, he discovered a tiny island lying almost directly underneath
him. It was hardly big enough to make a dot on the biggest map, but a
clump of trees grew in the central portion, while around the edges were
jagged rocks protecting a sandy beach and a stretch of flower-strewn
upland leading to the trees.

It looked beautiful from Rob's elevated position, and his spirits
brightened at once.

"I'll drop down and pick a bouquet," he exclaimed, and a few moments
later his feet touched the firm earth of the island.

But before he could gather a dozen of the brilliant flowers a glad
shout reached his ears, and, looking up, he saw two men running towards
him from the trees.

They were dressed in sailor fashion, but their clothing was reduced to
rags and scarcely clung to their brown, skinny bodies. As they
advanced they waved their arms wildly in the air and cried in joyful
tones:

"A boat! a boat!"

Rob stared at them wonderingly, and had much ado to prevent the poor
fellows from hugging him outright, so great was their joy at his
appearance. One of them rolled upon the ground, laughing and crying by
turns, while the other danced and cut capers until he became so
exhausted that he sank down breathless beside his comrade.

"How came you here?" then inquired the boy, in pitying tones.

"We're shipwrecked American sailors from the bark 'Cynthia Jane,' which
went down near here over a month ago," answered the smallest and
thinnest of the two. "We escaped by clinging to a bit of wreckage and
floated to this island, where we have nearly starved to death. Indeed,
we now have eaten everything on the island that was eatable, and had
your boat arrived a few days later you'd have found us lying dead upon
the beach!"

Rob listened to this sad tale with real sympathy.

"But I didn't come here in a boat," said he.

The men sprang to their feet with white, scared faces.

"No boat!" they cried; "are you, too, shipwrecked?"

"No;" he answered. "I flew here through the air." And then he
explained to them the wonderful electric traveling machine.

But the sailors had no interest whatever in the relation. Their
disappointment was something awful to witness, and one of them laid his
head upon his comrade's shoulder and wept with unrestrained grief, so
weak and discouraged had they become through suffering.

Suddenly Rob remembered that he could assist them, and took the box of
concentrated food tablets from his pocket.