“Humph, I’ll investigate this,” muttered the captain, and went off for a boathook.  When he returned he caught the hook into the loop of the wire and tried to bring the end of the strand to the deck.  He was unable to do it alone and had to get the boys to aid him.  Then all three ran the wire around a brace and gradually hauled it aboard.  At the end was an iron chain, fastened into several loops, and also the anchor to one of the rowboats.

CHAPTER XIX

TREASURE ISLE AT LAST

“So this is the work of that new deck hand, eh?” cried Captain Barforth, grimly.  “A fine piece of business to be in, I must say!”

“Let us see what is on the other side?” suggested Dick.

This was done, and they brought up another wire, to the end of which were attached two small anchors and some pieces of scrap steel from the tool room.

“He put those overboard for drag anchors,” explained the master of the steam yacht.  “He did it to delay the Rainbow.”

“Yes, and that was done so the Josephine could get ahead of us,” added Dick.

“In that case he must be in league with Sid Merrick,” came from Sam.

“Perhaps he met Merrick at Nassau and was hired for this work,” said Dick.

“That is possible, Dick.  I’ll have the truth out of him, if I have to put him in irons and on bread and water to do it,” added Captain Barforth.

He at once sent for Walt Wingate.  The deck hand who went after the man came back five minutes later to report that the fellow could not be located.

“He must be found!” cried Captain Barforth.  “He can’t skulk out of this!”

A search was instituted, in which all of the boys, Mr. Rover and Aleck joined.  But though the steam yacht was searched from stem to stern, the missing deck hand was not located.  Some of the men even went down into the hold, but with no success.

“Do you think he jumped overboard?” asked Fred.

“He might, but it would be a foolish thing to do,” answered the captain.  “We are at least ten miles from any island.”

“He may have had a small boat,” said Songbird.

“No, the small boats are all here.  He is on this vessel, but where is the question.”

To stimulate them in their search, the captain offered a reward of ten dollars to any one of his crew who should bring Wingate to light.  But this brought no success, and for a very good reason as we shall learn later.

How much the drags had hampered the progress of the Rainbow there was no telling, but freed of them, the steam yacht made good time.  All of the machinery was carefully inspected, including the propeller, to which some wire was found twisted.  But this had thus far done no damage and was easily pulled out.

“He is certainly in league with Merrick and his crowd,” said Anderson Rover, “and that being so, we must be on constant guard against him.”