"Wait until I'm through. Then you'll feel the same way I do," insisted the managing editor. He continued reading from the story in the files: "When the revolution headed by Manuel Crespes in Guato failed, Crespes and his fellow adventurers looted the rich mines there and fled aboard the _Southern Queen_. Estimates at the amount of gold taken by the fleeing rebels have varied from $500,000 to more than $5,000,000 but it is safe to say that sufficient gold was taken to make an attempt at its recovery highly worthwhile. "The _Southern Queen_ left Martee, the main port of Guato, apparently in good condition but the vessel never reached port. Exactly what happened has never been known. Her disappearance has been one of the mysteries of the seven seas. Various theories have been advanced. One of the most persistent was that the leaders of the futile revolution in Guato killed all members of the crew when they neared a safe coast, scuttled the ship, took the treasure and escaped in small boats. Another is that a storm which raged in the Caribbean shortly after the _Southern Queen_ left Martee caught the little tramp steamer in its center and sent it whirling to the bottom with the loss of everyone on board. Several expeditions have been formed to hunt for the treasure but none of them have been successful and so far no actual trace of the _Southern Queen_ has been found. "_News_ that Ford is planning to search for the treasure brings the story into the forefront again for he is known as a soldier of fortune of the higher type. While Ford refuses to divulge his plans in any detail, friends believe that he has learned the whereabouts of one of the survivors of the _Southern Queen_" The story went on to recount other adventures in which Ford had played a prominent part but added nothing more in the way of information about the hunt for the treasure of the Southern Queen. "I'm still trying to guess what brought him out here," said Tim. "It's as plain as though written on the wall," replied the managing editor. "This story was printed more than a year ago, yet Ford hasn't started his expedition. Money hasn't held him up for he has plenty to finance any such trip. What did? Something must have happened to his source of information. Either it vanished or he has had to do far more work in ferreting out the facts than he expected. In either case I'm betting that Ford came here under an assumed name and went into the Cedar river valley for the one and only purpose of learning something which is vital to the success of his treasure hunt." "If he is seeking information in connection with the treasure of the _Southern Queen_ that would explain his use of an assumed name and his evasion of reporters," agreed Tim. "It would also account for the presence of Sladek, who tries to vote himself into anything that looks like easy money."