restraint was placed on any of these conferences.

When all the whites met that night you may be sure that there was a
jollification that knew no bounds. What a wonderful thing had been
accomplished. All grasped the Professor's hand, and many tears were shed
in the joy of the meeting. Six boys and three men had been rescued from
the jaws of death by the Professor and the two boys.

In less than two years they had transformed an island of savage races
into some semblance of orderly life, and inspired the people with a new
impulse. It was the first time the chiefs of the island had ever met
together. Within a week all were on friendly terms with each other.

At the conference that evening the Professor remarked: "We have now put
in nearly two years of hard work, and accomplished the most wonderful
results. The boys want to go home, and it is right that they should.
Owing to the peculiar conditions existing here, we have not been in a
position where we could take any organized steps to go home. As long as
any of our friends were in captivity it was our duty to remain."

"The situation is different now. We have really started a little empire
here. This is the 'Empire' that Harry spoke about when we landed here.
He little knew how prophetic that was. We now have the men, the
material, the energy, and the ingenuity to make anything that is made
anywhere in the world."

"We must build a ship--"

But the Professor could go no further. The boys were wild with
excitement at the news, as they gathered about him.

"But I am coming back again," cried one after the other.

"But I am not going away," added the Professor, "because I am afraid I
should never be able to come back again."

There was a tone of sadness as he said this, and it touched all the
boys. It was hard to tell whether this was an occasion for joy or
sorrow.

All knew what the Professor and John and Blakely felt, and that it
would become their great field for future work.

Here was also a field for the energies of the boys, whose abilities
could be directed into useful channels. Commercially the island was of
immense value, if properly used. So long as John and the Professor were
there no wrong speculative efforts would dare to be attempted by
unscrupulous adventurers.

John, together with Harry, Tom and Jim, who were the engineering force
of the island, soon began the work of preparing the material for the
ship which would place them in communication wi