"By thunder!" cried Locke. "Dinshaw's right!"
"Gold without a doubt," said Trask, and turned to see Shanghai Tom staring into the bowl, his eyes fairly popping out of his head at this magical cookery which transformed a sea-beach into glittering wealth.
Trask resumed the washing, and in a few minutes had as much of the yellow powder as he could hold in the hollow of a palm.
"Man alive!" remarked the gleeful Doc. "I reckon we better take this yere island apart, right down level to the water!"
"There's millions on it," declared Trask. "When four cups of sand will assay that much gold, consider what's in a mile of beach like this."
"It's a new one on me," said Locke. "I never saw such a thing in my life and—— Hello! Here's the boat coming out!"
They ran to the rail, and looking shoreward, saw the dinghy, with two men rowing it, and Peth and Jarrow sitting in the stern sheets. They were heading straight for the schooner.