of that island forest. Suddenly, as he burst his way
through a thicket, he was confronted by the log-hut so lately occupied
by the "river-traders." Winn shouted as he approached it; but, of
course, received no reply. It had the lonely look of a place long
deserted, and the boy paused for but a single glance into its
uninviting interior. Then, getting his bearings anew by the sun that
was beginning to struggle through the clouds, he pushed his way
resolutely towards the western side of the island, which, somewhat to
his surprise, he reached a few minutes later.

He emerged from the timber at the abandoned camp of the traders; but
without stopping to examine it, he ran to the water's edge, and gazed
anxiously both up and down stream. There was no sign of the raft nor
of any moving object. "It must be farther up, around that point,"
thought Winn, and he hurried in that direction. From one point to
another he thus pursued his anxious way until the head of the island
was once more in sight. Then he knew that he must have passed the
place where the raft had been, and that it was gone.

As a realizing sense of how he had been duped and of his present
situation flashed through his mind, the poor boy sat down on a log, too
bewildered to act, or even to think.

CHAPTER IX.

ALONE ON THE ISLAND.

Winn Caspar was indeed unhappy as he sat on that log and gazed
hopelessly out over the sparkling waters, on which the sun was now
shining brightly. Although he had explored only a portion of the
island, he felt that he was alone on it. But that was by no means the
worst of the situation. The raft in which he had taken so much pride,
his father's raft upon which so much depended, the raft on which he had
expected to float out into the great world, was gone, and he was
powerless to follow it. All through his own fault, too! This thought
was the hardest to bear. Why, even Elta would have known better. Of
course she would. Any one but he would, and she was wiser than almost
any one he knew. How dearly he loved this wise little sister, and to
think that he had parted with her in anger! When was that? Only last
evening! Impossible! It must have been weeks ago. It wasn't, though!
It was only a few hours ago, and his father had hardly had time to come
and look for him yet. Perhaps he was even now on his way down the
river, and might be passing on the other side of the island.

With this thought the boy sprang