“He’s a very sick man,” said Dr. Rudd. “He was more badly hurt in his fall from the horse than I thought at first. But the worst of it is that he has some worry on his mind. It’s about his lost son and a missing treasure, as he calls it. If he could find his son or hear from him and get back this treasure, he would get well much more quickly.”
“I’m afraid he’ll never get either,” said Mr. Brown. “People lost in a shipwreck are seldom found again. And since Mr. Pott doesn’t seem to know where his treasure was lost, there is no way of finding it for him.”
“I suppose not,” said Dr. Rudd. “But he’d get well more quickly if his mind was easier.”
Bunny and Sue hardly slept that last night, so eager were they to start on this trip, and they were up early in the morning. At the last minute Bunny dragged out his Christmas drum and wanted to take that along.
“No, no! You can’t take that!” said his father.
“I want it to scare alligators with,” said Bunny.
“What does the child mean—scare alligators?” asked his mother.
“I’m going to catch a little alligator for George Watson,” explained Bunny. “When I’m catching a little alligator I want to drum and scare the big ones away.”
“I don’t believe you’ll be able to catch any alligators!” laughed Mr. Brown. “Leave the drum at home, Bunny. We only have two small staterooms on the Beacon and there isn’t much space for drums and things like that.”
“Can’t I take my doll?” asked Sue.