's lantern and several other things. The party was made up of Sid
Merrick, Tad Sobber, Cuffer and Shelley.

"It's mighty rough walking here," they heard Tad Sobber complain.
"I've got a thorn right through my shoe. Wait till I pull it out, will
you?" And he came to a halt not over ten yards from where the Rover
boys were hidden.

"You didn't have to come, Tad," said his uncle, somewhat harshly. "I
told you to suit yourself."

"Oh, I want to see that treasure cave as well as you do," answered
Sobber.

"I'd like to know if this is the right trail or not," came from
Shelley. "You ought to have brought that Spaniard along, to make
sure."

"Doranez is no good!" growled Sid Merrick who was by no means in the
best of humor. "He likes his bottle too well. If he would only keep
sober it would be different."

"Why don't you take his liquor from him?" asked Cuffer. "I'd do it
quick enough if I was running this thing."

"He says he won't tell us a thing more if we cut off his grog. He is
getting mighty ugly."

"Maybe he wants to sell out to those Rovers," suggested Shelley.

"He wouldn't dare to do that--I know too much about him," answered
Sid Merrick. "No, it's because he wants too big a share of the
treasure."

"Do you suppose the fellows on the steam yacht have landed here yet?"
asked Tad, as he prepared to go on.

"I don't know. They are laying to outside of the reef. I reckon they
don't know anything of the landing on the other side of the island,"
answered his uncle. "Come on, we haven't any time to waste if we want
to head them off. I didn't dream they'd get here so quickly."

"I guess that fellow Wingate was no good," came from Cuffer. "He
didn't delay the steam yacht in the least."

"Maybe he got caught at his funny work," suggested Shelley, hitting
the nail directly on the head, as the reader already knows.

Casting the light of the acetylene gas lamp ahead of them, the party
from the _Josephine_ moved on, directly past the spot where the Rovers
were in hiding. The boys hardly dared to breathe for fear of
discovery. They stood stock still until the others were all but out of
sight.

"This is interesting," murmured Tom. "They must have landed on the
other side of the island."

"Yes, and Merrick hired that Walt Wingate to play us foul!" cried Sam.
"What shall we do next, Dick?" he continued anxiously. "They act as if
they expect to get that treasure to night!"

"I don't know what to do exactly," ans