As if in answer to his query the marine clock chimed two bells.

“Two bells,” called Harry.  “Nine o’clock for landsmen.”

“We’d better be getting over to the fort if we’re going,” urged Arnold.  “We should not wait around here all night.”

“Wait a minute,” advised Jack.  “I think we’d better deliver to Mr. Harrison the bundle of dynamite we found aboard the Fortuna at Pascagoula.  We don’t want it aboard here and we have no safe place to put it.  He’ll know what to do with it, won’t you, Mr. Harrison?  You understand these things better than we.”

“If I had my way, I’d touch it off in the bay here so it would be out of harm’s way,” declared Harrison stoutly.

“But we have no fuse,” objected Jack.  “If we just drop it overboard the stuff may cause damage later on.  I don’t know what to do.”

“Let’s get a fuse and cap somewhere and take the stuff over to the fort,” suggested Harry.  “We can find this place shown on the map where the treasure lies and dig a ways into the sand, plant the ‘soup’ and blow a hole big enough to take out a wagon load of treasure.  That’s the best way to get rid of it.”

“Let’s put it to a vote,” suggested Jack.  “All in favor say—­”

A chorus of “ayes” carried the point.  The boys were in favor of anything that savored of excitement.  Their experience with the outlaws for the past few days had so nerved them up that any adventure would have been welcomed.  The prospect of finding the treasure lent added zeal to the proposed journey across the bay.

“We’ll need a shovel or two anyway,” said Frank as the boys hastened to make ready for the trip.  “Where can we get the tools?”

“Sure enough,” cried Tom.  “I hadn’t thought of that before.  I would have been just foolish enough to go on over there and not take a shovel with me at all.  There’s an exhibition of brains for you.”

“I guess you were no worse off than any of the others,” Harry declared.  “We were all in a hurry to get started.”

“Will Doright and Carlos go with us?” inquired Tom.

“We may need them,” Jack replied.  “Do you want to go, Carlos?”

“Maybe I wouldn’t be of any help,” Carlos ventured hesitatingly.  It was evident that he felt timid about joining with the others.

“You’d be the best kind of help,” stoutly asserted Arnold, pushing Rowdy towards the negro.  “Take him, Rowdy,” he added with a laugh.

“Ah is not in trouble wid mah feet,” protested Doright.  “If youall wants valuable help, jes’ call on me.  Mah name’s Doright.”

“And we’ll leave Rowdy here to guard the boat so Wyckoff and his gang don’t get aboard,” suggested Harry, drawing on his jacket.

“You will not,” cried Arnold.  “Rowdy goes with the crowd.”

“We can’t all get into the boat,” protested Jack.  “How shall we manage that?  Counting Mr. Harrison and Rowdy and Doright and Carlos and Charley and Frank and Arnold and Tom and Harry and myself, there’s ten of us.  That’s four more than the boat will carry.”