“Well, of all the odd fellows I ever met he is the limit,” was Tom’s comment.  “Why, he’d do for a comic valentine!”

“I almost had to laugh in his face,” said Sam.  “Even now I can’t look at him without grinning.”

“He’s a character,” was Dick’s opinion.  “You’ll never get tired with that chap around,” and in this surmise he was correct, for Bahama Bill was as full of sea yarns as some fish are full of bones, and he was willing to talk as long as anybody would listen to him.

“Very much pleased to know ye all,” said he with a profound bow to the ladies.  “Ain’t seen such a nice crowd since I sailed on the Mary Elizabeth, up the coast o’ Maine, jest fourteen years ago.  At that time we had on board Captain Rigger’s wife, his mother in law, his two sisters, his brother’s wife, his aunt and—­”

“Never mind the Rigger family just now, Camel,” interrupted Mr. Rover.  “What I want to know is, are you ready to sail?”

“Aye, aye! that I am, and I don’t care if it’s a for two months or two years.  Once when I sailed on the Sunflower the captain said we’d be out a month, and we struck a storm and drifted almost over to the coast a’ Africy.  The water ran low, and—­”

“Well, if you are ready to sail, we’ll start without further delay,” interrupted Anderson Rover, and gave the necessary orders to Captain Barforth.

“Good bye to home!” cried Dick, and took off his cap.  “When we return may we have the treasure safely stowed away in the hold or the cabin!”

“So say we all of us!” sang out Tom.

Steam was already up and a cloud of smoke was pouring from the funnel of the steam yacht.  The lines were cast off, and a few minutes later the vessel was on her voyage down the Delaware River to the bay.

“You are sure we have everything necessary for this trip?” asked Mr. Rover, of the captain.

“Yes, Mr. Rover; I even brought along some picks and shovels,” answered the master of the steam yacht, and smiled faintly.  He had little faith in the treasure hunt being successful, but he thought the trip down among the West Indies would be well worth taking.

It was a beautiful day, with just sufficient breeze blowing to cool the July air.  While they were steaming down the river the girls and ladies, and some of the boys, sat on the forward deck taking in the various sights which presented themselves.  There were numerous tugs and sailing craft, and now and then a big tramp steamer or regular liner, for Philadelphia has a large commerce with the entire world.

“It hardly seems possible that the treasure hunt has really begun,” said Dora to Dick.

“Well, it won’t actually begin until we are down about where Treasure Isle is located,” was the reply.  “We have quite a few days’ sailing before that time comes.”

“I hope it remains clear, Dick.”

“I am afraid it won’t, Dora; there are always more or less storms among the West Indies.”