Jack sent an appeal flashing forth from the wireless. Then he listened as usual for an answer.
It came, but not in the way he had expected. He flung the receivers from his ears with an angry expression.
“It’s that rascal Herrera,” he said. “He intercepted the call.”
“The villain! What did he say?” demanded Mr. Jesson.
“He said that we could stay here till the island sank, for all he cared, and added that Diaz had been driven out of Mexico, and that he was off to Europe with those gems.”
“Dat dere coffee-colored man is de worst no ’count trash I ebber done heard of,” announced Jupe solemnly, while the others stood thunderstruck at such pitiless behavior.
Before they could utter a word of comment, however, another shock struck the island. And this time it caused an amazing thing to happen. The centre of the isolated spot of land had been quite an elevation. During this spasm of the earth, however, an astonishing change took place in the form of the island. The “crown” of the sandy little place sank until it was depressed into a sort of cup. On the outer rim of this odd subsidence of the island, were the adventurers who looked with alarmed eyes on this freak of the earthquake. It mean only one thing, and that was that if another shock occurred and the land sank any further, that the sea must overwhelm it utterly.
While they were still looking over the altered scene. Captain Andrews gave a shout.
“Shiver my timbers,” he cried, “look yonder, will you?”
The subsidence of the centre of the island, of course, gave them a clear view of the distant shore and of the neck of water between it and the island.