"It won't die out," replied the young boatman, confidently, as he cast his eyes about the sky. "This breeze is good until some time after dark."
"When will we be able to reach the islands?" asked Toglet.
Ralph looked at watch.
"It is now quarter to ten. We'll reach the lowest of them by eleven o'clock, and the big ones quarter of an hour or so later."
On and on up the lake sped the sloop. The villages on the shores had been left far behind, and now nothing but trees and bushes appeared upon either bank.
"Rather lonely," observed Martin, as he gazed eagerly about. "Not a house in sight."
"No, sir; there is no settlement within a mile and a half of here," returned Ralph.
"Are there any settlements near the islands?"
"No, sir."
"I understand there are a number of great cliffs and ravines about the islands," observed Martin. "I would like to see them."