The party’s happiness was mingled with sadness. One adventure was over. Derek’s father’s claim was safe. The quest had been successful. But Brom Zook, Derek’s father, was still missing.
“I can’t ask you to stay with me any longer,” Derek said. “You’ve done more than enough for me.”
“I’ll stick with you as long as you want me to, Derek,” Charlie Keene said.
“That goes for me, too, Derek,” Biff added, hoping his uncle would not mention school. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to stay on in Martinique for a while. I’m going to every town and village on the island until I make as certain as possible my father isn’t here. Then—then—” Derek stopped.
Biff knew what his friend was thinking. He knew that Derek would then have to come to the conclusion that his father had been lost at sea.
“What about you, Crunch? Where are you going?”
“Crunch go back up mountains. Stay with little brother for while.”
“You found him? You didn’t tell us that!” Biff exclaimed.
“You too busy finding pearls. Crunch no want to bother you.”
“Well, we said we’d try to clear your brother. We still mean to do so, don’t we, Uncle Charlie?”
“You come with Crunch to talk to little brother?”
“Maybe Crunch can help Derek too,” the Indian said.
Derek touched the Indian on the arm. “Anything you do will help, Crunch. But have you any clue?”
“Crunch not sure. Hear about white man up in mountain called Carbet.”
Derek grabbed the Indian by both shoulders and shook him. “Tell me! Tell me about the white man,” he urged.
“Little brother tell story. Little brother live in mountains, in small shack. Tell about sick white man. White man come to mountains two months, maybe three months, maybe more. Long time ago. Get very sick. Priests take white man in. Maybe your father.”
“Can we go there right now?” Derek asked excitedly.
“Take long time. Hard trip up mountains.”
They started out late that afternoon. Night overtook the party before their journey was half completed. Exhausted by the hard day and the excitement of Crunch’s clue, the first real one Derek had, all four slept in the open.
By midmorning the next day, they reached the shack where Crunch’s brother Moti lived. Moti told the same story Crunch had told the day before.
“Is this place far from here?” Derek asked eagerly.