We had a long walk, for we had been exploring the island pretty well, and when, at last, we reached the creek, we saw that our boat was gone! This was astounding.

We could not make out how the thing could have happened.

The boatman, from whom we had hired it, had said that it would be perfectly safe for us to leave the boat at the landing if we tied her up well and hid the oars.

I had tied her up very well and we had hidden the oars so carefully, under some bushes, that we found them there when we went to look for them.
"Could the old thing have floated off of itself ?" said Rectus.
"That couldn't have happened," I said.

"I tied her hard and fast." "But how could any one have taken her away without oars ?" asked Rectus.
"Rectus," said I, "don't let us have any more riddles.