"Run for the Professor, and I will remove the pieces while you are away," was George's answer.
Harry was off at the instant, and in less than half an hour, reappeared with the Professor, who examined the recovered portions of the wreck.
"It is certainly parts of a boat; but I am sure, from the present examination, that it cannot be our boat."
The boys were surprised at the information.
"My reasons for saying so," continued the Professor, "is, that the pieces here are not part of a life-boat, such as our craft was, although it was a part of a ship's boat. Where is the stern portion of our boat that you found? Let us get that, and we will be in a better condition to judge."
"We landed it beyond the point where Harry first reached the shore the day we were wrecked."
"Let us get it at once."
In less than a half hour the broken portion of the boat was landed at the foot of the cliff in front of Observation Hill.
Harry now had no doubt that the Professor's observation was correct. "See, this has no double hull, which the life-boat has, and no part of these pieces can be made to fit. Look at this stern. All of the stern post is still on the boat below."
It was, undoubtedly, another boat; but there was no name or number on any of the pieces by means of which it could be identified.