"Then why not turn to the left and go directly to the river?"
They did so, and within fifteen minutes the river was in sight. A further trip of ten minutes brought them to the foot of the falls, where the boat had been deposited nearly five months before and which had so mysteriously disappeared, only to be recovered by them and again lost by accident, as detailed.
A search along the river bank failed to reveal any trace of the tree overhanging the stream, where the oars had been placed, and instead the river washed out a small bay. All along the banks were evidences of washouts which piled up driftwood every place along the shore where there was a root or snag which would hold the accumulations. The Professor wandered down the stream, pulling out and examining pieces of the limbs, to find, if possible, whether there were any evidences of the drift having been cut by human agencies.
So far as could be seen, the limbs had all been broken, not cut, and this was a relief, in a sense. The South River drained a large part of the island, and it might rightly be inferred that the driftwood in a stream of this kind, if it flowed through a region inhabited by man, would show some signs which they might interpret.
As they were returning George pointed across the river at a peculiarly shaped log, or what appeared to be portion of a large tree. The river at this point was about seventy-five feet wide. The Professor was silent for some time. "My eyesight is not of the best, but it does not look to me like a tree."
"I can easily swim the stream," and Harry had his clothing off in short order, and plunged in. Gaining the other side, he drew himself up, and without touching a thing in and about the debris, called out excitedly: "It is a boat, something like our life-boat! Yes; it is exactly like our boat!"
"Can you dislodge it? If not, I'll come over."
"Never mind, I can manage it, I think."
The interior of the boat was filled with accumulated material of all sorts, principally leaves and bark, and when it had been lightened of all that weight Harry put his shoulder against the stern, and soon succeeded in dislodging it from its seat against the tree which held it a prisoner.
Just before he had it in a position to launch the Professor called out: "Don't put it in the water until you have found something which will serve as a paddle." The stream at this point, being less than a half mile below the falls, had a fairly good current, so that without an oar of some kind he would not be able readily to get it across.