“Why couldn’t the sailors, Lesher, and Baxter live here?” asked Dick.  “We don’t want them, and it will save them the trouble of building a house, in case they don’t want to live on the wreck.”

“No, I advise that we tell them nothing about the cave,” said Tom.  “If we should have a fight and get the worst of it, we could hide here and they wouldn’t be able to find us very readily.”

“Do you think it will get as far as that?” asked Dora, and her face showed she was much disturbed.

“I hope not, Dora,” said Dick.  “But you must remember that we have had some pretty sharp quarrels already.”

“I think Tom is right,” came from Sam.  “We’ll not tell the others anything about the cave.  If they don’t want to live on the wreck, they can build a house or two, just as we did.”

On returning to the shore of the bay, Captain Blossom and Tom went on a hunt along the beach and presently discovered the rowboat that had overturned with them during the storm.

The craft was but little damaged and they soon had it mended, and then the captain brought it around to the anchorage in front of the house.

“I wonder when Baxter and Lesher will arrive with the sailors?” said Nellie.

“Not before to-morrow night,” answered Tom.

“Then do you know what I would do if I were you?” went on the girl.

“What, Nellie?”

“I’d bring some stores away from the wreck and hide them in the cave.  If you did that, it might save us a good deal of trouble.  For all we know, that mate might try to take command and refuse to let us get anything more from the ship.”

“Do you think he’d do that while Captain Blossom was around?” came from Grace.

“Oh, he might do anything when he is half full of liquor,” answered Tom.  “I think Nellie is right.  I’ll talk it over with the others.”

Tom lost no time in the matter, and Dick, Sam, and old Jerry agreed that Nellie’s idea was very good.  Captain Blossom shrugged his shoulders and looked ugly.

“Jack Lesher shall not take the command from me,” he said.  “If he tries it, he’ll find himself in the biggest kind of a row.”

“But you must admit that there is grave danger,” said Dick.

“Yes, I admit that.”

“Then you are willing that we shall hide the stores?”

“If you want to.”

“Won’t you help us, Captain Blossom?  Of course, we recognize the fact that those things belong to you, since you remained on the ship up to the time she struck the island.”

This speech pleased the captain, and he said he would help them willingly.

Without delay the two rowboats and the raft were called into commission, and an hour later the men and boys were hard at work transferring goods from the wreck to the beach in front of the cave.  Five trips were made back and forth, the boats and the raft bringing over each, time as much as could be conveniently floated.