"I knew about the skull, but never heard of the note to which you refer. The discovery of the skull was an accident, and I attached no importance to it at the time. From the southern portion of the island we journeyed along the eastern coast, to the north, skirting a large forest on the way."
The boys looked at each other, significantly, but he did not notice this.
"Then we reached a large river, and to our surprise, found a boat, evidently of native manufacture, and with this floated down the stream to the sea."
"But where did you get the rope that we found in the boat?" asked George, eagerly.
He turned, and answered: "How did you know we put any rope on the boat?"
"Because that was the boat we made, and we found it afterwards, with the strange rope and oars."
"Strange oars. I know nothing about them. We used the oars found in the boat."
"Did you get the boat near a large falls?"
"Yes."
"And on the north side of the river?"