rry.

"I beg your pardon, sir. You aren't the person we were seeking,"
apologized George Baker.

"Who you look for?"

"Oh, a friend of ours. I am sorry if I disturbed you. Were you up in
that tree?" demanded George, a sudden thought occurring to him. He
wondered if this questionable-looking half-breed had been up there while
they were holding their conference a short time before that.

The fellow made no reply. He stood regarding them with inquiring,
suspicious eyes until the boys grew restless under his scrutiny.

"Well, you needn't look at us that way," declared George, flushing under
the steady, disconcerting gaze of the stranger. "We don't know you and
you don't know us, and I guess you don't own the island. Come on,
fellows."

The boys started away, trudging thoughtfully towards home. As for Jane
McCarthy, the instant she reached the ground, she had scrambled to her
feet and darted into the bushes, where she threw herself on the ground,
breathing heavily, waiting for what might come. What did come amazed
her. She saw the man dash up and glance hurriedly about him. It was
evident that her fall had attracted his attention, and that he had run
to the tree, hoping to catch some one. Gazing at him through the bushes,
the girl decided that he must be an Indian. She gazed at him long and
earnestly, forgetting for the moment her own precarious position.

Then the boys came. The half-breed stood scowling after them as they
hurried away. At this juncture the "caw" of a crow was heard again. He
started slightly, bent his head and listened, but there was no
repetition of the signal, for which Crazy Jane McCarthy was devoutly
thankful. It was plain that he knew it was not a crow, that he
understood it to be a signal of some sort.

The half-breed suddenly turned, starting toward the shore of the lake at
a brisk pace, worming his way through the bushes with almost no
disturbance at all, even at the swift pace he was keeping up.

Jane had lost her fear now. The boys had gone on out of sight and sound
and the intruder was hurrying toward the lake. The girl, however, did
not dare to run. She feared to meet the Indian, so she crept along
cautiously. It was but a short distance to the shore of the lake. She
reached there after having followed the Indian's trail. Jane was just in
time to see the fellow launching a canoe. It was a dark green boat,
showing long and hard usage.

The fellow leaped in and sent the boat well out