" said the Professor.

John handed it to George, and this is Blakely's letter:

"SOUTH MOUNTAIN,
Below Illya.

"My Dear Professor:

"I felt sure that my view as to the character of the mountain range
below the town was correct. Copper outcroppings were found as far
south as the range can be seen, and there is also silver in abundance.
This will surely be a profitable field for the natives. Yesterday,
while prospecting on the southeastern side of the main ridge, I was
surprised to find a part of a metal pot, evidently of cast iron. Quite
a number of articles, of no particular value were lying near, but
within the fragment of the pot, and protected by a shale of rock, was
the enclosed scrap, which I thought might interest you, as you have a
leaning in the direction of finding out hidden and abstruse things.
Probably, you can decipher what it says. All the men are well, and are
feeling jolly. We may be ready to return in a week. I hope the old
ship is coming along all right.

"Hurriedly, as ever,

"BLAKELY."

"That is satisfactory. Blakely is the right man for his job," remarked
John.

"Now, let us see what the scrap has to say," said the Professor.

John held the scrap up to the light, and all peered at it. "I think
there are cross lines on it, although I am not quite sure," he said, as
he again held it up so the light could flash through it.

"What difference would that make whether it had or it hadn't cross
lines?" asked Harry.

"Simply this: I wanted to satisfy myself whether or not it was taken
from a ship's pad, which is generally ruled both ways."

"What is the object of having paper ruled both ways?"

"It is a convenient way of making calculations where measurements are
necessary, as is the case in figuring out and placing the different
celestial marks which guide the sailors. I think this is a marine pad.
Now, let us see what it contains, before we go further."

"See the name signed at the bottom," cried out George. "W-a-l-t. That
must be a 't'. But the rest is blurred."

"I wonder if that isn't Walter?" said Harry.

"Who is Walter?" asked John.

"Walter? Why he is the man who signed the note we found on the
_Investigator's_ life boat No. 3 and from whom we ha