His inquiring eye lit upon one of the long clothes-line supporters which Townsend had driven into the river bottom to help hold the island in position.
It is necessary to understand the strategical position of this prospective fishing rod.

These two poles had been forced down into the muddy bottom just south of the island and the southern edge of the island lay against them and was thus prevented from drifting down with the ebbing tide.

The makeshift gang-plank, gay with bunting, held the island off shore and the ropes between the island and the bushes steadied it.

This crude engineering was quite sufficient.

BUT---- There is a church somewhere in Europe of which it is said that if a certain brick were removed the whole edifice would fall in ruins.
Pee-wee was not even an amateur engineer.