"Well, I guess that will do for a while. This will pretty nearly bring us up to the shipwreck scene. We shall have to make a landing on one of the islands here, to get the proper background." They were then well down among the West Indies. "Where do we land?" asked Alice, who was on deck with her sister, standing near Jack Jepson, who was acting as lookout, with a telescope in his hand. "Well, I'm not particular," Mr. Pertell said. "Perhaps Jack can suggest a good place." "Well, I know something about the locality here," the old sailor answered, and he looked at Alice with a friendly wink. "I shouldn't want to go ashore at the place where I escaped from after that mutiny," he went on. "They might not want to let me go again." "No, that's so," agreed Mr. Pertell. "It might not be just the thing, though you could prove your innocence." "No, I can't! That's the trouble!" cried Jack, who had told his story to the manager. "I don't want to be caught, and put in jail. I'm going to keep away from that island where I was locked up." "Which one was it?" asked Ruth. "I don't know the name," Jack said, "but I can tell it the minute I set eyes on it. I don't want to go there. I had enough----" Jack paused suddenly. The glass went to his eye, and he called out: "Sail ho!" "Where away?" demanded the helmsman. "Two points off on the lee bow. She's a small steamer, and she--she's flying the British flag!" added the old man. A strange look of fear came over his face. CHAPTER XVI THE ACCUSATION "What's this?" demanded Captain Brisco, coming on deck just then. "What's up?" "Sail ho!" repeated Jack Jepson. "Over there, Captain!" and he pointed, and extended the telescope. Alice noticed that the hand of the old salt trembled, though usually he was as steady as the proverbial surgeon. "Hum! Yes. One of the English revenue ships," remarked Captain Brisco. "It's the first one we've met down here." "It is a British vessel, isn't it?" asked Jack Jepson, and there was a queer strain in his voice. "Yes," replied his superior. "What of it?" "Oh, nothin' sir! Nothin'." But Alice thought it was something. "Well, we haven't any need to speak to her," went on Captain Brisco. "We're going to anchor soon." "Anchor?" asked Jepson. "Yes, they want to take some of their pictures!" It was evident to Alice, from the tone of voice in which Captain Brisco spoke, that he had little sympathy with the work of the film actors. But he had been hired to do his part with the ship, and must carry out his agreement with Mr. Pertell. The captain handed back the glass, and went to consult with the manager about making a landing. They were near several small islands, any one of which would probably do as a background for some of the picture-play scenes. Left to himself Jack Jepson took another long look at the oncoming steamer. Alice watched him curiously. "Yes, she's a lime-juicer," he remarked, and something like a sigh escaped him.