Produced by Curtis A Weyant and the Online Distributed Proofreading TeamIllustration DOWN THEY PLUNGED SIDE BY SIDE FROM THE ISLAND AND INTO THEWATERJACK NORTHS TREASURE HUNTOrDaring Adventures in South AmericaBYROY ROCKWOODAuthor of The Rival Ocean Divers The Cruise of theTreasure Ship A Schoolboys Pluck etciIllustratediTHE WORLD SYNDICATE PUBLISHING COCLEVELAND   NEW YORKMade in USACopyright 1907 byCHATTERTONPECK COMPANYPRESS OFTHE COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING COCLEVELANDContents     I  A Chance for a Position    II  The Test of Strength   III  A Long Trip Proposed    IV  Just in Time     V  On the Island of Robinson Crusoe    VI  A Terrible Mistake   VII  A Plea of the Enemy  VIII  The Lonely Pimento    IX  Jack Becomes an Engineer     X  A Narrow Escape    XI  Under the Head of a Jaguar   XII  Put to the Test  XIII  Precious Moments   XIV  The Attack on the Train    XV  The Treasure Island   XVI  At the Boiling Lake  XVII  In the Nitrate Fields XVIII  An Alarm of Fire   XIX  Chilians on Both Sides    XX  Preparations for Departure   XXI  A Panic on Shipboard  XXII  The Fate of Plum Plucky XXIII  Jenny  XXIV  Jack and the Ocelot   XXV  In the Quicksands  XXVI  A Night in the Jungle XXVII  Jack and the Big SnakeXXVIII  Back from the Dead  XXIX  The Treasure of the Boiling Lake   XXX  A Ride for LifeConclusionJack Norths Treasure HuntChapter IA Chance for a PositionWhere are you going JackTo the shops of John Fowler  CompanyTo look for a jobYesThen you are in luck for I heard this morning that they want anotherstriker in the lower shop at onceThen Ill istrikei for the opening at once and my name is not JackNorth if I dont land itIt will be John Slowshanks when you do get it mind me cried outanother voice from an alleyway near at hand and before Jack North orhis companion could recover from their surprise the speaker a tallawkward youth of twenty sped up the street at the top of his speedThe scene was in Bauton a large manufacturing city of New England Thefirst speaker was a workman at the shops that had been mentioned butbeyond the fact that he placed the youth before him in the way of gettingwork he needs no special introductionThe other person was a lad of eighteen with brown curly hair blue eyesand a round robust figure His name was John North and he was the son ofa couple in humble circumstancesTake care cried the man that sneak will get in ahead of you and thena snap of your little finger for your chance of getting the job atFowlersJack North did not stop to hear his friend through He was very much inneed of a situation and he knew the young man who had rushed in ahead ofhim as a bitter enemy That fact coupled with his desire to get workcaused him to dash up the street as fast as he could runNaturally the appearance of the two running at such a headlong pacearoused the attention of the passersby all of whom stopped to see whatit meant Others rushed out of their houses offices or workshops toascertain the meaning of the race until the street was lined withexcited anxious men women and childrenIs it fire asked an old grayheaded man and another catching onlythe sound of the last word repeated it and thus a wild alarm was quicklyspreadMeanwhile Jack North had found that he could not overtake his rival Hewas not a fleet runner while the other had gotten a start of him whichhe could not hope to make upBut he was too fertile in his resources to despair In fact he was neverknown to give up a contest which he had once fairly entered Thispersistence in whatever he undertook was the secret of Jack Northswonderful success amid environments which must have discouraged lesscourageous heartsStill it looked to his enemy as the latter glanced back to see himleisurely turn into a side street leading away from their destinationthat he had nothing further to fear from himThought you would be glad to give in cried out the delighted seeker ofthe situation at the engine shops and believing that he had nothingfurther to fear the awkward youth slackened his gait to a walkThough Jack turned into the alley at a moderate pace as soon as he hadgone a short distance he started again into a smart runI shall have farther to go he thought but Fret Offut will think Ihave given up and thus he will let me get in ahead of himThis seemed the truth when at last Jack came in sight of the lowwalledand scattering buildings belonging to John Fowler  Co engine buildersFret Offut was nowhere in sight as Jack entered the dark dingy office atthe lower end of the buildingsA small sized man with mutton chop side whiskers engaged in overhaulinga pile of musty papers looked up at the entrance of our heroWant a job as striker eh he asked as Jack stated his errand Ibelieve Henshaw does want another man I will call him What is yournameAlfret Offut sir Its me that wants the job and its me it belongstoIt was Jack Norths enemy who spoke as he paused on the threshold pantingfor breath while glaring at our hero with a baleful lookHow come you here he demanded of Jack a second laterMy feet brought me here and with less slowness than yours judging byyour appearance replied young NorthWith the arrival of the second person on the scene the clerk had turnedaway to find Henshaw and while