h. There was no mistake about that. It was
less than five miles from Will Tree. Striking straight to the north-east
across the prairie, and then following the shore, he could not fail
to find the rocks above which the vapour rose.

With beating heart Godfrey made his way down the scaffolding of branches
until he reached the fork. There he stopped an instant to clear off the
moss and leaves which clung to him, and that done he slid down the
opening, which he enlarged as much as possible, and rapidly gained the
ground. A word to Tartlet not to be uneasy at his absence, and Godfrey
hastened off in the north-easterly direction so as to reach the shore.

It was a two hours' walk across the verdant prairie, through clumps of
scattered trees, or hedges of spiny shrubs, and then along the beach. At
length the last chain of rocks was reached.

But the smoke which Godfrey had seen from the top of the tree he
searched for in vain when he had reached the ground. As he had taken the
bearings of the spot with great care, he came towards it without any
mistake.

There Godfrey began his search. He carefully explored every nook and
corner of this part of the shore. He called. No one answered to his
shout. No human being appeared on the beach. Not a rock gave him a trace
of a newly lighted fire--nor of a fire now extinct, which could have
been fed by sea herbs and dry algae thrown up by the tide.

"But it is impossible that I should have been mistaken!" repeated
Godfrey to himself. "I am sure it was smoke that I saw! And besides!--"

As Godfrey could not admit that he had been the dupe of a delusion, he
began to think that there must exist some well of heated water, or kind
of intermittent geyser, which he could not exactly find, but which had
given forth the vapour.

There was nothing to show that in the island there were not many of such
natural wells, and the apparition of the column of smoke could be easily
explained by so simple a geological phenomenon.

Godfrey left the shore and returned towards Will Tree, observing the
country as he went along a little more carefully than he had done as he
came. A few ruminants showed themselves, amongst others some wapiti, but
they dashed past with such speed that it was impossible to get near
them.

In about four hours Godfrey got back. Just before he reached the tree he
heard the shrill "twang! squeak!" of the kit, and soon found himself
face to face with Professor Tartlet, who, in t