painter as they came alongside, and soon the
girls were safely on the yacht.

"Come back as soon as you have fixed it with Miss Gale," said Bruce,
"and we will go onto the island and investigate."

Frank nodded and then went below. In a few minutes he came out laughing
and assured the girls that it was all right. Then he dropped into the
boat again, and soon he and Browning were on Devil Island.

They pulled the boat up on the beach and made it fast. Frank took the
rifle, and Bruce looked at his revolver, which he had slipped into his
pocket before leaving the yacht the first time. The _White Wings_ was
riding at anchor within easy speaking distance of the shore.

"Which way shall we go?" asked Bruce.

"The buildings are on the other side of the island," said Merry. "Let's
go straight across."

"All right."

They found a path by which they could climb the bank, making it plain
that human beings had traveled on the island not a little at some time,
even if the place was deserted then.

Following the path a short distance, they came to three small camps
built of logs. The camps were not in a very pleasant location, although
it was a sheltered spot.

After looking around the huts a few minutes, they turned from the path
and struck straight up through the woods, which were thick and dark.
Beneath their feet twigs crackled and the dead leaves of a year before
sometimes rustled where they had piled together but had not rotted. The
woods were dark and in places the ground was covered by moss, so that
their feet made not a sound.

Higher and higher they climbed, till they came out into a natural
opening that was surrounded by the gloomy trees. This seemed close to
the highest ground on the island, which could be seen rising rocky and
bare through the trees at one side of the glade.

And in the midst of the glade was a grave that had not been made many
months, and a granite stone stood at the head.

"It's the grave the cock-eyed man told us of!" exclaimed Frank. "Let's
look at the stone."

They approached the grave, and Frank bent down to look at the stone. As
the cock-eyed man had said, on it were the words:

"Sacred to the memory of Rawson Denning."

As Merry was looking at the headstone it seemed that a voice in the air
above them hoarsely whispered:

"Dead and buried!"

CHAPTER XIX.

IN THE DARK WOODS.

"Eh?" gasped Browning, amazed. "What was that?"

"Dead and buried!"

Again that myste