Max smiled at the expressive way his comrades had of urging him on. Nor
could he fail to be deeply touched by their confidence in his ability to
fathom the puzzle.

"I took occasion to examine some of those empty shells by the light of
other matches," he continued; "and on many of them I was surprised to find
plain marks of small teeth!"

"Wow! I'm g-g-getting on to what you're going to spring on us!" exclaimed
Toby, whose wits were not slow, if his speech had that affliction.

"I don't believe any of those mussels had been opened by human hands," Max
went on to boldly declare. "Whoever is up here must be collecting them just
for the sake of the mother of pearl. You know, I suppose, that these shells
are used for making pearl buttons and such things?"

"Yes, they are worth so much a hundred pounds," remarked Owen. "The price
is high enough to pay some men for collecting them when they can be found
in any decent quantities."

"Then, Max, you don't think these parties are onto the pearl racket--is
that it?" asked Steve.

"Honest Injun, boys, that's the conclusion I've reached after studying it
out. They are just collecting the empty shells, and never dreaming how one
little pearl like this would be worth perhaps a full ton of shells." And
Max took the prize from Steve, who seemed a bit reluctant to let it go.

Max had apparently made up his mind as to what would be a safe hiding place