The ladies and the girls were much alarmed to think that such a character as Wingate might be roaming around the vessel in secret, and at night they locked every stateroom door with care.  The boys and Mr. Rover were also on the alert, and some of them slept with loaded pistols near at hand.  Had Wingate shown himself unexpectedly he might have met with a warm reception.

“That feller’s disappearance puts me in mind o’ something that happened aboard the Nancy Belden, bound from the Congo to New York, jest eight years ago this summer,” said Bahama Bill, who had searched as hard as anybody for the missing man.  “We had on board a lot o’ wild animals fer a circus man, an’ amongst ’em, was an orang outang, big an’ fierce, I can tell you.  Well, this orang outang got out o’ his cage one night, an’ in the mornin’ he couldn’t be found.  We hunted an’ hunted, an’ the next night nobody wanted to go to sleep fer fear he’d wake up dead.  The cap’n had his family aboard and the wife she was ‘most scart stiff an’ wouldn’t hardly leave her room.”

“And did you find the orang outang?” asked Songbird, with interest.

“We did an’ we didn’t.  The fifth night after he was missing we heard a fearful noise right in a cage wot had a lion in it.  We run to the place with shootin’ irons an’ spears and capstan bars, thinkin’ the lion was loose.  When we got there we found the orang outang had twisted one o’ the bars o’ the cage loose an’ got inside and disturbed Mr. Lion’s best nap.  Mr. Lion didn’t like it, an’ he gets up, and in about two minutes he makes mince meat o’ the orang outang.  When we got there all we see was bits o’ skin, an’ the feet an’ head o’ the orang outang, yes, sir.  We was glad he was gone—­especially the cap’n wife —­but the circus men was mad to lose sech a valerable beast,” concluded Bahama Bill.

“That was a pretty good one,” was Tom’s comment.  “Too good to be spoiled,” and at this remark the others laughed.

“Vell, it’s someding like ven dot snake got loose py Putnam Hall,” was Hans’ comment.  “Dot Vingate vos noddings put a snake, hey?”

“You hit it that time, Hans,” answered Dirk, “A snake and of the worst kind.”

According to Bahama Bill’s reckoning they were now less than two days’ sailing from Treasure Isle, and all on board who were in the secret were filled with expectancy.  So far nothing had been seen of the Josephine, and they Wondered if the tramp steamer was ahead of them, or if they had passed her in the darkness.

“Of course, she may have come by a different route,” said Captain Barforth.  “While we passed to the east and south of some of the little islands she may have gone to the north and west of them.  One route would be about as good as the other.”

That night it grew foggy, and as a consequence they had to slow down, which filled the boys with vexation for, as Tom declared, “they wanted to find that island and the treasure right away.”