is face became grave, and he gave a warning shake of his
head in Chris' and the captain's direction.

Charley was quick to catch its significance. "I am afraid that
carrying is too much for my shoulder," he said, quietly, "Chris, you
give the captain a hand with the canoes, and I will look after the
dinner."

No sooner had the two disappeared, than Charley turned to his chum.
"What's the trouble?" he demanded eagerly.

"Come and see," said Walter soberly.

He led the way quickly to the first building and entered the open
doorway, followed closely by Charley. At the threshold, Charley paused
in horror. The room in which he looked was about twenty by fourteen
feet in size. In the center a great slab of stone rested on four large
blocks of the same material. It had evidently once done duty as a
table for at one side of it was a bench of stone, and upon the bench
sat, or rather lolled, four white, ghastly, grinning skeletons. Death
had evidently come to the sitters like a bolt from the sky. One
rested, leaning forward, with the bony claws clinching the table, while
yet another held a pewter mug as if about to raise it to his grinning
jaws. They had evidently been feasting when the grim visitor came, for
before them on the table sat a great stone jug and dishes of crockery
stained and discolored with age.

"You acted wisely, Walt," declared Charley, recovering his composure.
"If Chris and the captain had caught sight of them, we would never have
been able to keep them on the island. We will have to work quickly and
get them out of sight before they return."

With deep repugnance the boys immediately began the grewsome task of
removing the bodies.

"We have no time to bury them now," said Walter, "let's lower them into
the pit; they will not be seen there, and we can bury them at the first
opportunity."

The lads did not linger any over their task, but quickly bore their
ghastly burdens to the wall. With the aid of grape vines, the whitened
bones were hoisted to the top of the wall and lowered into the pit.

They had only time to get back to the fire and pretend to be busy with
the dinner when the captain and Chris appeared bearing the first canoe.

"Now for the other buildings," said Charley, sharply, as the two again
disappeared, "we have got to work lively if we are to finish before
they return."

From building to building the lads swiftly passed. In all but one they
found ghastly occupants, some s