ce to take a good long rest, a tiny island came in
view round a bend in the river, and to their joy they saw Shasta fix his
eye upon it and then head his canoe toward the point. Cheered by the
prospect, they renewed their work with greater ardor, and in a few
moments the boats buried their points in the luxuriant undergrowth along
the shore.

The island was quite small, and offered no inducements in the way of
game, unless some animal in crossing the river had paused to rest itself
and make an exploration of the place. This was scarcely to be expected,
and none of the party based any hopes upon it.

After the inmates of the large canoe had stepped upon shore, Shasta sent
his backward into the river again by a sweep of his paddle, and headed
for the eastern bank, shooting over the surface with amazing speed. His
movements were watched with interest and some surprise.

"What can it mean?" asked Elwood.

"Perhaps he is going to leave us."

"I don't think he would do it in that manner. He will make an elaborate
good-by for us, for we are getting to understand each other quite well
by means of signs."

"Arrah now!" exclaimed Tim O'Rooney, "didn't ye saa that he was
disgusted wid our paddling and kaaping him back, and has gone out jist
that he may enj'y the pleasure of shtretching his arms in the
owld-fashioned manner, as Father O'Shaughnessy said when he tipped over
his brother?"

This may have satisfied the Irishman, but hardly the boys. It did not
look reasonable to them that the Indian, having just finished three
times the amount of work performed by each, was in so great need of
additional exercise that he must abandon his friends and paddle off over
the river.

"I think he is going to hunt for fish," said Elwood.

"But he could have caught them without going to land."

"Perhaps not. I noticed yesterday that he went where there was a sort of
eddy, and you see he can't find that very well unless it is close by
land."

Howard pointed to the lower end of the island:

"What better place could he find than that? It is just the spot to catch
fish."

By this time Shasta's canoe had reached the bank, but instead of landing
he turned the prow down stream, and slowly glided along as if in quest
of something. This to Tim O'Rooney was proof of the truth of his
declaration.

"What did I tell yees? The thrip to shore was not enough, and he's
taking a wee turn further."

"He is looking for a good fishing ground," a