CHAPTER PAGE I An Early Morning Party 11 II The Landing on the Canadian Shore 20 III A Mysterious House 30 IV The Coming of the "Gadabout" 39 V A Perplexing Letter 48 VI An Addition to the Party 57 VII Once More on Cockburn Island 67 VIII Left Behind 76 IX The Lost Skiff 85 X The Flight of the "Gadabout" 93 XI Alone on the Lake 101 XII The Search in the Night 109 XIII A Fresh Arrival 117 XIV Another Mysterious Letter 126 XV A Signal of Distress 136 XVI The Sinking Skiff 144 XVII The Rescue of the "Gadabout" 152 XVIII The Search for the Lost Boys 160 XIX Suspicious Characters 168 XX Penniless 178 XXI A Vague Hint 188 XXII A Passenger for Cockburn Island 198 XXIII An Unexpected Meeting 207 XXIV Two Boats 217 XXV A Small Box 226 XXVI Conclusion 236 THE GO AHEAD BOYS ON SMUGGLERS' ISLAND CHAPTER I AN EARLY MORNING PARTY "I never saw such a morning!" "I never did either. I am glad I am alive!" "So am I. It is worth something to be up here where the air is so strong that you can almost bite it off. When we left Mackinac this morning one could hardly tell whether the island was upside down or not. He could see the reflections just as clearly in the water as he could see the island above." "I wonder what would happen if a fire should break out on the island?" "Probably it would burn, just as it does everywhere else. They did have a fire over there once and they say the whole island burned down." "This is the place for the simple life!" "Yes, it is a good place for the simple life, but to my mind there is a great difference between a simple life and an idiotic life."