"No--not a bit of it. But I tell you what," said D'Arcy, who had rapidly been counting the pile of biscuits; "there were twenty-four biscuits there when we left last night. I'm certain of it; weren't there, young Cottle?" "Yes. I remember that," testified Cottle. "Very well; then some one's been here in the night, for there are only eighteen biscuits now, and this sixpence." "Perhaps Yorke got some before he started?" "How could he? No one can get in here without the latch-key; and only the two chaps who are on duty keep that." "Perhaps it's the owls in the belfry?" "They don't generally pay ready money for what they take." "I say!" exclaimed Wally; "I expect it's Rollitt. He'd have finished his others by this time, and he sneaked back in the night for some more. Good old Rollitt!" Wally did not stay to explain how Rollitt could have got in any more than any one else. His suggestion made a deep impression. It touched them to feel that, amid all his distresses, Rollitt was loyal to the School shop; and if anything was needed to spur them on to his rescue, this did it. They bought up the remaining eighteen biscuits between them, and sallied forth. "You see," said Wally, "it's much more likely to be the island than the mountain. There's water there, for one thing." "There's water on the mountain," said Ashby; "plenty." "But not good to drink, you ass!" argued Wally. "And there's that old broken boat-house to live in, and lots of wood to make fires, and ducks to bag and fish to catch. I say! I expect he's having rather a lark." The prospect of sharing in his wild sports urged them on still faster. At the lake-side a new problem arose. If Rollitt was on the island, how had he got there? And, still more important, how were they to get there? Widow Wisdom's boat had already been laid up for the winter; and the few others, which in the summer were generally kept at the river- mouth for the use of the boys, had been taken back to Penchurch. The only craft available was a flat-bottomed punt used by fishermen, and at present moored to a stake at the river-bank. It was capacious, certainly, but not exactly the sort of boat in which to get up much pace, particularly as its sole apparent mode of propulsion was by means of two very long boat-hooks, one on either side. These details, however, presented few obstacles to the minds of the enterprising explorers. The punt was in many ways adapted for a voyage such as they proposed to take. There was room to walk about in it. Nay, who should say the boxing-gloves and football might not have scope for themselves within its ample lines? The one question was whether the boat-hooks were long enough to touch bottom all the way from the shore to the island. Wally paced one, and found it measured eighteen feet. "Ought to do," said he; "it's bound not to be deeper than that."