On his way back Joe went ashore close to where the old lodge was
located, and something, he could not tell what, made him run over and
take a look at the spot that had proved a shelter for Ned and himself
during the heavy storm. How many things had occurred since that fatal
day!

As our hero looked into one of the rooms he remembered the strange men
he had seen there--the fellows who had talked about mining stocks. Then,
of a sudden, a revelation came to him, like a thunderbolt out of a clear
sky.

"I've got it! I've got it!" he cried. "Mr. David Ball is that fellow
who called himself Malone, and Anderson is the man named Caven! They are
both imposters!"



CHAPTER XI.


A FRUITLESS CHASE.


The more Joe thought over the matter the more he became convinced that
he was right. He remembered a good deal of the talk he had overheard
during the storm, although such talk had, for the time being, been
driven from his mind by the tragic death of old Hiram Bodley.

"If they are working some game what can this Maurice Vane have to do