“Can you see any of the men moving around?” questioned Dora.

“I thought I saw one or two, but I am not certain.  Most of the men must have escaped, but if they were drunk, as Gibson says, perhaps some have been caught like rats in a trap.”

The flames continued to roar upward, and toward the island back of the ship, for over an hour.  During that time they heard two dull explosions, caused by some barrels of chemicals catching fire.  The second explosion sent the bits of burning wood and rigging flying in all directions.

“That will leave the mutineers without a home and without stores,” said old Jerry.  “They’re in a poor fix now.”

“I’d like to know how the fire started,” said the captain.  “Can you explain it?” he went on, to Gibson and Marny.

“I’ve got an idea,” said Marny.  “Just before we came away old man Shular went down in the hold with a light to look for some certain brand of liquor we were carrying.  He was more than half drunk, and he most likely dropped his lantern and set something on fire.”

At the end of an hour and a half the flames had died down to the water’s edge.  A few small bits of wreckage continued to burn, and also a grove of trees and brushwood on the island.  But before morning every bit of the fire was out, and only a heavy smoke showed where the Golden Wave had once rested.

No one had thought of retiring again, and sunrise found them all worn out, and anxious to know what was going to happen next.

“You can rest assured that some of them will be over here sooner or later,” said Dick.  “Now they have no place to shelter them, and no provisions, they will want us to help them out.”

“What will you do, Dick?” asked Dora.

“That depends on Captain Blossom, Dora.  Personally I want nothing to do with any of them.”

“But some may be badly burnt, and they may need medicine and bandages,” came from Nellie.

“We can send them whatever we can spare,” said Tom.  “But I object strongly to letting anybody come here.”

It was decided to remain on guard during the day, and all were cautioned to keep within call of the house.  The bay was scanned for the sight of a rowboat, but none put in an appearance.

“I’ll wager that those who did escape are sorry they quarreled with us,” said Sam.

“Especially Dan Baxter,” answered Grace.  “He’ll find that living out in the woods isn’t so pleasant as it looks.”

By nightfall all grew anxious, and sat in front of the house to discuss the situation.

“It can’t be possible that all on board were burnt up,” said Dick.  “That would be horrible.”

“Oh, some must have escaped,” answered Captain Blossom.  “But they may be suffering from burns, or they may have no means of getting here.  With the ship burnt up, and all the tools gone, it would be no easy matter to build even the roughest kind of a raft.”