Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/333

Rh in this—I mean anything that concerns me?" asked the youth, when leaving the sanitarium.

"I am not prepared to say, Dave. It is at the least a curious happening. We must wait until the sailor's mind is clearer before we can question him again."

When Dave returned to Oak Hall he was very sober and thoughtful. It seemed to him that the baseball game had taken place a long time ago, and he could not settle down to his studies.

"Phil," he said to his friend, "your father has ships sailing to the South Seas. Do you know anything of Cavasa Island?"

"To be sure I do! That is to be one of my stopping places when I take my trip. It's not a very large place, but the town has quite a number of white people in it, and the shipping is considerable."

"What would you say if I should want to take that trip with you?"

"What, the trip to the South Seas?"

"Yes, to Cavasa Island, and to other ports in that vicinity."

"Do you really mean it, Dave?"

"Yes, if matters turn out as I think they may," was the answer. "Phil, can I trust you with a—a—something of a secret?"

"You know you can, Dave."

"Then I want to tell you something," was the