t
Shif'less Sol. He reached the exact point at which they had parted, and
waited. The shiftless one did not come. The last of his comrades was
gone, and he was alone in the forest.

CHAPTER III. THE HUT ON THE ISLET

Henry Ware waited at least a quarter of an hour by the creek on the
exact spot at which he and Solomon Hyde, called the shiftless one, had
parted, but he knew all the while that his last comrade was not coming.
The same powerful and mysterious hand that swept the others away had
taken him, the wary and cunning Shif'less Sol, master of forest lore and
with all the five senses developed to the highest pitch. Yet his powers
had availed him nothing, and the boy again felt that cold chill running
down his spine.

Henry expected the omnipotent force to come against him, also, but his
instinctive caution made him turn and creep into the thickest of the
forest, continuing until he found a place in the bushes so thoroughly
hidden that no one could see him ten feet away. There he lay down
and rapidly ran over in his mind the events connected with the four
disappearances. They were few, and he had little on which to go, but his
duty to seek his four comrades, since he alone must do it, was all the
greater. Such a thought as deserting them and fleeing for his own
life never entered his mind. He would not only seek them, but he would
penetrate the mystery of the power that had taken them.

It was like him now to go about his work with calmness and method. To
approach an arduous task right one must possess freshness and vigor, and
one could have neither without sleep. His present place of hiding seemed
to be as secure as any that could be found. So composing himself he took
all chances and sought slumber. Yet it needed a great effort of the will
to calm his nerves, and it was a half hour before he began to feel any
of the soothing effect that precedes sleep. But fall asleep he did at
last, and, despite everything, he slept soundly until the morning.

Henry did not awake to a bright day. The sun had risen, but it was
obscured by gray clouds, and the whole heavens were somber. A cold wind
began to blow, and with it came drops of rain. He shivered despite the
enfolding blanket. The coming of the morning had invariably brought
cheerfulness and increase of spirits, but now he felt depression. He
foresaw heavy rain again, and it would destroy any but the deepest
trail. Moreover, his supplies of food were exhausted