he saw something jutting up above the
water.

The boy hastily took up his ladles, and endeavoured to steer the
strange bark to the point indicated. It was a weary, troublesome task.
Then Mansy threw the line, trying to catch it in the branches, and
nearly overbalanced herself into the water.

"The rockety thing!" she exclaimed, half in alarm and half in contempt.
"I feared it 'ud go over."

"It's all right, Mansy, if you sit still," said Alfy; "but try and
paddle it with the umbrella to the tree."

So they both endeavoured to float it in the desired direction, and at
length Alfy thought he might venture to throw the rope. He did so, and
with some good effect, for it fell over a branch, and, though it did
not wind tightly round and had no firm hold, he could just give the tub
a bias in that direction.

After plying his paddles with fairly good result for a little time, he
drew in the rope, and again launched it forth at the tree top. Again
he was, to some extent, successful, and in a few minutes he was able to
float the tub in among the branches.

"Here we are!" he cried, "quite like the baby in the nursery
rhyme--'Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top,' you know, eh, Mansy dear?
Now we will tie the tub firmly to the branches, so that there will be
no fear of floating away!"

"You have managed well, Master Alfy," said Mansy, admiringly.

"Oh, but it was your idea; and look, we are not so very far from the
house!"

"I wish we were there!" sighed Mansy.

"So do I," said Alfy, "but, Mansy dear, I really am very hungry, and
you said you had something to eat in those packages!"

"And so I have," replied his old nurse. "Dear boy, you must be hungry.
I suppose the girls have something left?"

"Oh yes, quite enough for another meal, I should think! I wish we
could let them know we are safe, and not so very far away."

"Burn a light; I have some matches and a little spirit lamp. I bought
it with some other things yesterday, thinking it might be handy in the
summer, when the kitchen fire was out, to boil a little water."

"Oh, what fun!" cried Alfy. "We are just like wrecked sailors or
something, near a desert island! We'll burn some of the papers round
the parcels to make a great flare."

So the lamp was lit, and the papers burned, and Alfy waved the flimsy,
flaming torch bravely for a minute or so, that the watchers in the
island house might just catch a glimpse of them and of their position.

An answeri