Preliminary Exploration.

As no better position offered at the time we pitched our tent in the
clearing, pending a thorough search for a more suitable place elsewhere.
Around the tent we dug a trench about a foot deep to prevent water from
entering our quarters when it rained. It was about time for Uncle Ed and
Mr. Schreiner to appear with the rest of our luggage, so we did not have
time to do much exploring, but sauntered southward along the shore, always
on the lookout for their arrival. About a quarter of a mile from the tent
we came across the wreck of an old bridge, which had been washed down by
some freshet. This was a great find, and served us many purposes, as will
appear later.

While we were examining the wreck we heard a distant "halloa" from the
mainland. There was Uncle Ed sitting on a pile of goods on the railroad
bank looking for all the world like an Italian immigrant. We answered with
a shout and scrambled back to the clearing. Then we ran splashing through
the water, pushing the boat before us. It didn't take us long to load up
and carry him back to the island.



A Rustic Table.

Uncle Ed entered into our fun at once. He was as enthusiastic as a boy
over the surroundings, and when we told him of the old bridge he started
right off to investigate, taking the ax with him. Soon he had pried off a