Nothing was discovered that night, but a little before noon of the day following they learned that a tramp steamer had appeared in the harbor, taken several persons on board, and then steamed away again.

“Can you tell me the name of that craft?” asked Anderson Rover of the man who gave him this information.

“She was the Josephine, sir, of Charleston, Captain Sackwell.”

“Was she loaded?”

“I think not, sir.”

“How many persons got aboard?”

“Five or six.”

“One of them a young fellow?”

“Yes, sir, and one was a fellow who was very dark.”

Mr. Rover knew that Doranez was very dark, and he rightfully surmised that the party had been made up of Merrick, Tad, Doranez, Cuffer and Shelley.

“This is certainly a serious turn of affairs,” said he to his sons.  “While we have been losing time in Philadelphia and elsewhere, Sid Merrick has gone to work, gotten somebody to let him have this tramp steamer, and now, in company with Doranez, is off to locate Treasure Isle and the treasure.  It looks to me as if it might be a race between us after all.”

“Yes, and the worst of it is that we are laid up for repairs,” said Dick, with almost a groan in his voice.

“How long must we remain here?” asked Sam “Can’t they hurry the job somehow?”

“Let us offer ’em more money to hurry,” suggested Tom.

The suggestion to offer more money was carried out, and the ship builders promised to have the Rainbow fit for sailing by the following afternoon.  The paint on the new work would not be dry, but that would not matter.

On the morning of the day they were to sail a man applied to Captain Barforth for a position.  He said he had been a fireman on an ocean liner, but had lost three fingers in some machinery and been discharged.

“I am hard up,” he pleaded.  “I’ll work for almost anything.”

The captain was kind hearted, and as the Rainbow could use another deck hand he told the man to bring his luggage aboard, which the fellow did.  The newcomer’s name was Walt Wingate, and he did his best to make friends with everybody on board.  He had a low, musical voice, and was frequently whistling popular airs.

“He’s an odd one,” said Dick, after noticing the new deck hand several times.  “He seems real nice and yet—­”

“You don’t like him,” finished Sam.

“That’s it, Sam.”

“Neither do I, and I can’t tell why.”

“Well, he hasn’t anything to do with us.  If he’s a good man I’m glad the captain gave him a job.  It’s tough luck to lose your fingers, especially if you must work for a living.”

By five o’clock the steam yacht had left the harbor of Nassau and was standing out to sea once more.  The course was again southward, around the western extremity of Cuba.  During the following days they passed numerous islands and keys, as they are called, but generally at such a distance that the shores could be seen but faintly.