Incredulously Budge glanced forward. What he saw left him sober.
"You're right! This'll be unpleasant news for Jim."
They ran up to the strange float. It was a battered wedge, painted a faded brick color. Percy gaffed it aboard.
"What's the brand?" queried Budge.
"Hasn't any."
Lane examined it and found that Percy was correct. The wood bore no marks to reveal its owner.
"Better haul the trap?" asked Percy.
He began heaving in on the warp.
"Stop that!" ordered Budge, sharply. "Throw it over. We don't want to get into any scrape. We'll have to put it up to Jim this noon. He'll know what to do."
They counted nine more of the red buoys before they reached the northeast point of the island.