n, resolved to accompany him. He had not courage enough to stay
behind at Will Tree.

Before starting, Godfrey assured himself that the fire-arms were ready
for action. The two guns were loaded, and one passed into the hands of
the professor, who seemed as much embarrassed with it as might have been
a savage of Pomotou. He also hung one of the hunting-knives to his belt,
to which he had already attached his cartridge-pouch. The thought had
occurred to him to also take his fiddle, imagining perhaps that they
would be sensible to the charm of its squeaking, of which all the talent
of a virtuoso could not conceal the harshness.

Godfrey had some trouble in getting him to abandon this idea, which was
as ridiculous as it was impracticable.

It was now six o'clock in the morning. The summits of the sequoias were
glowing in the first rays of the sun.

Godfrey opened the door; he stepped outside; he scanned the group of
trees.

Complete solitude.

The animals had returned to the prairie. There they were, tranquilly
browsing, about a quarter of a mile away. Nothing about them denoted the
least uneasiness.

Godfrey made a sign to Tartlet to join him. The professor, as clumsy as
could be in his fighting harness, followed--not without some hesitation.

Then Godfrey shut the door, and saw that it was well hidden in the bark
of the sequoia. Then, having thrown at the foot of the tree a bundle of
twigs, which he weighted with a few large stones, he set out towards the
river, whose banks he intended to descend, if necessary, to its mouth.
Tartlet followed him not without giving before each of his steps an
uneasy stare completely round him up to the very limits of the horizon;
but the fear of being left alone impelled him to advance.

Arrived at the edge of the group of trees, Godfrey stopped.

Taking his glasses from their case, he scanned with extreme attention
all that part of the coast between the Flag Point promontory and the
north-east angle of the island.

Not a living being showed itself, not a single smoke wreath was rising
in the air.

The end of the cape was equally deserted, but they would there doubtless
find numberless footprints freshly made. As for the mast, Godfrey had
not been deceived. If the staff still rose above the last rock on the
cape, it was bereft of its flag. Evidently the savages after coming to
the place had gone off with the red cloth which had excited their
covetousness, and had regained th