island of San Salvador.

If there was any good in history at all (and Pee-wee had his doubts
about that) why then this mysterious island belonged to him. Miss
Bunting, if she had any sense of fairness at all, would concede this.
If the good old rule of findings is keepings applied to monarchs it
certainly applied to Boy Scouts. So Pee-wee prepared to set sail and
formally take possession of his discovery. He would sail around it as
Columbus had sailed around the coast of Cuba. . . .

Entering the troops' deserted old car he got the oars of the old flat
bottom boat belonging to the troop. He also procured a black marking
stick used for marking scout signs on rocks, and a pasteboard target on
the back of which he printed in ostentatious lettering.

THIS DESERT ISLAND IS DISCOVERED
BY WALTER HARRIS AND ALL PRETAINING
TO IT INCLUDING APPLES AND
EVERYTHING AND OTHER KINDS OF
FOOD AND WILD ANIMALS IF THERE
ARE ANY ALSO PRESIOUS METTLES AND
ALL NATIVES MUST SWEAR TO WALTER
HARRIS I MEAN THEY MUST SWEAR
ALLEAGANCE AND SAID WALTER
HARRIS SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT OF
SETTLEMENT.

P. S. ESPECIALLY APPLES.

Having thus established his rights according to the most historical
rule for the acquisition of new territory, Pee-wee set sail in his
gallant bark and after an uneventful voyage of seven minutes drew his
boat half-way up the rugged shore.

Though his back was toward the island during the entire cruise, he knew
that land was near fully a minute and a half before reaching it by the
presence of several grasshoppers kicking vainly in the surf. But what
particularly attracted his attention as indicating the presence of
human life upon the island was part of a cruller bobbing near the
shore. This startled and impressed him as the footprint in the sand
startled and impressed Robinson Crusoe.

Pee-wee could hardly believe that on the very day which had begun so
inauspiciously he had actually set foot upon a strange island, but
there it was under his very feet and it could not get away for he was
standing on it.

Having fastened his sign to the tree trunk he proceeded to explore the
island. This was done mainly with his eyes since the island was too
small for the usual form of exploration.

It consisted of a little spot of land about fifteen feet in diameter,
held together by the roots of the tree. It was hubbly and
grass-covered and one side of it had a kind of ragged edge. It seemed
to