"Which means that there are other duck islands farther to the east and that we're not on the mainland shore at all?" said Fred. "Oh, no. You are several miles from shore. About all the island is good for is for hunting. A little later you might find a good many ducks here." "But we don't want to be here until 'a little later,'" protested Fred. "We want to leave right away." "Then I don't see anything for you to do except to try to cross in your skiff." "Your Jap says it's about forty miles from here to Mackinac." "If he says so then he probably is correct. I haven't known Mike to be wrong many times." "We cannot sail back in our skiff," explained John. "Then I don't see anything for you to do except to stay here and wait until you hail some boat that is passing." "How long will that be?" inquired Fred. "Not knowing, I cannot say. But on a day like this, which promises to be very clear and pleasant, there ought to be a good many boats passing." "I hope we'll have better luck with them than we had with you," said John. "So do I," responded the man, "and with all my heart. All I can say is this, that if you don't get any one to take you away before six o'clock this afternoon I will stop here on my way back and take you aboard." "How are we going to get anything to eat?" asked John. "I'm sure I don't know," said the man. "I will tell Mike to give you some sandwiches." "He has done that already," said John. "Isn't there some place where we can get something to eat?" "I don't know of any." "We thought perhaps that man you met out here might be living here and he or his wife would be willing to sell us some food." "What man are you talking about?" demanded the stranger, quickly turning to the boys as he spoke. "Why, the one that met you out here between the shore and the woods yonder," explained John. "Did you see any one?" "We certainly did," said John. "We saw you meet a man out here and hand him something." Fred was convinced that there was a momentary gleam of anger or alarm in the expression of the stranger's face, but if so the feeling quickly departed. In a low voice the man said, "There are some great stories told about this island. My advice to you is not to stay any longer than you are compelled to." "And our feeling is," laughed Fred somewhat ruefully, "that any time we spend here is wasted." "I think you'll have to stay," said the man as he went back and stepped on board his skiff. He then pushed out from the shore and speedily resumed his place on board the motor-boat. The anchor was hauled in and in a brief time the fleet little craft had resumed its voyage, headed now for the southern point of Western Duck Island. "That beats anything I have ever seen. I tell you, Fred, there's something wrong here. Don't you think we had better go back in the woods and see if we cannot find that man who came out of there a little while ago?"