"But how could any of these methods be used with the buckwheat?"
"An entirely different method is used in cultivating vegetation of that kind. You probably have seen wild oats growing here, as in the States. In its wild or native state the grains are so small as to be utterly useless. It is found that by taking this wild plant and changing the soil in which it grows, the seed will finally develop and become larger, until, in time, we get the full grain. The same thing is true in the development of fruit which is full of seeds. The banana in its wild state is full of seeds. By this process of cultivation it has finally become entirely seedless, and the value of the fruit greatly enhanced."
Beyond the Cataract was a low and level stretch of meadow, which the Professor thought was rich and could be readily worked, and it was the field which they determined to devote to agricultural purposes.
In the meantime, the plans for the boat were developed. A description of the recovered after part of the life-boat will make their plans better understood. When they landed on the rock, and its forward part was crushed and washed away, they saw the stern portion lodged in a saddle in the rocks. It was there for an instant only, as the next wave dislodged it, and when it was eventually found, months afterwards, it had caught in the rocks a hundred feet further inland.
The part which they recovered was still in a good condition, but the ruptured portion of the hull was a broken up and splintered mass, so that it would require considerable work to prepare it to receive the bow part which was now to be grafted on.
It had been originally sixteen feet long, with a five-foot beam. Harry's plan was to increase the new vessel to a length of twenty feet, and its extreme breadth six and a half feet, and in order to give greater security and carrying capacity, it should have a depth of two and a half feet.
"How much are you calculating on for the weight to be carried on the new boat?" was the Professor's question.
"I am estimating that the passenger weight will be 400 pounds and the weight of the boat itself at 500 pounds."
"That is a very liberal estimate. Have you considered the mast and sails?"
"That is something entirely beyond my knowledge. I do not know what kind of sail; or how large it shall be; nor the length or size of the masts. If I knew something about the kinds of sails used for vessels I might be able to decide on that as well as the other parts."
"The term ship, as usually applied, has reference to a vessel furnished with a bowsprit and three masts—a mainmast, a foremast and a mizzenmast; and these three masts are each composed of three parts, namely, a lowermast, a topmast, and a topgallant mast."
"The bowsprit is that mast which projects forward from the bow, isn't it?"
"Yes. In small vessels the cutter and the sloop have single masts, the difference being that in the cutter the jib-boom has no stay to support it."
"What's the difference between the jib-boom and the bowsprit; they both project out from the bow of the vessel?"
"The bowsprit projects out only a little forward of the bow, and the jib-boom is attached to the forward end of the bowsprit."
"Well, if we are to have only one mast, should we have a bowsprit?"
"It is not necessary, for the reason that in a small boat the boom, as it is called, to stretch the foot of the sail, runs out directly from the foot of the mast to which it is pivotally hinged."
"Then it would be better to have a single mast and a triangular sail, one side of the sail to be attached to the mast, and one of the other sides to the boom?"
"Yes; excepting that the sail must not be attached to the shaft, but to a cable which is run up the mast."
As the vessel was intended not for speed, but for safety and for ease of management, it was finally decided that the mast should be twenty feet long, and the boom sixteen feet, thus giving a sail area, approximately, of 150 square feet.
While it was true that up to this time they had indirect evidence only of the existence of human beings on the island, several events occurred, at this time, which not only pointed more clearly to such a condition, but they began to feel that leaving the Cataract would be a hazardous thing.
The first incident occurred during one of the hunting expeditions in which the boys engaged. It had been their custom to penetrate the forest below the South River, not very far, it is true, but the sport there was most exhilarating to them after each week's work.
The Professor had always encouraged this. "You have not taken your usual weekly outing," he remarked, "and I feel we ought to have some wild game. If you have time, on your next trip, make it a point to explore the region to the south and west of the falls."
"That section interests me also," answered George. "I have often wished we could go down near the mountain range."
"Couldn't you go with us?" interposed Harry, "and let us make a day of it?"
"I should like to do so," he replied. "But I have good reason for declining at this time, on account of some special work which is attracting my attention, particularly in preparing the instruments we shall need on our voyage."
"That is true," answered George. "But we shall certainly start early enough in the morning to enable us to visit that section, and go far enough to get some idea of what it looks like near the mountain."
"It would be a good idea," suggested Harry, "to take the team along, as far as the river, at any rate, and that will give us an opportunity to ride going and coming. In that way it will help us."
"Yes; and to carry the game," said George, with a laugh.
"If you bag as big game as you did on the last trip, you will need the wagon," replied the Professor.
They were on the way early in the morning, with the guns and plenty of ammunition, and before nine o'clock reached the river. Scarcity of rains had considerably lowered the stream, and they discussed the advisability of fording the team across.
"I am in favor of the idea, if the stream isn't too deep. It seems to be shallow enough."
"Suppose, George, we take out the raft, and try the depth. If we find the animals will have to swim, we had better leave them on this side."
The raft was launched, and it was pushed out with the poles, but before going very far it was seen that the idea was impracticable, and it might be a hazardous operation.
"This won't do. Besides, we may not be able to go into the woods very far, in any event."
"Then," said Harry, "we must select a good place for the team, where they will be in reach of water, and cut plenty of feed for the yaks, as I can see a good half day's sport before us."
"I hope, Harry, we shall not make the mistake of getting lost this time. Let us keep the sun in mind, and watch our bearings at all times."
"The mountains to the south will always be a guide for us. Don't forget that. Then, we shall also know the river is to the north, or in the opposite direction from the mountains."
"So that we may know just where the team is, we must take a note of its location. See the four large trees near the other bank. I think we can remember them, and can see them for some distance."
The raft was pushed across the river, and when it had been properly secured, they began the march directly to the southwest, and within a half hour reached the border line of the great forest.
"Six months ago I would have dreaded to enter such a dense wood as this," said George.
"I was thinking of that, too," replied Harry. "Isn't it singular how we become used to dangers? This is fun now. I can never forget the first long trip we made through the forest to the west of the Cataract. I was frightened at every step, and started at the least noise."
As they entered, the underbrush grew thinner, but the trees were more massive and thicker, and they were so close together, in many places, that little sunlight found its way through the foliage.
"I would like to know, Harry, how we can tell where the mountains are? The trees do not give us an opportunity."
"I suppose we shall have to depend on the sun altogether."
"Yes; it is now forenoon, and we must not forget that the shadow will point in a different direction in six hours from now."
"I have taken note of that," replied Harry. "We are now following our shadow, see? In six hours, which will be about four o'clock, which direction must we go to reach the wagon, judging by the shadow?"
"Let me see; the shadow is to the southwest now. At four this afternoon, it will be about southeast, so, I suppose, we shall have to take a course with the shadow at our right hand."
"Correct! I haven't forgotten that point about the shadows. It's really simple if you stop to reason it out."
Although numerous small animals appeared at frequent intervals, neither had an opportunity to try his skill, because up to that time the boys had been too intent on noting the direction of their route. The course was kept up due southwest, as planned.
"Did you ever see such a gloomy place?" remarked George. "If it wasn't for the chirping of the birds and the chatter of the little animals it would make me feel mighty lonely."
"Ah! there is something!" quietly whispered Harry, as he held out his arm, as though to restrain George. "See that animal slinking away?"
"Where?"
"Almost directly in front. Come closer. See that broken tree?"
"That's an ocelot," exclaimed George.
"Are you sure?"
"Just like the ones we got."
"Oh, this one's much larger."
"Shall we make a try for him?"
"Certainly; if we can get close enough," answered Harry.
The boys moved forward stealthily, using the most convenient trees to hide their movements. The animal was very wary, and the boys knew that the distance was too great to attempt a shot.
"Let us keep on after him. We may get a chance sooner or later," remarked Harry, eagerly.
But the animal kept beyond their reach, and after a half hour it finally forged ahead with such speed that it was soon lost to view, to the great disappointment of the hunters.
"Now, if we can get a glimpse of the sun we shall know what our direction is. This is the most wonderful forest I have ever seen."
"It seems to me we have gone considerably to the right. How far are we from the river, according to your calculations?"
"Well, Harry, I am not good at guessing, but I suppose we have traveled at a pretty lively rate while going after the ocelot. We certainly made two miles trailing him; and it was as much more from the river to the forest. I should say we are fully six miles from it."
"I wish we could get a glimpse of the mountains," answered Harry. "I wonder why the Professor has always been so anxious to investigate this part of the island?"
"That is a mystery to me. It may be merely a natural curiosity."
The boys noted the gradual ascent they were making now, and it was also obvious that the trees were not so thick nor so tall, in comparison with those farther north.
"Do you suppose we are near the base of the mountain?" asked Harry.
"It must be we are near it, or we should not be going up so gradually, as we have done for the last hour."
When several more miles had been added, the woods thinned out perceptibly, and when the clearing was sufficient to enable them to get the first glimpse to the south, Harry remarked:
"Well, there are the mountains, and they seem as far away as when we left the river. Suppose we follow this ridge to the west. You see, there is another forest between us and the mountains."
As they advanced the trees were smaller, and there was every evidence that this was a young forest. There was an abundance of the finest grass, and here they found immense flocks of beautiful pheasants and numerous other birds that were unknown to the boys, and it was not long until they had more than a dozen of different varieties.
"This is getting to be a pretty heavy load," remarked Harry. "I think it would be a good plan to find a place for the game, and then come back and take it as we return."
"Yes; we ought to do that. What time do you suppose it is?"
"It must be past noon, and I am pretty hungry. Why not take our luncheon now?"
"Good idea. Look over to the right. It seems pretty clear there, and the two large trees there will make a good point to aim for on our way back. We can use the log there to rest and spread out our luncheon on," remarked George, as he pointed to the direction of the trees.
He kept looking in that direction intently, as Harry watched him. "What do you see?" Harry asked.
"That looks like a hut."
"So it does," replied Harry, excitedly. "It may be only a large rock, however," he continued.
"No; it doesn't look like a rock to me. Let us move up closer."
The object was fully a thousand feet away, and on a slight crest with few trees about. It was round-topped, very uneven in its outline, which gave it the appearance of a large boulder.
The boys approached cautiously, and as they came nearer, another but smaller object of the same character was noticed to the left.
"That is surely a hut of some kind. See the door at the side of the one to the left?"
"You may be right, Harry, but this seems to be an out-of-the-way place for a village or habitation. You know the Professor stated on one occasion, that even savages were smart enough to plan their homes near running water, and why they should select this place, when they could easily find plenty of water not far away, is something I can't understand."
"Dead sure there is nobody here now. Look at the vines growing across the door opening. Isn't this a find? I wish the Professor could see this."
"Better wait wishing until we see it. We might find something that will surprise us."
"All right, George; let us get up, closer; I am anxious to see the door of the big hut. Let us go around to the other side."
Without approaching the clearing which extended out a considerable distance from the huts, the boys made a circle, until the open door of the large one was in sight, and they were, therefore, directly behind the smaller hut.
"Now let us go up behind this one. If there is anybody in the large one we can easily see him," quietly remarked Harry.
The weeds all about indicated that no one was living there at the time, but they were still too far from the main structure to be able to judge positively.
"What's this?" asked George, kicking at some broad-leaved specimens of vegetables. "See, they are in rows. Some one has had a garden here; that is sure."
"This is certainly getting to be interesting. No; I don't believe there is any one about. Still I don't like the idea of going up to that big hut with the open door."
The boys looked at each other inquiringly. The question was, what to do and how to do it.
"Suppose we fire a shot; that ought to arouse them."
"That would be a good idea, Harry, but I hate to waste the shot. We might call, and see if we can get an answer."
The plan was adopted and after each "Hello!" a slight answering echo came back. There was no response, and they boldly marched up to the open doorway.
There was no light within, other than that through the door, except a little streak from an opening, due to the partially decayed coating of the hut. There was sufficient light, however, to show that this had been occupied by people who were very primitive, as in the interior, at one side, was a pile of bones, scattered about, and a few broken clay vessels, as well as several clam shells, which had been ground to a cutting edge, the examination of which caused the boys to smile.
"Well, what do you think of this? Nothing but bones and dirt everywhere. I suppose it must have been occupied by the savages."
The large hut was circular in form, not exceeding twelve or fifteen feet in diameter, and its extreme height was probably eight feet. It was built of a framework of saplings, the thickest of them not exceeding two inches in diameter, which had been planted in the earth, and then had the tops bent over and bound together.
Smaller branches, or withes, were then run around and interlaced, so as to make the web fairly close, and over this was plastered a species of blue clay, which, when dried and baked by the sun, formed an impervious coating that kept out the rain.
The boys marveled at the construction, because this was the first example of savage architecture they had seen. The smaller hut was distant about fifty feet, similarly made, but smaller in diameter.
"Let us examine the other place. Possibly that will give us some clue," and Harry started across the intervening space, while George was still rummaging about, uncovering the odds and ends and raking them toward the door.
Before Harry reached the hut, George cried out: "Come here, Harry; I have found something." And he held up a scrap of paper. "If the savages have been here they have left something that looks like writing."
Harry was back in an instant, and leaned over George's shoulder as he tried to make out the scrawls on the piece of blackened and crumpled sheet which he was smoothing out. The paper was about four by six inches in size, and evidently a good quality of wrapping paper, known as manilla.
"There are words here, sure enough. Look at this—it must be a name. Yes; can you read it? 'Rogers.' But who has signed it? Can you make that out?"
"Well, if there is one scrap, the chances are there must be some more. Let us get this stuff out of here."
"But be careful, Harry. I found this by the merest accident, and as it is, you will see I have torn it."
A more careful search was now begun, and every scrap was raked out and examined. A brass button was among the things; a buckle; the broken blade of a knife; a little metal disk, which might have been part of a locket case; a steel ring, all rusted and about two inches in diameter.
As these things were successively brought to light, it dawned on the boys that this might well have been the homes of savages, and the articles mentioned were likely taken from captives. The message on the paper, if it could be deciphered, might be the most valuable clue, but they were reserving that for examination later on, when they could have the assistance of the Professor.
The important thing now was to go over every bit of material in both places, and then make a survey of the surrounding country. It set at doubt all questions in their minds about the inhabitants of the country.
The small hut was visited, and here the litter was still more profuse, but after every scrap had been gone over, there was nothing to add to the small accumulation which they had taken from the other hut.
"Shall we go any farther?" asked George.
"It seems to me that this is enough for one day. Before going back, however, let us look all around this place. You know the Professor will be sure to want to know everything about it."
Directly west of the knoll, on which the huts were situated, was a slight declivity. "Let us go down the hill for several hundred feet," said George, as he led the way through the tangled brush.
Within a hundred feet of the hut was a little brook, with the clearest cold water. "I can see why the huts were placed there. Look at that spring."
Within fifty feet of their position was a slightly shelving rock, and below it a bubbling spring flowing upwardly into a semicircular basin formed in the rock.
George ran forward and made a quick survey. "Here is a metal drinking cup, just as they left it. My, but it's heavy!"
"I wonder what it is made of? Here, rub it."
Only a few passes were made over it, when he held it up in astonishment. "Why, it looks like silver."
"So it does," broke in Harry. "But what is this on the side? See those initials: 'A.W.'"
"I must have a drink before I leave this," and Harry removed the little copper cup which he always carried. "What a peculiar water this is! It must be a kind of mineral water."
"Yes," responded George; "that is sulphur water, or it has considerable sulphur in it."
"I wonder if this was a health resort for the savages?" asked Harry, as he laughed.
"Let's start for home at once," remarked George, without noticing Harry's sarcastic fling at the poor inhabitants.
The boys secured a convenient pole, over which they slung the braces of game, and started out on the march for the river. It was fully three o'clock before they were ready to start.
"See here, Harry, there is something we have forgotten, and I begin to feel it now."
"What is that?"
"Our luncheon."
"I was so excited and interested that I forgot all about it until now. Why not go back to the spring and take luncheon there?"
"With that water? I'd rather wait until we get to the river."
"Well, let's take something, anyhow. I am mighty hungry. Funny we didn't think of it before."
"Now for our direction. Do you think we can strike the river at the right place?"
"I'll be perfectly satisfied if we strike the river anywhere."
"Then why not go directly north, and we can reach it a mile or two sooner than the way we are now going."
"Good idea! Here we go!"
It was a lucky thing that they decided to take a different course from the river, because they soon discovered that the ridge they were on ran for a long distance almost directly north, and that the woods were not nearly so dense as they were in the course they had followed.
At frequent intervals they came upon new game, and brought down a number of additional specimens, until Harry protested against any further stopping.
"It seems to me we have enough to last a week, and it is getting mighty heavy at this end of the pole."
"Well, it does seem to be an awful distance over to the river. Are you sure we aren't mixed up in the direction?"
"Of course not. The mountains are right behind us, and the shadow at our right. You can't fool me the second time," answered Harry, as he shifted the pole to the other shoulder.
While thus talking they caught the first glimpse of the river, and it was hailed with delight.
"Whenever I get near the old river it feels like home. My! how I would like to put in several days in a further hunt over toward the mountains. I am sure we would turn up something there."
They reached the river a considerable distance above the falls, and without stopping to rest, went down along the bank for a full hour before they came within hearing of the rushing water.
They sat down on the craggy rocks alongside of the stream and took a good rest. "This will be interesting news for the Professor," said George, musingly, as he watched the rushing stream.
"Indeed, it will. I should not be surprised to find that the natives are directly south of us, or rather west of the mountains."
"That may account for the fact that they have never been near our part of the island."
When they took up the load to resume the journey, it was still heavier, apparently, than before, and they were now so thoroughly tired that frequent stops were made, but in another hour they had the satisfaction of seeing the large trees that had been singled out for their guidance.
It was a great relief to deposit the load on the raft, and it did not take long to swing the raft under the wagon and start the yaks on the homeward journey. The Cataract came in sight before six in the evening, and the Professor was on hand to welcome them.
"Did you have a good time?" he inquired; but as he looked over the tailboard and saw the fruit of the hunt, exclaimed: "You must have gotten everything over there."
"Yes, and something else besides that," said Harry in such a tone that the Professor anxiously asked:
"What; have you made any discoveries?"
"Look at that," replied George, as he carefully drew out the discolored paper with the writing on it. "We not only found this, but we discovered some huts—two of them, fully six miles or more southwest of the falls."
The Professor's eyes opened wide. "This is, indeed, interesting. But never mind about telling me now. Let us get the team unhitched and examine this when we get inside. I had a suspicion that the other side of the river would give us some clue."
While Harry and the Professor were putting up the team George prepared several of the pheasants for the evening meal, and they were soon in the oven. By common consent the meal was of more importance than the new finds, and when the dishes were removed the paper was carefully examined.
"If I knew just what was used for the writing, I might suggest something that would bring it out more clearly. It is evident that the writer did not use ink."
"Why do you think so?"
"Simply for the reason that this name, Rogers, which is the most plainly written, has the words only on the surface of the paper. If ink had been used it would have penetrated the fiber, and the writing would thus have been preserved."
"Where did you find the paper?"
"It was among a mass of rubbish, which, on account of the poor light, was raked out to a point nearer the door, so we could examine the material better, and I don't know whether it was with the pile of bones or with the stuff on the other side."
"Was the grass about the hut as high as the grass round about the place?"
"It seemed to be. We made a pretty careful examination all over, so as to give us a fair idea of the condition of things."
"How far was the spring from the hut?"
"Less than a hundred feet."
"By the way," remarked Harry, "we forgot to say that close to the small hut we found some vegetables growing in several rows, and weeds all over the place and between the vegetables."
"Do you think," asked George, "that the vegetable garden is any sign that white people have been living there?"
"It may be; but the lowest savages have usually some form of knowledge about raising and caring for vegetables, so we should not count too much on that. This cup here seems to indicate the presence of some civilized being, whoever he may be."
"It is just as likely, is it not, that the savages may have captured a prisoner who had the cup?"
"That is one solution. This writing is the most important piece of information we have had up to this time. It is not at all likely that the natives would preserve it, so that the only conclusion I can draw from it is, that the one who wrote the message, or the one who got the paper, was at the hut, and now the important thing is to arrive at some sort of idea when, and what the message means."
"It does not seem," remarked Harry, as he carefully scanned the paper, "that we can make out more than a few of the words. Here is the word which looks like 'river.' Yes; I am sure of that."
"And besides that the words 'of' and a capital letter 'B,' and something that looks like 'r-e-n,' which may be simply part of a word," added George.
"As this is simply ordinary wrapping paper, it is likely that it may have no meaning whatever. Still, I have been trying to recall whether anyone on shipboard had a name that these initials would fit. My limited knowledge in that direction does not help me, I confess."
"What do you suppose the cup is made of?"
"That is undoubtedly silver, or some alloy of metals of which silver is the principal part. It is very hard, as you notice. It is certainly a singular thing that a vessel of this kind should be left at the springs, if the owner of it was there, and it is just as remarkable that the natives would permit it to remain there. I now regard the finding of the cup as of far more importance than the paper, because of these considerations."
"Well, the finding of the huts, and these articles, are pretty strong arguments in favor of our purpose to find the people who owned the things we found there," responded Harry.
"But I have also a little news to impart," said the Professor.
"What is it?" asked the boys in concert.
"I have found a companion to the skeleton we discovered on the beach, and also some information about the inhabitants of the island."
"Tell us about it. Where did you come across it?"
"It isn't much of a story, but an hour or so after you left, I felt like taking a little stroll, so I crossed the valley east of us, and skirted the incline beyond, going toward the cliffs fronting the sea. Ever since we found the skeleton I felt that, unless washed out to sea, there might be some other traces of the wreck.
"I was quite unprepared to make any searches along the hillside, except for evidences of minerals, and particularly to note the peculiar outcropping of the rock on this side of the ridge which terminates at Observation Hill.
"The backbone of the ridge is limestone, and after I had reached a certain level I noted, all along, that the rock had remarkably wide cleavages; that is where there had been breaks in the rock the seams opened, and in some places I found recesses fully six feet wide, and thus caverns, sometimes thirty or forty feet in length, would be formed.
"I explored some of them in the hope that it would lead me to a cave of some extent, but in this I was disappointed. Such may be the case, but I have not discovered anything which leads me to believe that there are other caves than the one we explored.
"I entered one of those, which was a long way this side of Observation point, and there, on a rude sort of improvised wooden cot, was a skeleton. I found a half dozen arrows, lying near, but neither a bow nor any other kind of weapon was anywhere in sight.
"The skeleton showed that it was the remains of a tall man, past middle age, undoubtedly, and there was no evidence that he came to his death by any wound which effected a fracture of any of his bones. The cot on which the skeleton reposed was made of pieces of wood, in a complete state of decay, and there was not a vestige of clothing, jewelry or pocket articles at or near the bones.
"I found two of the arrows near one hand, and the others lying about. Here they are. Handle them carefully, as they are decayed, and will readily fall to pieces, unless you use the utmost care. That is my story. I hunted all about the vicinity, hoping that I might find some additional clues, but I was disappointed."
"Do you think he had any connection with the skeleton we found on shore?"
"No; it does not seem likely. My reason for saying so is, that it would take several years for wood to decay, as you see in the case of these arrows, and the cot had the heaviest portions all rotted. In my opinion this skeleton shows greater age."
"Under conditions of that kind, what sort of story could you weave out of it, so as to determine what happened to him?"
"It is decidedly more interesting than our adventure, and about as difficult to gather any information from," answered Harry.
"In my opinion, the man died from starvation, as you say he had no tools or implements of any kind," replied George.
"That may be; but it appears entirely different to me. The man was, undoubtedly, cast ashore, or was shipwrecked. We have evidence that this island is noted for taking in people that way. He may or he may not have had clothing, but in either event, he could not starve in a place like this, with vegetation around him everywhere and at all seasons of the year.
"I am picturing this condition of affairs in my mind: He was, no doubt, out in quest of food, when he was attacked by the natives and escaped from them. He was wounded by them, and when he reached his shelter, removed the arrows, as I found them near his bones. It is probable that his wounds proved fatal shortly after he reached the cave."
"But how do you account for the cot on which he was lying?"
"It would be the most natural thing for him to find a place to shelter himself. That would be the first thing to do; just as he had a place to retreat to, and was fortunate enough to elude his pursuers, who were not aware of the hiding place."
"That seems reasonable," remarked George. "But it seems to point one way sure; that we have a pretty tough lot of people on the island to deal with, and satisfies me that we are going about it the right way, in making the proper preparations for the time when we must meet them."
The greatest activity was now manifested in every direction. The Professor was here, there and everywhere, taking part in every sort of labor which the different work required. Part of the time he was in the meadow where George was engaged in plowing up an acre of ground for the garden.
It must not be concluded for one moment, that the scheme of eventually leaving the island had been forgotten and that their preparation for planting crops foreboded an indefinite stay.
It will be recalled that the Professor knew what idleness and an unoccupied mind would do to the boys in their situation. He tried in many insidious ways to stimulate the boys to think out and carry forward original work, and in almost every instance he succeeded in doing this in such a way that the boys themselves suggested the work to be done.
Harry was the builder, and the utilizer of the knowledge gained, and George was content at the arrangement which kept him in the workshop with the tools, while he gladly did the most of the outdoor duties.
For two weeks the boys worked without a thought of relaxation, and on this occasion, as on many others, it was incumbent on the Professor to suggest a day of sport. It was the only direction in which he at any time tried to wield the energies of the boys, and from this you may infer how intensely they were interested in the marvelous developments day by day, of which they were the important factors.
"Well," said Harry, "I must confess that I had entirely forgotten our arrangement to devote a day each week to hunting and explorations, and I didn't miss it."
"Nor did I," was George's reply: "I suppose we shall have to go, as I imagine the Professor wants to have some sport," and he laughed at the sly dig which he had given him.
The Professor smiled. "You are right, George, old as I am, I am in for sport, and fun of any kind. Why, I am just as young as you are in feeling and desires, but the difficulty is that getting old is a habit with many people. It gets on their nerves; they get some reminder of old age every day of their lives, and sometimes hourly during the day. When this goes on for three, four, five or ten years, it is too much for the most of humanity. It is taken as an accepted fact that old age means infirmity, and the break comes, not really because the body is weak and worn out, but because the mental state has contributed too much to the idea that they are no longer young and cannot be youthful, and are getting too old to enjoy things that others delight in."
The all-absorbing topic at the evening conference was to determine where the hunting exploits should next take place; whether to the west, where they had witnessed the fight between the bears for the honey tree, or to the other side of the South River, which they called their hunting preserves.
Heretofore, George had been anxious to do all the hunting along the river, but now he kept suggesting the forest to the west, and it eventually turned out that the real reason was on account of the supply of honey giving out; and he had an idea that, as they had not seen any trees with honey indications anywhere else in their wanderings, that would be the proper place to go.
His views prevailed, but it was a two-days' journey, there and back. That was the only objection; and considering that they had not taken a vacation for two weeks, this was not an extraordinary thing to do, notwithstanding the urgent work which they had started on the boat and in the agricultural line.
The next morning the yaks were yoked, the wagons supplied with their usual camping equipment, tools, weapons, provisions and the like, and a start was made before ten o'clock.
By agreement a course was marked out farther south than was taken on their previous trips, because they had never explored the country immediately north of the South River, except beyond the falls, and it was their aim to learn every foot of the territory.
On their way they passed the mysterious hole where George had his experience, and the route was also close to the spot where Harry found him when he was lost. Both places were again visited, so that samples of rock might be taken from one of the places, and the Professor hoped the clay bed on the small creek might indicate the proximity of other metals than they had been able to find previously.
Late that evening they reached the edge of the main forest, and a camp made for the night. Red Angel was with them. He was as happy at the sight of the forest as an orang well could be. It was his delight to exhibit his skill as a climber on these occasions, and where the woods were dense he would spring from limb to limb with surprising agility.
During the night, as on several previous trips, Angel exhibited his nervousness, which was attributed to the presence of some animal that alarmed him, but otherwise nothing disturbed the camp.
"How far do you think we are from the falls?" asked Harry.
The Professor made a mental calculation as he replied: "We cannot be far east of it; possibly five or ten miles at most, and it is very likely several miles south. Since you suggest it, we might deviate from our route and take it in, as to do so will not take up more than two hours of our time. It interests me because I have not examined the place from which our boat was taken. That is one of the mysteries I am most interested in."
George was anxious to get a solution of that singular occurrence and jumped at the opportunity to go there. A southwesterly course was at once marked out, and after traveling about three hours George's alert ear caught a sound, as he was at that time leading the advance. Running back he called out: "Do you hear that peculiar sound?"
The wagon stopped. In the stillness around them they could hear a faint murmuring sound.
"Do you know what that is?" The boys looked at each other. "I think," continued the Professor, "that must be the falls."
"Then why not turn to the left and go directly to the river?"
They did so, and within fifteen minutes the river was in sight. A further trip of ten minutes brought them to the foot of the falls, where the boat had been deposited nearly five months before and which had so mysteriously disappeared, only to be recovered by them and again lost by accident, as detailed.
A search along the river bank failed to reveal any trace of the tree overhanging the stream, where the oars had been placed, and instead the river washed out a small bay. All along the banks were evidences of washouts which piled up driftwood every place along the shore where there was a root or snag which would hold the accumulations. The Professor wandered down the stream, pulling out and examining pieces of the limbs, to find, if possible, whether there were any evidences of the drift having been cut by human agencies.
So far as could be seen, the limbs had all been broken, not cut, and this was a relief, in a sense. The South River drained a large part of the island, and it might rightly be inferred that the driftwood in a stream of this kind, if it flowed through a region inhabited by man, would show some signs which they might interpret.
As they were returning George pointed across the river at a peculiarly shaped log, or what appeared to be portion of a large tree. The river at this point was about seventy-five feet wide. The Professor was silent for some time. "My eyesight is not of the best, but it does not look to me like a tree."
"I can easily swim the stream," and Harry had his clothing off in short order, and plunged in. Gaining the other side, he drew himself up, and without touching a thing in and about the debris, called out excitedly: "It is a boat, something like our life-boat! Yes; it is exactly like our boat!"
"Can you dislodge it? If not, I'll come over."
"Never mind, I can manage it, I think."
The interior of the boat was filled with accumulated material of all sorts, principally leaves and bark, and when it had been lightened of all that weight Harry put his shoulder against the stern, and soon succeeded in dislodging it from its seat against the tree which held it a prisoner.
Just before he had it in a position to launch the Professor called out: "Don't put it in the water until you have found something which will serve as a paddle." The stream at this point, being less than a half mile below the falls, had a fairly good current, so that without an oar of some kind he would not be able readily to get it across.
"I can't find any signs of oars, so I will take a piece of this wood."
He ferried it across, and landed a hundred feet below. As he neared the shore George sprang toward it excitedly, and cried out: "Look at that! See the name, 'Investigator'!"
Harry stopped rowing, and bent over the side of the craft; there, plainly, near the stern, was the word "Investigator" followed by the letter "L." The space beyond the letter L was broken, and if anything else had originally been in that space it had been brushed off by contact with some outside object.
This was, undoubtedly, one of the companion lifeboats of their ill-fated ship.
"How do you suppose this boat ever got here?"
"It undoubtedly came over the falls, and if so, it must have come from the interior of the island. My only solution is, that our companions in this boat were also, like us, cast ashore, or, at any rate, the boat itself was, and if they reached land safely probably used this boat on the river."
"Isn't it singular that this boat has been treated just as our boat was, since they removed the lockers? Why should they do that?"
"The interesting thing to me is," answered the Professor, "why the boat was lost by them, if it ever was in the possession of our friends on the island?"
"Possibly the natives may have captured or killed them."
"That is a plausible explanation, but there may be a reason which is entirely different from anything which now occurs to us. I believe a search of the island will show that we are not the only white people living here, and that the loss of the boat indicates that they are not on friendly terms with the natives."
All thoughts of hunting were now dissipated. It did not interest them in the least.
They sat down and debated the discovery. Undoubtedly, it had drifted down South River and gone over the falls, as the indented sides and bottom of the boat plainly showed. How far had the river carried it before the falls were reached? It was a matter of regret now that they had passed up the river before the animal trail in their path had caused them to leave it, instead of trying to discover its source.
Something must be done. Their companions must be in peril. That was a situation hinted at by the Professor. They had a duty to perform, if such should turn out to be the case. With many misgivings they decided that they must follow up the stream, cost what it might. No provision had been made for a lengthy trip, but, fortunately, they had plenty of ammunition, and as to food, they could supplement what they had by forage along the way, as they had often done before.
"What shall we do with the boat?"
"Let us find a place for it far enough from the shore to be beyond reach of the river, and hide it, so there will be no further danger of its disappearance."
"We are so used to have things get away from us that it has become a habit," said Harry, laughing.
While they were engaged in the task of drawing the boat up, Red Angel appeared, excitedly chattering and endeavoring to attract their attention, and frequently running back in the direction of the wagon.
"What is the matter with him? I never saw him with such antics before." George, who had the greatest control over him, ran up and tried to catch him, but the little fellow avoided capture, and whenever George would get near he would spring toward the wagon, keeping up his excited gesticulations all the while.
The Professor now ran forward without another word, and Harry stood there wondering what had happened, or was about to happen. As he ran past George, who was still trying to get Angel, the Professor merely said: "He is trying to get you to go to the wagon."
The boys understood, and both started on a run. Harry was the first to get there. The team had disappeared!
Their further adventures on the island are related in the next book, entitled "The Mysteries of the Caverns."