[Illustration]

A portion of the day had been occupied in these operations, when
Willis and Jack returned to the camp.

"We have seen no one," said the Pilot.

"But," said Jack, "we are on the track of Fritz's knife."

"Be good enough to explain yourself."

"Well, father, at the entrance to the cocoa-nut tree wood we stumbled
upon two sugar canes completely divested of their juice."

"Which proves--" said Ernest; but his remark was cut short by Jack,
who continued--

"Not a bit of it; a philosopher would have passed these two worthless
sugar canes just as a place-hunter passes an overthrown minister, that
is, as unworthy of notice."

"And what did you do?"

"Well, I, the headless, the thoughtless, the stupid--for these are the
epithets I am usually favored with--I took them up, scrutinized them
carefully, and discovered--"

"That they were sugar canes."