course, somewhat confused at the encomium, and the
Professor came to their rescue. "These are my boys," he said. "I have
known them ever since they came to the island. They have been with me
under every condition of service. We have had hours and days of
pleasure, and of trials, such as few have undergone, and always,
whatever the circumstances, they have been manly, and never gave up,
although sometimes things seemed hopeless.

"You have seen how, through their ingenuity, they have built the water
wheel, the mills and the factories. Fortune has been kind to them; they
do not need the money that may come to them, as they have found riches
here, far greater than you know, but they have loved the work, for the
pleasure it has brought them, and it is for them to decide."

"Harry and I have talked about these things many times," answered
George. "When we first came to the island, we had nothing. For our own
preservation we set about to better our condition, began to build the
things necessary to maintain life, and to protect ourselves.

"What at first was a necessity, later became a pleasure, because we
could see, day after day, how we built the shop and the machinery out of
the crude things; it would be hard to leave that work now."

Harry approvingly nodded his head, as he responded: "I consider it a
pleasure to do anything which would help the people here. George and I
feel that it would be wrong to leave them, so long as we can be of
service to them.

"The money we have will not make us happy; that I know, unless we can
use it to do some good. And it is so with our time, also. I am as
willing to give that as money, because we have been amply rewarded and
now our duty is to the people here."

As a result of the conference it was agreed that George and Harry should
take up the management of the affairs on Venture and Rescue Islands,
they to decide which should be the particular sphere of each.

The Chiefs were immensely pleased at this arrangement, and the first
steps were taken to put their plans into execution.

John advised them that they should decide which island each would take,
and then each should cultivate the acquaintance of the young men that
the Chiefs should select, so that the administrative functions could be
instilled into them, and that they might be taught the business
qualifications necessary.

George laughingly remarked that as the Chief Beralsea had so
accommodatingly captured him, when they