have not yet questioned him."

Clifford looked at the boys curiously. "Are you the boys that Mr. Varney
spoke about?"

"I suppose we are," said Harry.

"His story interested me very much. I learn that you have a regular
manufacturing town here, and that you built all these things without any
outside help, before you communicated with the outside world."

"Yes; and we had a glorious time doing it, too, but we owe everything to
the Professor and John."

"That is really commendable to hear you say so. But you said, Mr.
Varney, that Walter told you Clifford limped, and it was on account of
this peculiarity you were led to believe that the dead man on Venture
Island was Clifford?"

"One of the three men with Walter, was lame."

"Then it must have been one of his party that was murdered?"

"But Walter was explicit to tell us that one of your legs was shorter
than the other. I early learned that such was not the case, and that is
what confused me in identifying you. But there is also another thing
which I could not understand."

"What is that?"

"Ephraim Wilmar."

"Stop! stop!" almost shouted Clifford. "You said _Ephraim Wilmar_. Do
you know him?"

"Know him? He is here on the island."

"When did he come? Where is he?"

"He lives on an island north of the place we found you, and is Chief of
a tribe there."

"Chief of a tribe!" he exclaimed. "An island to the north,--the
_triangle_,"--and the boys rose from their seats in the excitement.

"Where is Walter's letter?--Quick," said Harry.

George fumbled in his pockets with eagerness. "Is that the triangle?"
eagerly questioned Harry.

"Yes, yes; there it is again. The three islands, and the arrow."

"But what does the star mean,--the star that follows, as you see?"

"That,--that is to show the position of the three islands."

"Position of the three islands? What islands? and how does it tell the
positions?" George was fairly frantic now.

"There must be three islands, and one of them was the one I was on when
you found me, and one is here, because Mr. Varney told me about this
one, and then there is another, which you said was to the north
of,--of--"

"Hutoton," said John.

"Yes; Hutoton. But the positions! Yes; you will understand! One point is
the Southern Cross, near the South polar Circle, the second point is the
fixed star Antares, and the third is the fixed star Spica, which,
together form a perfect triangle, one limb of which passes through