"Well, let's run around this island and find a landing place," Cub proposed.

The run was made, with Cub in charge of the wheel and engine controls.

They circ.u.mnavigated the island with unsatisfactory result.

"That settles it," Bud declared. "If San Salvador had been like that, Columbus would have made his first landing somewhere else!"

"Robinson Crusoe would never have found any footprints in the sand there," Hal declared.

"Yes, we'll give it up for the time being," Mr. Perry declared. "We won't try to scale any perpendicular banks, fifteen or twenty feet high, at least, not to begin with."

"I tell you what we ought to do," Hal volunteered next. "Let's accept this island as the center of probability."

"What in thunder is that?" Cub demanded.

"That's a good one on you, son," laughed the latter's father. "I thought you were the highbrow of your bunch; but here's our subtle Tee-hee putting a bit of clever phraseology over on you."

"Oh, I know what he means," Cub rejoined with a panicky haste to recover lost prestige. "I was just giving him a dig. He's forever giving me one, whenever I come along with anything of that kind."

"It indicates that his mind is maturing rapidly," said Mr. Perry.

"All right, Hal, we'll accept this island as a center of probability--what next?"

"Why, let's cruise around about half a mile in all directions and pick out those islands that look as if they might have concealed a prisoner from view of pa.s.sing boats."

"That's a good suggestion," said Mr. Perry. "Bob, start the boat again."

The inspection required about an hour, at the end of which they compared notes and found that their island inventory disclosed the following conditions:

Three possible places of concealment for the "Canadian Crusoe" had been discovered. Two were small islands a short distance from each other in a region of shallows and more or less hidden by rows of long slim islands.

No boat of greater draught than a canoe could make its way through the intervening pa.s.sages. In other words, these islands were virtually isolated from all river traffic. The other possible place of concealment was an island about five acres in extent, completely hemmed in by a group of other islands, which were so overrun with rampant vegetation, including bushes and trees, as to conceal the inner isle from any but the most scrutinizing vision.

"That is the place we want to explore first," announced Mr. Perry as reference was made to this retreat in the check-up.

"I agree with you," Bud declared. "If the prisoner left any traces behind him at all, we're likely to find them on that island in there."

"Is there any way we can get in?" Hal inquired. "Too bad we haven't a small rowboat or canoe with us."

"We'll investigate and see what we can find in the way of a water pa.s.sage into the interior," Mr. Perry announced.

"That means a little more circ.u.mnavigating," Bud inferred.

"Right you are," said Cub. "Me to the pilot house again."

Accordingly he resumed his position at the wheel and the boat was put in motion again. His father followed him and cautioned him against too much speed in such places.

Slowly the Catwhisker crept around the island-surrounded island until they discovered a pa.s.sage somewhat wider and apparently deeper than others they had seen thus far in the outer rim.

"It looks as if we might get through there," suggested Hal. He and Bud had followed into the pilot house soon after Cub and his father repaired to that place.

"It does look a little that way," replied Mr. Perry.

"We might creep in there slowly, and if we find the pa.s.sage obstructed so as to block our way, we could back out," Hal continued.

"We have some long fender poles," Cub amended. "We could feel our way with them and probably keep out of serious trouble."

"All right, let's make the attempt," said Mr. Perry. "I'd very much like to get in there with this boat."

Cub started the engine and the Catwhisker began slowly to nose its way through the pa.s.sage. In a few minutes the little craft was alongside a ledge of rock that projected as a sort of forehead from the top of a perpendicular short front, and the pilot brought her to a full stop.

CHAPTER XI

The Deserted Camp

Both the inner island and the surrounding rim of elongated isles were covered with a thick growth of trees and bushes, a condition that caused Hal to exclaim:

"I bet this is the place."

"What makes you so certain of that?" inquired Mr. Perry, looking sharply at the boy.

"Because it's an ideal place for a Crusoe to be hidden so that pa.s.sing ships could not see him," Hal replied.

"But might he not swim over to one of these surrounding islands and attract attention from there?"

"Yes, if there's a place to get ash.o.r.e after swimming across," said Cub.

"There's nothing but high steep banks all along here, so far as I can see," Bud remarked.

"That's a good line of observation," was Mr. Perry's commendation. "Now, let's explore this island and see if your points are well taken."

Even the landing at which the boat now rested was not particularly attractive as such at first view because of a rather difficult climb between it and the main level of the island. However, all the members of the band of "Crusoe hunters" were good climbers and they soon made their way up the stony steep to the surface land level.

"It's funny somebody hasn't picked this place as a site for a summer home," Mr. Perry remarked as he took a hurried view of his surroundings.

"The trouble is it doesn't look like a very interesting place from a view out on the river, and there are hundreds of islands to choose from," said Cub.

"Yes, I suppose so," his father agreed; "but in my opinion the place deserves a second look-over. I'm going to keep it in mind as a future prospect."

"We'll have to put up a radio station here then," said Cub.

"Oh, sure, we can't do without that wherever we go now-a-days," his father replied.

They skirted the entire sh.o.r.e of the island and found Bud's suggestion regarding high, steep banks to be true in every quarter. Not another practical landing place, except with derrick or rope ladder, was discovered. They estimated the island to be about five acres in extent.

"Well, we haven't found much evidence yet, indicating that this is the place we were looking for," Cub remarked as they arrived back at the starting point of their exploration.

"I suppose the next thing for us to do is to explore the interior of the island, and then perhaps we'll be in a position to form some sort of conclusion," said Mr. Perry.