was unusually
strong for his age, and, in the end, he would have reached the shore.
But with a frail raft, loosely put together, and only a board to row or
paddle with, his progress was very slow.

He did make a little progress, however, but it was so little that, at
the end of fifteen minutes, he seemed as far off from the little cabin
on the cliff as ever.

"It's hard work," said Robert to himself. "I wish I had a boat. If it
were smooth water, I could get along with a raft, but now----"

He stopped short, as the raft was lifted on the crest of a wave, and he
nearly slid off into the water.

He looked back to the island and began to consider whether it would not
be best, after all, to paddle back and trust to being taken off the next
morning by some fisherman's boat.

No doubt that would have been the most sensible thing to do, but Robert
was very reluctant to relinquish his project.

Had he not devoted several hours to constructing the raft he was trying
to navigate and should he allow this time to be thrown away?

Again, the prospect of passing a night upon Egg Island was not very
inviting. There was nothing to fear, of course, for the island was too
small to be infested by wild animals or even snakes. He could no doubt
sleep some, even if his bed were not very comfortable.

Robert looked back. By this time he was half a mile, at a rough guess,
from Egg Island, and between his raft and the mainland there intervened
probably two miles and a half of rough sea.

"If I can get within half a mile of shore," thought our young hero, "I
won't care for the raft any longer. I will plunge into the waves and
swim to the shore."

He looked toward the shore.

There, in plain view, was the humble cabin which he called home. Inside
doubtless was his aunt, worrying perhaps about his absence.

"How delighted she will be when I tell her of the money I have found!"
thought Robert joyfully. "Come, Bob, brace up now and push out boldly
for home."

With his eyes fixed on the cabin, our young hero used his paddle with
such energy that, in the course of half an hour or thereabouts, he was
about a mile farther on his way.

He had gone half way, and though he was somewhat fatigued, he was strong
and muscular, and the chances were that he would be able to hold out
till he reached the boat landing.

But now a new danger threatened itself.

The assaults of the sea had strained heavily the raft, which he had not
been able, f