.

"Where are you, Walt?" called Charley's voice from out of the darkness.

"Here," answered Walter, with a sigh of relief.

"The captain not here yet?" asked his chum, fea