Page:Off For Hawaii.djvu/45

Rh Oliver aloud. "But I shall remember you," he added to the sailor.

"And perhaps I'll remember you," was the bold answer; and then we three boys left the under officer and walked on deck.

"I'll wager that rascal is after the treasure," said Oliver. "What gets me is, how did he get money to pay his passage to Honolulu?"

"More than likely he stole it," I answered. "If he would steal from your family he wouldn't hesitate to steal from somebody else."

"That must be it," said Dan. "We must keep a strict watch on Mr. Caleb Merkin, especially after we arrive in port."

Dr. Barton was curious to know what the trouble was about, and as Dan vouched for his honesty, we told him about our mission, after he had promised to keep it a secret. We also showed him the duplicate map and the description, both of which he examined with interest.

"I'm afraid it is rather a wild goose chase," he said. "Still it will do no harm to look the matter up. I expect, after a brief stop in Honolulu, to visit the volcano myself, and we may run across each other out there, and, if we do, I'll help you all I can—if you'll accept my services."

As I have said, Dr. Barton had visited the islands before, and during the next few days of the trip, days when the weather was most