night at least, fires, panthers and sharks raged in inextricable
confusion.

Before they retired they heard from the lips of Captain Hazzard the
puzzle their disappearance from the ship had proved. The Southern
Cross, it appeared, on the day following her collision with the
floating island, had cruised in the vicinity in the hope of finding
some trace of the castaways. Her search was kept up until hope had
been about abandoned. The sight of the glare of the blazing island
had, however, determined her commander to ascertain its cause, with
the result that while her searchlight was centered on the strange
phenomenon the boys' tiny fire signal had been seen by a lookout in
the crow's nest and the ship at once headed for the little point of
light.

For his part the commander was much interested in hearing of the
floating island. It cleared up what had been a great mystery, namely,
the nature of the obstruction they had struck, and proved interesting
from a scientific point of view. Captain Hazzard told the boys that
these great tracts of land were, as Ben had said, not uncommon off the
mouth of the Amazon, but that it was rarely one ever got so far out to
sea.

Two weeks later, after an uneventful voyage through tropic waters,
during which the boys had had the interesting experience of crossing
the equator, and had been initiated by being ducked in a huge canvas
pool full of salt water placed on the fore deck, the Southern Cross
steamed into the harbor of Monte Video, where she was to meet her
consort, the Brutus, which vessel was to tow her down into the polar
regions.