Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/273

Rh "Phil!"

"Dave! At last!" cried the shipowner's son, joyfully. "Are you hurt?"

"Not a bit of it. How are you?"

"All right, although I had several tumbles while hunting for you. You disappeared in the strangest fashion."

"I fell into a cave,—went down with Link Merwell."

"Oh!" Phil gave a start. "Who is that in the bushes? Merwell, as sure as I'm alive!"

"Yes, Phil. And what do you think? I've got part of the jewels—Link had them in his money-belt."

"Good enough! I was so afraid they had been lost out of that jewel-case. Did you make Merwell a prisoner?"

"Well, in a way. He might have run away a dozen times, but I guess he didn't want to be alone. Besides, he has quarreled with Jasniff. I'll tell you all about it later," went on Dave, in a lower tone.

Merwell had halted and now he came shuffling into the temporary camp. He nodded sheepishly to the shipowner's son and to the sailors.

"Got ye, did they?" said one of the tars, with a sneer.

"Yes," answered the culprit, meekly.