"He said the boat was found on the seashore, and that Walter left without taking it with him, but that when he recovered the boat was gone."
"Is it an unreasonable story?"
"That is not at all improbable. The tide might have washed it away, but, if it was our boat, and it was provided with the peculiar rope and the strange oars, that were found in it when it was recovered by you, it would be interesting to know whether he or Walter put them there."
"Why is that so interesting to know?"
"Because the rope found in that boat, is the same as the rope we took from Clifford's body, which you discovered on Venture Island."
"If we could only find Walter now it would solve that mystery," said Harry. "I don't like to think that this man was instrumental in the Clifford tragedy."
"Nor do I," responded John. "It is evident there is some connection between that boat and the skeleton, and that our boat played a part in it." This ended the conversation on this point.
It will be remembered that two of the men rescued from the prison stockade, were natives of another tribe, who had been captured some weeks before. Upon inquiry John found that they had disappeared the day before.
The two others, in a very emaciated condition, were still under John's care, and rapidly improving.[p. 110] No attempts had been made to question them, and as it was the intention of the boys to commence the trip to the north, as soon as John had settled the matter with the Korinos, they were anxious to get some information from them concerning their tribe.
Accompanying Uraso, and through him, they first learned that the people they were now living with were called Malosos, and that the Chief was named Ta Babeda, which meant the strong man. He was not so large as Beralsea, the Chief of Venture Island, but his muscles were more active, thus the boys could see that he rightly acquired the sceptre of chief ruler, as did Beralsea, because of the strength he possessed, and there was no one on the island to question his king-ship.