the island overhead.

The smoke scudded across the sky like small fleecy clouds, but it
momentarily grew thicker and blacker.

"She's smoking up all right," laughed Billy Barnes, all his fears gone
now that rescue seemed at hand.

Ben alone of the party seemed troubled.

"I'm not so sure that that's steamer smoke," he said slowly.

"Why, what else can it be?" demanded Frank.

"I don't know,"--sniff,--"but it seems to me,"--sniff,--"that's a
whole lot of smoke for a steamer to be making, and"--sniff--"I don't
like the looks of it."

"What else could make such smoke?" demanded Harry.

For reply Ben asked what seemed a strange question.

"Did you put the fire out when we left the camp?"

In an instant they all perceived without his speaking a word, what the
sailor feared.

The island was on fire!

A few minutes later the smell of the burning trees and the crash as