"There was no use in talking about these things," he said, "until
we found the island. At best it can be but conjecture on our part
until we have been able to scrutinize the coast closely. Each
of us has formed a mental picture of the Capronian seacoast from
Bowen's manuscript, and it is not likely that any two of these
pictures resemble each other, or that any of them resemble the
coast as we shall presently find it. I have in view three plans
for scaling the cliffs, and the means for carrying out each is in
the hold. There is an electric drill with plenty of waterproof
cable to reach from the ship's dynamos to the cliff-top when the
Toreador is anchored at a safe distance from shore, and there is
sufficient half-inch iron rod to build a ladder from the base to
the top of the cliff. It would be a long, arduous and dangerous
work to bore the holes and insert the rungs of the ladder from the
bottom upward; yet it can be done.

"I also have a life-saving mortar with which we might be able to
throw a line over the summit of the cliffs; but this plan would
necessitate one of us climbing to the top with the chances more
than even that the line would cut at the summit, or the hooks at
the upper end would slip.

"My third plan seems to me the most feasible. You all saw a number
of large, heavy boxes lowered into the hold before we sailed. I
know you did, because you asked me what they contained and commented
upon the large letter 'H' which was painted upon each box. These
boxes contain the various parts of a hydro-aeroplane. I purpose
assembling this upon the strip of beach described in Bowen's
manuscript--the beach where he found the dead body of the apelike
man--provided there is sufficient space above high water; otherwise