who might subject them to cruel tortures and death, chilled my very blood. I demanded of my sons, if they felt courage to pursue the difficult and perilous enterprise we had commenced. They all declared they would rather die than not find their mother and brother. Fritz even besought me, with Ernest and Jack, to return to the island, in case the wanderers should come back, and be terrified to find it deserted; and to leave him the arms, and the means of trafficking with the savages, without any uneasiness about his prudence and discretion.
I assured him I did not distrust his courage and prudence, but I showed him the futility of hoping that the savages would voluntarily carry back their victims, or that they could escape alone. And should he meet with them here, and succeed, how could he carry his recovered treasures to the island?
"No, my children," said I, "we will all search, in the confidence that God will bless our efforts."
"And perhaps sooner than we think," said Ernest. "Perhaps they are in this island."
Jack was running off immediately to search, but I called my little madcap back, till we arranged our plans. I advised that two of us should reman to watch the coast, while the other two penetrated into the interior. The first thing necessary to ascertain was if the island was inhabited, which might easily be done, by climbing some tree that overlooked the country, and remarking if there were any traces of the natives, any huts, or fires lighted, &e. Those who made any discovery were immediately to inform the rest, that we might go in a body to recover our own. If nothing an-
