They went down to the place where Ramirez had made his camp. Here they found signs of haste and confusion. Utensils had been scattered about, and even some things of value left in the eagerness to be off. Evidence of panic was everywhere.
"There's been no lack of booze here at any rate," remarked Phil with a grin, as he looked about at a host of empty bottles.
"Drink and loot were their watchwords, like those of the old pirates," replied Benton. "'Heigh-O and a bottle of rum.' But now let's get back to the other fellows and set their minds at rest."
Great was the jubilation among their comrades when they returned with their news. It was like the passing of a nightmare. Now they had the island to themselves, and could pursue their work without the danger of being robbed and murdered.
One anxiety yet remained. Behind them the volcano reared its head, smoke still issuing from its cone, while every once in a while the earth shook with that dizzying, sickening motion. At any moment, giant subterranean forces might be unleashed that would mean their utter destruction.
"It's up to us to get a move on pronto," observed Phil. "It's too late now to do anything further today, but tomorrow morning early we've got to get on the job. If the volcano will only be good for a couple of weeks longer, we'll have nothing more to ask."
"If it doesn't stay good we find ourselves in a worse fix than the other fellows," said Dick. "They at least had a ship to get away in, but if we were driven from the island we'd have nothing but that little dory. And if a storm came up that wouldn't last for ten minutes. We'd lose not only the treasure but our lives."
"The thought came to me of seizing that ship after the fight this morning," said Benton. "Not exactly seizing it either, for it doesn't belong to us, but of getting possession of it long enough to put in it what treasure we've got, running it back to San Domingo where we could place it safely, and then coming back again to go on with our work. I've no doubt that in the scared state those fellows were we could have done it. But I dismissed the thought almost as soon as I had it, because it would lead to all sorts of complications. The best use that schooner could be to us would be to get those fellows away from the island.