"Have you gone crazy, Rob? Lie down here," cautioned Merritt.
"Not much," was the response; "I'm going to do some reconnoitering while I've got the chance."
"What do you mean?"
"That I'm going down to have a look at that boat, and if I can I'm going to shove her off and thus leave those men prisoners on the island."
"By ginger, Rob, you are a great fellow for ideas. If only you can cast the boat adrift, we'll have those chaps bottled up as securely as if they were in a jail."
"Wait here till I come," responded the boy leader. "I won't be gone more than ten minutes."
"I'd like to come with you, Rob."
"No; this is a job I can do best alone."
Rob noiselessly slipped away. The boat from which the mysterious men had landed was plainly discernible as a black blot on the sandy beach. Rob tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, but against the white strip of sand he felt as noticeable as an elephant. However, he gained the boat without interruption.
Its bow had been built up, apparently, to make it more seaworthy, and the boy noticed that a small door had been cut leading into the space beneath the raised bow. He had hardly discovered this when he was startled to hear voices close at hand.