to his feet, and hurrying to the head
of the island, eagerly scanned the waters of the main channel. There
was nothing in sight, not even a skiff or a canoe. "Even my dugout is
gone," thought Winn, with a fresh pang, for he was very fond of the
little craft that was all his own. Then he wondered how he should
attract his father's attention, and decided to build a fire, with the
hope that Major Caspar might come to it to make inquiries, and thus
effect his rescue.

Having a definite object to work for cheered the boy somewhat, and his
heart grew sensibly lighter as he began to collect wood for his fire.
But how should he light it? He had no matches. For a moment this new
difficulty seemed insurmountable; then he remembered having seen the
smouldering remains of a fire at the abandoned camp on the other side
of the island. He must go back to it at once.

Hurrying back around the head of the island, Winn reached the place
just in time to find a few embers still glowing faintly, and after
whittling a handful of shavings, he succeeded, by a great expenditure
of breath, in coaxing a tiny flame into life. Very carefully he piled
on dry chips, and then larger sticks, until finally he had a fire
warranted to live through a rain-storm. Now for another on the
opposite side of the island!

He could not carry lighted sticks the way he had come. It was too far.
He thought he could get them safely across the island, though, if he
only knew the most direct path. He would first discover this and then
return for his fire. Quite early in the search he stumbled across a
very narrow trail that seemed to lead in the right direction. By
following it he came once more to the deserted log-hut in the forest,
but search through the little clearing as he might, he could not see
that it went any farther.

Taking his bearings, after deciding to open a trail of his own from
there to the river, the boy attacked a thicket on the eastern side of
the clearing with his jack-knife. A few minutes of cutting carried him
through it, and, to his amazement, he found himself again in an
unmistakable trail. It was narrow and indistinct, but it was none the
less a trail, leading in the right direction, and the boy was woodman
enough to follow it without hesitation to the river-bank. A steamboat
was passing the island, but though Winn waved frantically to it and
shouted himself hoarse, no attention was paid to him. With a heavy
heart he watched