Scarcely twenty yards separated the two boats. The larger craft, with sheets slacked, sailed silently onward. The helm swung idle; the hand that had steered it probably now lay limp in the bottom of the proa. Phil rose cautiously, his hand grasping the sail; he placed his foot on the high gunwale in an endeavor to discover the state of the enemy concealed in the bottom of the boat. As he drew himself up above his companions, the two boats slid noiselessly nearer and to the lad’s horror he suddenly found himself looking squarely into the black muzzle of a pistol. Behind it burned the cruel eyes of Espinosa, while on the latter’s face was a leer of triumph. CHAPTER XXV CONCLUSION Scarcely a second elapsed between the time Espinosa had leaped to the proa’s deck and the discharge of his revolver, but in that second Phil had seen the awful havoc among the traitor’s followers. Espinosa himself, sorely wounded as he was, could hardly have helped hitting his mark. Phil was conscious of a shot from his own boat almost simultaneously with a sharp pain in his left shoulder, and saw the would-be slayer pitch forward into the sea. In that second the outriggers of the two boats came together and Gregorio and his two natives quickly jumped on board to lower the captured vessel’s sails, while O’Neil put the helm of his own craft over to bring the wind ahead and stop their progress. Phil balanced himself on the sail of the boat, his eyes following the bubbles which closed over the body of the wounded man. Then a trembling seized him as a great black fin protruded from the water and the sun’s rays reflected deep red against the green of the reef. “Sharks,” he cried hoarsely, balancing himself with a great effort, for he had been about to plunge overboard to rescue his enemy. O’Neil as if by intuition had seized the lad by the foot and forcibly hauled him back into the boat. The two boats were soon secured together and the Americans, putting aside their weapons of destruction, looked down pityingly upon the terrified natives huddled together in the bottom of the proa. Many were wounded by the Krag bullets and several had died not knowing pain, so swiftly had death come. Far astern a black curl of smoke marked the gunboat. All hands turned to willingly and administered to the stricken enemy and soon all the wounded were made as comfortable as possible, their bleeding stanched, while the two boats were being steered toward the west. The treasure was found hidden under the footboards of the proa and this treasure had sealed the traitor’s doom, for in carrying it he had delayed his flight, allowing Gregorio and Lopez to all but overtake him. Inside of two hours the “Mindinao,” steaming cautiously between the numberless shoals, took the Americans and their captives on board and was steaming joyfully back to Palilo with her glad tidings.