it?"

"_I_ have it!" cried Tom, suddenly. "Fancy my not thinking of this old
sling of mine, when I've been using it all morning! I've read lots of
yarns about fellows sending messages by arrows: let's see if a stone
won't do just as well for once!"

He produced a ball of twine from his pocket as he spoke, and fastened
one end of it firmly around a jagged stone which he had picked up.

"See if you've got some more string, boys," said he; "perhaps this bit
won't be long enough."

The cord was soon lengthened sufficiently, and Tom, bidding his comrades
keep a firm hold of the other end, mounted once more upon the bowlder,
and shouted, "Fred, ahoy!"

"Hollo!" responded the islander, whose nerves were being rapidly
steadied by the prospect of help, and the sound of Tom's cheery voice.

"We're going to chuck you a line: mind and be ready to catch it."

"All right."

The stone whizzed through the air, and splashed into the water on the
other side of the islet, while Fred promptly seized the cord attached to
it.

"So far so good, as the hungry boy said when he got half way through the
pie," remarked Tom. "Now, old fellow, just knot the string to that rope
of yours, and the job's done."

Fred obeyed at once, and the two Burtons hauled in. The rope, once
landed, was quickly made fast to the nearest tree, while Fred secured
_his_ end to one of the pines on the islet. The communication was
complete.

"But what next?" asked Harry. "Do you expect the poor fellow to walk
ashore on that rope, like Blondin?"

"Not quite," said Tom, laughing. "It's a case of Mohammed and the
mountain--if he don't come to me, I must just go to him. Here goes!"

And, our hero, swinging himself up on to the rope, began to slide along
it, hand over hand, in true gymnastic style.

Taut as the line was, it yielded a little with his weight, and he came
perilously near the water midway; but the rope held firm, and in another
moment he was safe upon the islet, shaking hands heartily with the
expectant Fred.

"Mr. Robinson Crusoe, I presume?" said Tom, with a grin. "I'm the Man
Friday, at your service; and a nice little island we've got of it. Now,
old boy, there's your road open, and you've just seen the correct way to
travel it; so off with you, and show us the latest thing in gymnastics."

"What, along _that rope_?" cried Fred, with a shudder which showed that
he had not quite shaken off his panic yet. "Ugh! I couldn't. The bare
sight of t