“Well, you are a dangerous character,” said Captain Barforth.  “For the present I am going to keep you a prisoner,” and a few minutes later he had Wingate handcuffed and placed under lock and key in a small storeroom.  The deck hand did not like this, but he was thankful to escape a worse fate.

Anxious to know if the Josephine was anywhere in the vicinity of the isle, some of those on board the Rainbow ascended one of the masts and attempted to look across the land.  But a hill shut off the view.

“We’ll have to wait until morning,” said Mr. Rover, and was about to go down to the deck when something attracted his attention.  It was a strange shaft of light shooting up from along the trees in the center of Treasure Isle.

“A searchlight!” he cried.  “Somebody is on shore, and it must be Merrick with his crowd.”  And this surmise was correct, as we already know.

CHAPTER XXIV

A MISSING LANDMARK

The searchlight was watched with interest for fully quarter of an hour.  It was, of course, visible only now and then, but from the shafts of light seen, those on the steam yacht were certain somebody was moving from the north side of the isle to the location of the treasure cave.

“We ought to head them off, if possible,” declared Anderson Rover.  “Should that be Merrick’s crowd and they meet my sons there will surely be trouble!”

“Let us go ashore without delay!” said Songbird, who was sorry he had not accompanied the Rover boys.

“That’s what I say!” added Fred.  “We can take plenty of lights.”

“I vos not von pit sleepy,” declared Hans.  “I go kvick, of you said so, Mr. Rofer.”

“If yo’ go, don’t forgit Aleck!” pleaded the colored man.

“You shall go, Aleck,” answered Mr. Rover, who knew he could depend upon the colored man in any emergency.

“I hope you find Dick, and Tom and Sam,” said Dora.  “It was foolish for them to go off alone.”

“And don’t let Merrick hurt anybody,” pleaded Nellie.

It was quickly decided that the party to go ashore should be composed of Mr. Rover, Bahama Bill, Aleck, and the three boys.  Nearly everybody went armed, and the party carried with them a small electric searchlight, run by a “pocket” battery, and two oil lanterns.  They also took with them some provisions, and a pick, a shovel and a crowbar, for Bahama Bill said there might be some digging to do to get at the treasure.

Had it not been for the small searchlight it would have been next to impossible to find the opening through the reef during the night.  But the light was all that was needed, and they came through with little more than a shower of spray touching them.  Bahama Bill and Mr. Rover rowed the boat and soon brought the craft to a point where they disembarked without difficulty.

“The boys did not land here,” said Anderson Rover, after a look along the sandy shore for footprints.  “But they must have come in somewhere around here.”