mouth as he did so.

"I don't wonder they call them sea-tigers," said Frank, "more terrible
looking monsters I never saw."

The tropic night soon closed and darkness shut down with great
rapidity. Far off the boys could see the red glare cast by the flaming
island.

"That's queer," exclaimed Frank suddenly. He had been regarding the
island intensely for some time.

"What's queer?" demanded Billy.

"Why, do you see that long wavering ray of light shooting up near the
island," he cried, pointing in that direction, "what can it be?"

The others looked and to their amazement, as soon as Ben's eyes fell
on the strange ray of white light, the old sailor began dancing a sort
of jig to the imminent danger of his tumbling in among the sharks.

"Hurray! hurray!" he shouted, "douse my topsails and keel-haul my
main-jibboom, if that ain't the best sight I've seen for a long time."

"Have you gone crazy?" asked Harry.

"Not much, my boy," shouted the old tar, "that queer light--as you
call it--yonder is a ship's searchlight. The Southern Cross like as
not."