“He may be trying to play an old trick on us,” was the captain’s answer. “That trick is to locate the treasure, but not let us know anything about it. Then, after we’ve sailed away and given the quest up, he could come back with his own crowd and bring it to the surface.”
“Do you think he’s up to something like that now?”
“I don’t know what to think. But I know he has no right to hide anything from me on board this vessel.”
“Don’t you think it would be more advisable not to say anything just yet? If you anger him he may throw up his job and go ashore and take what information he’s now got with him. That would leave us in the lurch. Why not let him and his assistant go ahead and watch every move they make? Then, if he’s doing any crooked work, we’ll catch him red-handed sooner or later.”
Captain Corning was a straight-forward man, and this “beating around the bush,” as he expressed it, did not suit him at all. However, he took Jack’s advice and talked it over with his mate, and Mr. Brooks agreed with the oldest Rover boy that they had better not say anything to the divers until more evidence against them was forthcoming.
“But I’ll tell you what we can do,” went on the mate. “When Olesen and Amend are on deck, we’ll make sure that they stay there and then some of us can search their staterooms and see if they have anything hidden there that was brought up from the Gulf bottom.”
“That’s an idea,” returned the captain. “We’ll do it.”
Jack told the other boys of what had taken place, and Fred and Andy were delegated to go on deck with Mr. Brooks and give warning if the two divers attempted to come below. Then Captain Corning and the other two boys went into Olesen’s stateroom and began a hasty examination of its contents.