e 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