"That's right," said Billy. "I took it to a coin-dealer and had him
give it a name. Of course the paper laughed at the story, so I'm after
it now on my own hook. I got a leave of absence to dig it up.
Bluewater Bill lives in Mineola and I'm going to see him later to-day
and get more details from him. The more I think it over the more I
think it's worth looking into."

The boys, whose opinion of the old sailor's story had been much
altered by Billy's production of the indisputable evidence of the gold
coin, agreed with him that it was indeed worth investigating further.

"But you haven't told us half the story, Billy," objected Frank. "How
did Bluewater Bill escape? What became of the other men on the ship?
How did he get aboard the galleon and get the coin? Oh, and heaps of
other hows? and whys?" he broke off, laughing at Billy's serious face.

"I haven't got time to tell you all that now, and besides I am not
clear on many of those points myself," replied Billy. "Suppose, if you
are not doing anything this evening, you come round with me to
Bluewater Bill's home and talk to him about it yourselves."

"Say, are you trying to lure us into any fresh adventures?" said Frank
with mock seriousness. "Didn't we have enough of them in Africa?"

"I don't see how we could get at the galleon, supposing there is one
there, even if we did go after it," chimed in Harry, whose active mind
had already jumped ahead of the boys' conversation.

"Why not?" demanded Billy.