or sank into the soil. You know that most of those islets are not really built up from the coral foundation. They are mostly thickly matted vegetation, roots and so on, with a thin covering of soil; if you stamp hard on many of them you can shake them.”

“I know that,” agreed Tew. “Besides, from what these fellows claim, there was a funny light and something knocked on their boat—if you was to ask my opinion, cap’n, I’d say I think these lubbers is makin’ it up out o’ the whole cloth!”

“We are not!” defended Nicky sharply.

Don Ortiga regarded him steadily for a while, then nodded.

“What was the message on the paper?” he asked suddenly.

There was no help for it. All three chums realized that. If Nicky hesitated their captors would be certain that he was inventing a message. Then there was no telling what might happen to them! The men who had them as captives were hi-jackers, the lowest form of seafaring marauders. One of them had a name indicating descent from the old pirate stock. The truth—and the truth quickly—seemed to be the only course open to Nicky.His glance toward his friends showed them with both hands in coat pockets—“Tell the truth!” that meant.

“This is the message,” Nicky declared without delay, all that swift querying and decision having occupied only the time it took for him to understand the question, a split second.

“This is the message,” he declared, “‘Treasure found long ago. Dig under tallest of three trees on Crocodile Key for more.’”

Tew rushed close to his captain.

“Crocodile Key!” he almost shouted; then he lowered his voice. “Nobody knew that name but us—” he stopped, his face working with what the chums took to be anger and surprise.

“Yes—yes—somebody did!” he gasped. “Cap’n—your brother——”

Nicky exchanged glances with his comrades. In their eyes, he read the same thought that was in his mind. They had given these men some clue that proved to them that the message was a false lead and—more—had told them who prepared it! Don Ortiga had a brother. That must be the Senor Ortiga—or might be, Nicky thought. If the message was a false lead, then it had been deliberately placed where they found it, to mislead them. Yes, and not only that, but deliberate methods of making it seem supernaturally discovered had 

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