"They were going to look for some tramp steamer that was to be here. If they found her they were going to sail at once to some other island," answered Peter Slade. CHAPTER XVIII THE NEW DECK HAND Having said so much, Peter Slade seemed more inclined to talk, one reason being that he wanted to get at the bottom of the mystery which had brought Tad Sobber and his uncle to that part of the globe. Tad had hinted of great wealth, and of getting the best of the Rovers and some other people, but had not gone into any details. Peter said he had come to Nassau to join his mother, who was stopping there for her health. His father was coming on later, and then the family was going across the ocean. "I know there is something up between your crowd and the Merrick crowd," said the youth. "You are both after something, ain't you?" "Yes," answered Tom. "What?" "I can't tell you that, Slade. It's something quite valuable, though." "Well, I guess Sobber's uncle will get ahead of you." "Perhaps so. What is the name of the tramp steamer he is looking for?" "The _Josephine_." "Was she to be here?" "They hoped she would be." "Were they going to hire her?" asked Sam. "I suppose so." "Then Merrick had money." "Yes, he had some, and that Spaniard had some, too." A little more conversation followed, and then the Rover boys asked Slade where he was going to stop, and said they might see him later. "This is mighty interesting," remarked Tom, as he and his brother hurried to their hotel. "We must tell father of this without delay." But Mr. Rover could not be found until that evening, when the party came back from the visit to the flower gardens. He listened with deep interest to what was said, and then went off on a hunt for Sid Merrick and the tramp steamer _Josephine_ without delay. Nothing was discovered that night, but a little before noon of the day following they learned that a tramp steamer had appeared in the harbor, taken several persons on board, and then steamed away again. "Can you tell me the name of that craft?" asked Anderson Rover of the man who gave him this information. "She was the _Josephine_, sir, of Charleston, Captain Sackwell." "Was she loaded?" "I think not, sir." "How many persons got aboard?" "Five or six." "One of them a young fellow?" "Yes, sir, and one was a fellow who was very dark." Mr. Rover knew that Doranez was very dark, and he rightfully surmised that the party had been made up of Merrick, Tad, Doranez, Cuffer and Shelley. "This is certainly a serious turn of affairs," said he to his sons. "While we have been losing time in Philadelphia and elsewhere, Sid Merrick has gone to work, gotten somebody to let him have this tramp steamer, and now, in company with Doranez, is off to locate Treasure Isle and the treasure. It looks to me as if it might be a race between us after all." "Yes, and the worst of it is that we are laid up for repairs," said Dick, with almost a groan in his voice.