"You do, if I catch the captain and his schooner."
"That aint fair—I ought to have the money now."
"I must prove what you have told me first You may be all wrong in your suppositions."
Jock Pelly's face fell.
"'Taint fair—I ought to have the money now. Maybe you won't ever come back."
"Don't alarm yourself, my man. If the information is of real value, you'll get paid for it. Here is something on account."
Dick slipped a five-dollar bill into the old man's hand, at which Jock
Pelly's face relaxed. A few minutes later the elder Rover had joined
Luke Peterson and was telling the lumberman what he had heard.
"Needle Point Island!" exclaimed Peterson. "Yes, I know the spot Years ago it was a great hanging-out place for smugglers. But our government cleaned out the nest."
"Then it is likely that this man told the truth?"
"I don't know as Captain Langless could find a better hiding place. The island is in the shape of a five-leaf clover, and the bays are all surrounded with tall trees and bushes, so that a vessel could be hidden there without half trying. Besides that, the island is a rough one, full of caves and openings, and that would just suit a crowd holding those boys prisoners."