rowing and a little later were close beside the
moored motor boat. It was a large craft, and well appointed, though now
it showed signs of being weather-beaten; it was scratched and marred. But
it seemed to be in good running order.

"Ahoy there!" called Russ, as he made fast their own boat. "Ahoy in the
hut!"

There was no answer.

"Maybe they're asleep," suggested Ruth.

"We can apologize for waking them up," said Alice. "Oh, to think we have
help at last!"

Russ and Paul looked at each other. They were not quite so sure, now, in
view of the silence, that help was at hand.

Still, the fact that the boat was tied showed that it had not merely
drifted to the spot. Some human agency must have been about at some time
or other.

With Russ and Paul in the lead the little party made their way to the
palm leaf hut. It was ingeniously made--a glance showed that. A palm tree
had been taken for the centre pole, and about this had been tied layer
after layer of palm leaves, so laid as to shed the rain.

The hut was circular, and at the outer edge of the roof poles had been
driven into the ground to support it. There was a small opening, which
necessitated stooping to enter, and this doorway, if such it could be
called, was covered by a sort of curtain of palm leaves, made in layers
and fastened together with withes and wild leaves, laced in and out.

"Quite a piece of work!" commented Paul. "Now I wonder how one is to
knock at a palm leaf door?"

"Don't knock--call," suggested Russ, and, raising his voice, he fairly
shouted:

"Is anyone here?"

There was no answer.

"I wonder if it would be impolite to open the door, or the curtain, and
look in?" suggested Alice.

"Under the circumstances--I think not," answered Mrs. Maguire. "We need
help, and this is the first sign we have seen of it."

Russ stepped forward, and, after a moment of hesitation lifted the
curtain of palm leaves. The interior of the hut was rather dark, and,
for a moment he could see nothing.

"Anyone there?" asked Paul.

"Not a soul," was the disappointing reply. "It's empty."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Alice.

"What are we to do?" Ruth wanted to know.

No one could answer her. Russ was busy making a more thorough examination
of the interior of the hut.

"It's a good place to stay--if we have to," he said to Paul, who had
joined him inside.

"And it looks as though we'd have to--eh?"

"I'm afraid so."

Russ fastened the palm curtain back