During this evening Gil and Nelse could do no more than speculate as to whether it would be possible to find a conformation of the coast similar to the one shown by the rude chart, and since this question was to be settled definitely in such a comparatively short space of time neither Captain Mansfield nor Mr. Jenkins would so much as take part in the conversation.

Even the exciting thoughts of discovering pirates’ treasure were not sufficient to prevent them from feeling sleepy after a while, more especially when all save the watch had turned in, and at midnight they crept into the little stateroom.

Both the boys lay down with the determination to be on deck at the first sign of dawn, and yet the sun was half an hour high before either opened his eyes.

Nelse was the first to awaken, and he cried, in a tone of deepest anxiety, as if believing the delay might in some manner result to their injury:

“Get up, Gil! If this is the way we set about hunting for gold there won’t be a very good chance of finding any. We should have been on deck two hours ago.”

This summons was sufficient to bring Gil to his feet instantly, and, after a hurried toilet, the two were leaning over the rail aft, with the well-worn and enigmatical piece of brown paper spread out where it could be studied at their leisure.

When they first gained the deck Andy was coming from the galley to the cabin with the morning meal; but both the would-be treasure seekers were in such a high state of excitement that they actually forgot their curiosity of the previous night, and did not even think to ask what steps he had taken to insure his safety against the dreaded voudoos.

“If that was intended as a chart of the Tortuga de Mar the schooner is in the best possible place for you to go ahead with the work,” Mr. Jenkins said, as he approached the boys. “There’s the point of land, with a rock or bit of coral to the nor’ard of it, an’ dead as the bowsprit shows is the cove with what I take to be soundings; but have you fellows figured out the meaning of the other things?”

“We think the drawing of the schooner with a lead-line on which is the figure eight, hanging from her bowsprit means that only a small craft with a draught of not over eight feet can get in there,” Gil replied.

“I reckon that’s right, though it was a waste of time an’ lead pencil to make the craft after showing the soundings.”

“Then the letters and figures on this stick, and the straight lines on the side, refer to the same thing, which is that from a certain tree—for those scratches must have been made to represent foliage—at a distance of eighteen feet and eight inches north, then five feet west, the treasure will be found.”

“Well, you’ve figured it out better than I expected,” Mr. Jenkins said, approvingly; “but how do you know whether the measurements are in feet, yards or fathoms?”

“That part of it is guesswork, of course. I don’t think it can mean fathoms, because of the fraction eight, therefore it will only be necessary to try the feet and yards, which can’t be such a great amount of work.”

“No,” the mate replied, slowly and thoughtfully, “not if this is the place, or if you find the right tree, or if there’s any treasure buried on the island; but according to my way of thinking it’ll be a decently hard job to decide exactly where the sights should be taken from, considering the fact that this part of the island is fairly well wooded.”

Then Mr. Jenkins walked away, for the cook had announced that breakfast was served, and the boys were again plunged into a disagreeable state of uncertainty because of the difficulty they would undoubtedly have in trying to decide which was the landmark referred to on the supposed chart.

Andy did not so much as look at Gil and Nelse when they came into the cabin. It seemed as if he tried to avoid meeting their eyes, and during all the time they were talking with Captain Mansfield relative to the finding of the tree, he stood just inside the pantry making some of the most extraordinary gestures possible.

“There is nothing to prevent your going ashore with Mr. Jenkins, if you feel so disposed,” Gil’s father said, as he finished his meal. “I am not inclined to any such exercise, but can manage to pass the time with some degree of comfort while the search is made.”

The boys had hoped the captain would become interested in the proposed work when they were where an investigation could be made; but this last remark showed that he did not intend to have anything to do with the decidedly mythical treasure.

Mr. Jenkins, however, was not only ready but eager for a trip ashore, and, without waiting for orders, he caused one of the tenders to be lowered.

If there were any inhabitants on this end of the island they had kept well out of sight, and to guard against a possible attack by wild animals the boys armed themselves with revolvers as well as rifles.

There was plenty of work aboard for the sailors, therefore the treasure-seekers were expected to do their own rowing, and, with all hands except Andy watching from the rail, they started, heading directly for the cove.

Gil suggested that, in order to make certain the narrow strip of water was the one they were anxious to find, soundings be made. If the depth of water should coincide with the fifteen, ten and eight of the chart it would afford a certain degree of proof, but to this Mr. Jenkins objected.

“It would be only a waste of time,” he said. “The bottom so near inshore shifts every year, and you couldn’t even rely on a Government chart.”

“I thought from what we read in the newspaper clipping that the island was small,” Nelse said, as the boat neared the shore. “It looks pretty big from here.”

“Twenty-two miles long and five wide, according to the geographies,” the mate replied, with a laugh, “so you see there’s plenty of room for adventure in case Andy’s voudoos really make this place their headquarters.”

“Do you believe in anything of the kind?”

“That the negroes of Hayti practice the rites of voudooism there can be no doubt; but of course the cook has exaggerated matters.”

By this time the little tender’s bow had been run up on the sandy beach, and, after looking carefully around to make certain no one was lurking in the vicinity, the party landed.

The boat was made fast, and Gil led the way on what now seemed a hopeless task, that of finding a tree so old as to give promise of being the one from which the proper bearings might be taken, if indeed there was anything proper or positive in the document they had discovered.

The foliage was dense; so matted in places as to render it difficult for the travelers to force a passage through, and thus they were obliged to go blindly on, passing near perhaps the very object for which they were searching.

There were many birds to be seen and heard, but no other form of animal life was found during the tramp, except once when a hog, probably a descendant from those brought to the island by the original buccaneers, dashed out of the thicket, almost overturning Nelse, and disappearing again before either of the party had an opportunity to fire a single shot.

At the end of an hour, when they were three miles from the beach, as nearly as could be judged, the mate threw himself on the ground as he said, impatiently:

“It is foolish to keep on in this manner. We haven’t come across a tree of any size after walking this distance, although we know there were very many to be seen in the immediate vicinity from the schooner’s deck.”

“The undergrowth is so dense that we shouldn’t know it if one was a dozen feet away,” Nelse replied, fanning himself vigorously, for the heat at this point, where the cooling breezes from the sea could not penetrate, was almost stifling.

“Then there’s all the more reason why we should go back, mark out a course, and follow it by a compass.”

“But I counted on finding what we wanted straight across from the end of the cove,” Gil said, disconsolately.

“It isn’t yet certain that it can’t be discovered,” the mate replied, laughingly. “We are not woodsmen enough to travel a beeline without anything to guide us.”

“It’s positive we’re wasting time roaming around in this manner, so let’s go back.”

“Hold on a little while. I am so nearly roasted that there will be nothing left of me but perspiration if I am forced to take any exercise right away,” Nelse cried, in affected distress.

Each member of the party was more than willing to indulge in a siesta just at this time, and, following the example set by the mate the boys stretched themselves out at full length, regardless alike of snakes or the worshipers of voudoo.

Everything was conducive to slumber, save the winged pests which were particularly active, and, despite even these, all three were soon sleeping soundly; so much so, in fact, that two half-naked negroes passed within three feet of where they were lying without arousing them.

This was possible owing to the fact that the strangers walked with exceeding caution, finding an open way through the foliage where seemingly none existed, and circling around the sleepers without so much as a rustling of the leaves.

These men must certainly have been aware that the schooner had come to an anchor off the island during the night, for they evinced no surprise at seeing the whites, but scrutinized them carefully, as if trying to judge of their character.

For fully five minutes the fellows continued the silent examination, and then they glided through the thicket toward the direction where the yacht was lying.

A quarter of an hour later Mr. Jenkins awakened, and called cheerily to the boys:

“Come, it’s time to turn out if we want to get back without running the risk of losing our way. When the sun gets behind the trees we shall be all at sea so far as direction goes.”

The short nap had refreshed the boys wonderfully, and they were on their feet at once, ready for the tramp.

“Father will laugh when we tell him that, after being on shore so long, we haven’t seen the kind of a tree we were searching for.”

“You may have better luck to-morrow,” the mate said, cheerily, as he led the return march, and the little party traveled so rapidly that in a trifle more than an hour they were pulling toward the Day Dream from the cove, all unconscious of the half-a-dozen black forms concealed in the thicket near the water’s edge watching their every movement.