Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/247

Rh what to say. "Two young fellows who ran away with some valuable jewels. I suppose you saw nothing of them."

"No, as I said before, we saw nobody."

"They are on this island."

"Then I hope you catch them. And I hope you'll aid me in catching those other scamps."

"We'll certainly do that," answered Captain Sanders.

A little later the whole party left the cave, and Giles Borden pointed out a number of other caves he had visited.

"The island is full of them," declared the Englishman. "And one has to be careful, for fear of falling into a hole at every step."

The middle of the afternoon found the party once more at the water's edge. They had seen no trace of Jasniff and Merwell, or of the rascally Englishmen. All were tired out and content to rest for a little while.

"Looks like a wild goose chase, doesn't it, Dave?" remarked Roger.

"Oh, you mustn't grow discouraged so quickly, Roger," was Dave's answer. "Unless Jasniff and Merwell have a chance to leave this island we'll be sure to locate them, sooner or later. What I am worried about mostly is the question: Have they the jewels or did the gems go to the bottom of the ocean?"