"It is very strange," he muttered. "Some one must have built this
fire; but why he did so if he didn't want to camp beside it beats me.
Hello! What's this? Hooray; we are on the right track after all! But
what foolishness is that boy up to? and what can he be doing on this
island? Thirdly, where is the raft? Eh, Bim! You haven't seen a
stray raft round here, have you? No. I thought you would have
mentioned it if you had. So he is on this island is he? and leaves
word that we can find him by following the trail? Perhaps the trail
leads to the raft; but where is the trail? Hello! you've struck it,
have you? Good dog! Here, let me tie this bit of twine to your
collar. There, now you're better than a lantern."
As we all know, the trail upon which Billy Brackett and Bim were thus
started led directly to the log-hut in the forest. When the former
discovered this, he fully expected to find his nephew within. To his
surprise, although a fire smouldered on the hearth, there was no other
sign of human occupancy. Then the young man searched in vain for some
hit of writing, such as had guided him to this point.
"I declare!" he exclaimed at length; "the corollary is worse than the
theorem, and things are becoming so decidedly mixed that we must begin
to go slow. I for one propose to replenish that fire, and then bunk
down right here for the rest of the night.
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