Now that Larry could not move, the others were in a quandary as to what to do. Dick was impatient to be after the Peacock.
"The folks on the schooner may take it into their heads to sail away, if they caught sight of the steam tug," he said. "And if they give us the slip I won't know where to look for them."
"I guess I'll be safe if left alone," said Larry. "I have water and the fire, and my pistol. You go ahead, and come back for me when it is convenient. Only don't leave the island without me."
"Leave without you? Not much!" answered Dick.
"You forget the treasure," put in Peterson, with a laugh. "We are not going to let that slip."
"That's so," said Larry. "All right; I'll remain as the guardian of the treasure." And so it was arranged.
It was no easy matter to gain the outer air once more, for the passageway was choked with dirt and brushwood which the wind had blown in. When they came into the open they found themselves close to the lake shore at a spot surrounded thickly with trees.
"A fine cove for a smuggler to hide in," observed Peterson. "No wonder they made this cave their rendezvous."
"Where is the bay in which the Peacock disappeared?"
"To the westward, Rover. Come, I'll show the way."