"He left New Orleans under suspicious circumstances aboard the fruiter Santa Maria, ostensibly bound for Belize."
"He's not bound for Belize. If he's doing anything, he's hunting for the Dolphin, hoping to salvage her cargo or else blow her up and send her to the bottom before any naval officer has a chance to look her over. We're cruising around to see if we can locate the derelict."
"And we're trying to find a couple of young fellows who were torn adrift from the Santa Maria during the storm, last night."
"Any success?"
"Found the whaleboat, stove and floating upside down on the water."
"Then you'd better give up," was the curt remark that closed the conversation.
The cruiser got under headway again and slanted off on a new course.
"You see how it is, captain," said Matt. "Even those on the cruiser think our search is useless."
"We'll keep it up, nevertheless," was the captain's dogged response.
"That's what I'm anxious to have you do, for I don't leave this part of the gulf until I know something more."