“Wonder if it would do us any good to yell?” said Tom.

“And bring Merrick and his gang down on us,” said his younger brother.  “No, thank you.”

“I don’t believe they are around,” said Dick.  “I am going to try my lungs.”  And he began to yell with all the power of his vocal organs.  Then Tom and Sam joined in, and they kept this up, off and on, for fully an hour.

“I am not only dry but hungry,” said Tom.  “Wish I had that lunch we brought along.”

“Tad Sobber sneaked that away,” said Dick.  “If ever there was a fellow with a heart of stone he’s the chap.  Why, Dan Baxter in his worst days wasn’t as bad as this young rascal.”

Another hour went by and then Dick uttered an exclamation: 

“Listen!”

“What did you hear?” asked his brothers.

“I thought I heard somebody calling!”

They strained their ears and from a great distance heard a cry, but what it was they could not make out.

“Let’s call back,” said Dick.

“It may do us harm,” interposed Sam.

“We’ll take the chance,” said Tom, and started a loud cry, in which all joined.  They waited patiently for an answer to come back.  But for several minutes there was absolute silence.  Then, to their surprise, a pistol shot sounded out.

“Hullo!” ejaculated Dick.  “Something is up, I wonder what it is?”

CHAPTER XXIII

WHAT WINGATE HAD TO TELL

After the departure of the Rover boys from the steam yacht Mr. Rover and Captain Barforth held a consultation, and it was decided that the search for the treasure cave should begin in earnest at daybreak.

“I do not think the boys will locate the cave in the coming darkness,” said Anderson Rover.  “But still it will do no harm to let them have a try at it.”

“Mr. Rover, do you suppose those on board the Josephine have landed yet?” asked Fred, who was present.

“There is no telling for certain, Fred. But I should say not, since their steamer is nowhere in sight.”

“I hope they do not come for some days,” said Mrs. Stanhope.  “For if they do, and you meet, I feel sure there will be serious trouble.”

After that Anderson Rover had a long talk with Bahama Bill, and the old tar said he thought he could locate the cave without much trouble.

“0’ course, the isle has changed since I was here last,” said he.  “Must have had a hurricane or something like that, to wash the beach and rake down some o’ the trees.  But I think I can find it as soon as I locate the trail leadin’ that way.  You know trails are great things.  Why, when I was sailing on the Jessie D., from the South Sea Islands, we landed on a place where there was a trail running to a volcano.  We took to it, and the first thing we know we went down into that ere volcano about a thousand feet.  It made my hair stand on end, I can tell ye!  Four o’ us went down, an’ the others had to git ropes an’ haul us up ag’in, an’ it took half a day to do it.”