I wonder what it is ?" "Oh, a bit of timber," said Melick.

"Probably the spar of some ship." "It don't look like a spar," said the doctor; "it's only a round spot, like the float of some net." "Oh, it's a spar," said Melick.

"It's one end of it, the rest is under water." The spot thus chosen was a dark, circular object, about a hundred yards away, and certainly did look very much like the extremity of some spar, the rest of which was under water.

Whatever it was, however, it served well enough for their present purpose, and no one took any further interest in it, except as the point toward which the paper boats should run in their eventful race.
Melick now let himself down over the side, and placed the paper boats on the water as carefully as possible.

After this the four stood watching the little fleet in silence.