crossed to the main, there separating into two
parties, one of which was to skirt the shore to the northward and
westward, whilst the other was to proceed in the opposite direction
until the two parties reunited; their object being not so much to look
out seaward--for they knew that if the raft had missed the island it
would by that time be far enough away--but rather to examine the shore
for any sign of wreckage or--the poor skipper's dead body. Henderson
and Nicholls constituted one party, whilst Gaunt and Manners formed the
other. They had not only a long, but also a most difficult journey
before them, the difficulty arising chiefly from the nature of the
ground they had to traverse; and it occupied them until well on in the
afternoon of the following day, both parties camping in the woods for
one night--and finding it anything but a pleasant experience; but
neither party found anything to throw the least light upon the fate
either of the raft or of the unfortunate man who had gone to sea in her;
and when at length they met they had at least the negative satisfaction
of being able to say that, after a thorough search of the entire
seaboard of the island, they had discovered no actual _proof_ that the
captain had lost his life.

Very fortunately for them no damage had been done either to the mill or
in the ship-yard; there was therefore no time lost in making good
deficiencies of that kind, and they were consequently enabled to resume
and carry on their shipwrights' work forthwith. But not until a full
fortnight after the gale did they finally give up the skipper as lost,
young Manners being despatched every morning to the top of the mountain
with instructions to remain there all day and maintain a constant look-
out, the party still hoping, against their better reason, that after all
the raft _might_ have held together, and that Blyth _might_, in such a
case, strive to regain the island. But at the expiration of that time
they felt that it was useless to hope further, and the watching was
discontinued.

Doctor Henderson was the hero of the next adventure which befell the
party; and a pretty state of consternation he managed to throw everybody
into for the time being, his poor wife and little Lucille especially.

It happened thus. It had been the custom of the party ever since their
landing upon the island to observe Sunday as a day of rest, the prayers
of the Episcopal Church being read, with their proper less