"And warned us in time, brave mate!" cried Captain Broadbeam, heartily grasping the sailor's hand. "We're your friends for life."
The Swallow did not leave the Windjammers' Island for a week. During that time Stoodles made several visits to the natives. On one of these he and Dave took with them the two boxes Dave had purchased at Minotaur Island.
They returned feeling pretty good over something accomplished, and refused to discuss it with the intensely curious Bob Vilett.
Jones and Lewis were found and taken aboard of the Swallow, which started homeward-bound at last.
At Mercury Island their prisoners from the Raven were set ashore. Of Captain Nesik, the Hankers, and the others not a trace had been found.
Dave and his friends well knew that a terrible disappointment had faced the plotters when they came to discover that the bags they had secured in one of the caves did not contain the gold.
The native outcasts they were certain had removed the gold to the place where they found it, filling the bags with something heavy and replacing these at the original hiding-place.
Amos Fearless gave his friends a royal banquet the day the Swallow arrived at San Francisco.
Each one, down to the humblest sailor, received a generous share of the ocean treasure they had suffered so much to secure.
The rest of the gold was shipped by rail to Quanatack, and Doctor Barren's curiosities to the Government at Washington.