Chapter I: Front Matter

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THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS

by

ROGER T. FINLAY

A new series of books, each complete in itself, relating the remarkable experiences of two boys and a man, who are cast upon an island in the South Seas with absolutely nothing but the clothing they wore. By the exercise of their ingenuity they succeed in fashioning clothing, tools and weapons and not only do they train nature's forces to work for them but they subdue and finally civilize neighboring savage tribes. The books contain two thousand items of interest that every boy ought to know.

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
The Castaways

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
Exploring the Island

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
The Mysteries of the Caverns

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
The Tribesmen

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
The Capture and Pursuit

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
The Conquest of the Savages

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
Adventures on Strange Islands

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS
Treasures of the Islands

_Large 12mo, cloth. Many illustrations._
_60 cents per vol., postpaid._

PUBLISHED BY
THE NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY
147 FOURTH AVENUE NEW YORK

ADVENTURES ON STRANGE ISLANDS

THE WONDER ISLAND BOYS

ADVENTURES ON STRANGE ISLANDS

by

ROGER T. FINLAY

Illustrated

The New York Book Company New York

Copyright, 1915, by The New York Book Company

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. THE STRANGE OARS AND ROPES Page 15

The charted island. Previous history of the boys. The professor.
Mysteries. The strange oars and ropes. Experiments. The various
trips through the Island. Meeting the natives. The caves.
Finding metals and ores. A strange village.

II. A MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE Page 26

The Town of Unity. Enterprises on the island. Building a ship.
Homesick. Considering the question of other islands. Treasure
hunting. The Krishnos. Their beliefs and practices. The
comparison of customs with the white people. Preparing to launch
the vessel. The professor decides to remain. Angel. The message.
Blakely. A scrap of paper with illegible words. The V-shaped
tracing. Guessing the contents of the note.

III. THE ARROW ON THE SHEET Page 38

Deciphering the discolored paper. The arrow on the sheet. The
first Walter letter. The comparison. Dimensions of the vessel.
The engine. The professor and John's error. Pointing to an
island. Convinced of the correctness of the boys' views.
Launching of the vessel. The feast day. Putting up the rigging.
Selecting a crew. Preliminary trials. The day for departure. The
trip to Valparaiso. Reshipping to New York. Telegrams home after
three years. Angels and the wonders of New York. The great
change in the boys. The return to Wonder Island. Reaching
Valparaiso. Meeting Blakely. The new steamer. Installation of a
line to Wonder Island. The return trip.

IV. THE SKULL WITH THE CRYPTIC WRITING Page 51

Steaming up Enterprise River. Unity in sight. The natives at the
wharf. The enthusiasm. The chiefs witness the arrival. A "Grand
Homecoming." The boys visit the natives. Contemplating voyages
to discover other islands. Native sailors. Sutoto captain of the
_Pioneer_. Rumors about the boys. Plans for the proposed trips.
The force for the expedition. A cargo of copper. The trip to the
copper treasure cave. Tides. Fireflies. Explanation of the
light. Light without heat The problem of light. Advantages of
light which generates no heat. Color of daylight. Phosphorescent
glow. Catching fireflies. Scaling the heights. The spot where
the Walter note was found. A skull with mysterious characters on
it. The mark on the skull and the mark in the message. The star.
Cryptic signs.

V. THE TRIP TO THE NEW ISLAND Page 63

Sutoto at the top of the peak. The telescope. The view of Unity.
The Illyas' village. The visit to the last captured village. The
reception. The kindness of the chief. The great change in the
village. The feast of John and the boys. Happiness of the
people. The Illyas at work. Return of the _Wonder_ to Unity. The
_Pioneer_ on its way to other Islands. Seasickness of the crew.
Trying the new cure. Atrophine, and how administered. Explaining
its origin, and how it acts. The effect on the crew. Driven out
of their course. A light in the dense darkness. Land ahead.
Awaiting the morning. Fifty leagues from Wonder Island. The cove
in the shore line. Anchoring. The two boats sent ashore. Signs
to indicate that people lived on the island. Reminiscences of
the Yaks and bears. The discovery of coffee trees. The wild
variety. Identity of vegetation in widely-separated countries.

VI. DISCOVERY OF THE ISLAND AND EXPLORATIONS Page 75

Return to the landing. John's advice. Surveying the island. The
cardinal points of the compass. Laying out the coast line by
triangulation. What measurement of angles means. Transferring
the angles to paper. Making plans by means of a scale.
Proportionate lengths of the different limbs of the angles. The
shore line to the south. Instructions to Sutoto. The party to
explore the interior. Starting on their mission. The equipment
of the party. The spears, and bolos. The camera and field
glasses. Amazing tropical vegetation and fruit. Stone hatchet
found. Independent exploits of the boys. Temporary separation.
Disappearance of George. A pistol shot in the distance. The
search. Evidences of a scuffle. George's tracks found. The
footprints of natives. Muro scouting in the direction of the
natives. The runner to the ship. The _Pioneer_ sailing away. The
new landing place. Uraso advised of the capture.

VII. CAPTURE OF GEORGE BY THE NATIVES Page 89

George's capture. Hearing John's whistle. Firing the gun. The
surprise of the natives. Rendered unconscious. He recovers. Sees
his gun and glasses in the hands of the natives. Discovers that
his revolver is still in his pocket. The natives see him trying
to discover the time by his watch. The fight of the savages for
the watch. George's determination to escape. The natives
discover the revolver. He surprises the natives by explaining
the knife and glasses. While explaining the glasses accidentally
discovers the ocean in the distance. The matchsafe. Discovers
the village. Tries to escape before reaching there. Planning the
details. Surprised at the appearance of another party. All hope
lost. A powerful Chief. George and the Chief. Investigating
George's belongings. How George unwittingly told the Chief about
the gun and glasses. The Chief arrests the captors. George
explains the weapons. Returns the revolver to George. Invites
him to the village. In the home of the Chieftain. Description of
the "Palace."

VIII. FIGHT OF THE NATIVES FOR THE TRINKETS Page 102

Scouting. Muro's work. The first traces. Arrival of Uraso. His
grief at the news. The conference. John and party march to the
east. Finding George's chain. Evidences of a struggle.
Determining the number of enemies by the footprints. Reading
characters by feet. How people are distinguished. Observing
peculiarities of actions. Estimating the number of natives in
the party which captured George. Discovering the Chief's
footmarks. Judging of the safety of George by the marks of the
feet. Uraso discovers the tree where George exhibited the power
of the bullet to the Chief. Inferences as to the characters of
the natives who captured George. The trinkets and buttons of
more importance to the savages than the person of the captive.
Power as the great factor with savages. Why right is might.

IX. THE GIANT CHIEF AND HIS "PALACE" Page 113

The Chief interested in George's belongings. Discovery of a
ship's chair. The matchsafe in the Chief's hands. The imitative
quality. The first meal. The peculiar knives and forks. The
Chief's capacity for food. The character of the meal. The siesta
after the meal. George's opportunity. Stealing from the Chief's
house. The daughter of the Chief. Wandering from the Chief's
house. His midnight sleep from exhaustion. The watchers at his
bedside. Finding the soap plant. Breakfast. Absence of the
Chief. George's suspicions. Follows the Chief. The appearance of
John and Harry. The meeting. George introduces the party to the
Chief. Uraso and Muro able to converse with the Chief. George's
story. "The Palace." The village. The feast.

X. PECULIARITIES OF THE NATIVE TRIBE Page 125

How the feast was served. John relates the story of the boys to
the Chief. The Chief interested in the wonderful ship. The story
of the island. The runner to the ship. No Krishnos on the
islands. Sutoto sees the runners. Sails for the village. The
Chief does not believe in a great spirit. His philosophy.
Strength is the only right. No caves on the island.
Disappointment of the boys. Bad people to the north. Their own
kin, but convicts. Stealing and lying the only crimes. No crime
to steal from each other, only from the Chief. The sun as a
great Chief. The coming of the ship. The natives on the
seashore. Casting of the anchor. Sutoto sees the Chief's
daughter. George's captors on the way to the convict colony.
Intercession on the part of the boys. The food at the banquet.
The natives' aversion to fish. Snake worshippers. Witch doctors.
The bad god Baigona. Peculiar ideas of right and wrong among the
natives. The survey of the southern part of the island.
Triangulation from the mast of a ship.

XI. SUTOTO AND THE CHIEF'S DAUGHTER Page 137

Sutoto's love affair. Cinda, the Chief's daughter. The Chief is
told of the wonders of Wonder Island. About the activities of
the natives on that island. His curiosity. John tells him how
the white people live. The acute questionings of the Chief.
Teaching him how trade and commerce is carried on. Money and its
uses. How it gets its value. Why it is a measure only. The trip
to the north in charge of the Chief's son. Gruesome tales of the
ferocity of the convicts. John still anxious to find some
particular cave. His chart. The unsolved mystery of the boat.
The clothing of the natives. Bracelets. Glitter to attract
natives. Weaving, the only industry. The aptness of native women
to adopt fancy articles of dress and ornament. John's scheme,
anticipating the wedding of Sutoto and Cinda. A "State affair."
The mission to the Professor. Sending the _Pioneer_ to Wonder
Island. Stut captain of the ship. Sutoto's secret mission
through Stut.

XII. THE SKELETON BENEATH THE BOAT Page 148

How the present journey reminded the boys of their first
adventure on Wonder Island. Peculiar animals. The kagu. The
fashionable millinery styles. Singular habit of the bird. The
benne plant. Its remarkable properties. Lard from trees. The
coffee trees. A tree with sandpaper leaves. The indicus.
Analyzing soils. How plants digest food. Larvæ. The early forms
of many animals. Kinds of food in the earth. The bruang. The
sun-bear of Malay. The bear and the honey pot. How it was tamed.
The sport. The ocean. George and Harry at the beach. Bathing in
the surf. The discovery of the wreck of an upturned boat.
Finding the compartments belonging to their lost boat on Wonder
Island. Sending for John. The skeleton beneath the upturned
boat. The bound skeleton. The startling discovery of the same
kinds of ropes found in their lost boat. Evidence of a crime.

XIII. A CONVICT COLONY OF NATIVES Page 161

Describing the skeleton. A soldier or an adventurer. Their first
hatchet. The narrow neck of land. The Rose of Jericho. The
resurrection plant. The Australian kangaroo. The exiled people.
The Chief's son tells about them. Explains they do not believe
in killing except in self-defense. The upas tree. Its flowering
branch. Valuable mineral in the hills. Description of the
convict's home. Banishment one of the most serious forms of
punishment for crimes. The survey of the mountains. Hunting for
caves. How the parties, were organized. The influence of odors
on human actions. Tests of odors on patients. How they affect
dreams. Calcareous formations. Where the real caves are found.
Erosive action of water on limestone.

XIV. A WHITE PARALYTIC IN THE CONVICT COLONY Page 174

The wide search for the caves. George finds a cave entrance.
Preparing to explore the cave. The lamps. A blind lead. A
fissure, not an erosion. The joke on George. The first sight of
the location of the dreaded criminal colony. The magnificent
wild fruits. The beautiful flowers. The first criminals. The
industry of the people. Cultivating fruit and vegetables.
Hutoton. Peculiarity in names. Well-dressed natives. The
distinguished head of the village. His dignity. The welcome to
the village. The well-kept huts. The garden plots and bowers of
flowers. The criminals preparing a feast of welcome. The boys
discover a white man. A paralytic patient. How the convicts
cared for him. Surprised to learn that the convicts rewarded the
men who rescued the paralytic. How the savages calculated time.
The movement of the sun, and how it gave them the time.

XV. SAVAGE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS Page 185

Criminal Colonies. The effects on the people. Its advantages.
The principles of punishment. Protecting society. Isolating
patients who have contagious or infectious diseases. Trying to
ascertain the identity of the paralytic. John's promise to
reward the people for the care bestowed on the white man.
Refusing to be paid, for taking care of him. Contrasting Hutoton
with Sasite, the home of the Chief. Returning to Sasite. The
first glimpse of the returning _Pioneer_. The interesting party
aboard. The Chief and the entire village at the seashore. The
Professor. Muro's wife. Blakely. The Chief meets the Professor.
The Chief knows why the Professor is a wise man. The double
eyes, spectacles. The Chief with the spectacles. Muro's wife
meets the Chief's wife. They confer about Cinda and Sutoto. The
savage customs in marriage. The ceremonies. Stut tells the boys
about Sutoto's mission to procure his wedding outfit. The
surprising news that Sutoto and Cinda were to be secretly
married that night. The plot. Muro's wife informed.

XVI. SUTOTO AND CINDA'S MARRIAGE; AND THE SURPRISE Page 193

The Chief's wife gets the news. The Chief brought into the
conference. His will the only law on the matter of marriage. He
consents to their plan. The two requirements in the ceremony of
marriage according to their rites. The gift of fruit, of fowl,
and of game. The blindfolding of the bridegroom. The absolute
silence when eating. Preparation for the banquet that night.
Sutoto and Cinda arrange to be married that night while the
people are at the banquet. Decide to conform strictly to the
rites of the tribe. The boys learn of the stealthy plans.
Witness the ceremony in Cinda's home. The Chief arrests the
bridal couple and takes them aboard the ship. The criminals
before the Chief. The Chief upbraids Sutoto. The reconciliation.
The presents brought over from Wonder Island. Grief of the boys
because they had forgotten a present. The surprise of the
natives at the beautiful silver forks. Spices. Coffee. Cream and
sugar. Curiosity about the cows. The great surprise to Sutoto.
He is made Chief of his tribe. Monuments. The presents. The
great mirror, the present of the boys. The crowns. The final
ceremony. The dance. Originally a religious ceremony. The
encircling wreath.

XVII. HUTOTON; THE PLACE OF DEATH Page 207

Preparations for further explorations. Consulting the charts.
Determine to sail northward, on way to Wonder Island. Reasons
from shape of the island why an island might be to the north.
Geological formations. Upheavals. Islands mere ridges. Sutoto to
return to Wonder Island. The Chief agrees to go to Wonder
Island. His family to accompany him. Proposed visit to Hutoton.
Boarding the ship. The welcome of the convicts. Taking the
paralytic to the ship. Stores from the ships for the convict
colony. The _Pioneer_ sails to the north. Discovery of a new
island. Taking observations from the sun. The calendar. Summer
and winter. Taking the angle of the sun, and what it means.
Triangulation. The nautical chart. Greenwich or Standard time.
The island which they had left named _Venture_. The new island
and its magnificent vegetation. John, with the boys and two
boatloads, land. The exploring parties formed. The boys and Muro
at the head of one party. Traces of savages. Appearances that
cannibals were there. A shower of arrows their first surprise.
The volley and the disappearance of the natives. Reappearance of
the savages. Surrounded. Preparing for defense. The second
attack. The fight. The natives apparently preparing to rush
them.

XVIII. DISCOVERY OF A NEW ISLAND, AND A SAVAGE TRIBE Page 222

The effect of the second volley. The determination of the
attacking party. The fire on all sides. The ammunition getting
low. The relief party under John. Hearing the sounds of firing.
The surprise of the natives. The savages repulsed. Muro and the
men follow the fleeing natives. Recalled by John. Aiding the
wounded. Taking along a wounded Chief. The litter. The decoy.
Returning to the ship. Observing the enemy from a tree-top.
Following up the party. A rear guard. The runner reports the
determination of the natives to follow. The signal shots to the
ship. Reinforcements. The determination to explore the island
and meet the natives. John with the boys and a strong party
remain. The _Pioneer_ sails for Wonder Island. Holding a
council.

XIX. FIGHT WITH NATIVES AND RETURN TO WONDER ISLAND Page 231

Arrangements for the _Pioneer_ to return. Ammunition needed. The
arrangement of the men for scouting and picketing. Leaving
security harbor. A plant which devours insects. Venus's
fly-trap. How plants absorb food. Irritability. How the leaf
digests the fly. Food absorbed by leaves as well as by roots. A
cache of human skulls. Head hunters. The vele. A hoodoo. The
rattle. The vele and the bamboo box. How it is worked to produce
the charm. Evidences of extreme superstitions. Witch doctors.
Peculiar noises. Doleful sounds. Speculating on the mysteries of
the island.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
He turned it over and examined every portion 75
The rites were progressing very satisfactorily 195
She ... found herself standing in front of a tall oval mirror 218

Fig. 1. The Mysterious Message. 28
Fig. 2. The Walter Letter. 40
Fig. 3. The Fire-fly. 57
Fig. 4. Inscription on the Skull. 60
Fig. 5. Measuring by Triangulation. 76
Fig. 6. The Second Limb 78
Fig. 7. Triangulation from a Vessel. 80
Fig. 8. The Kagu. 149
Fig. 9. Sesame Oil Plant. The Benne. 119
Fig. 10. Flower of Indica Tree. 152
Fig. 11. Bruang. The Malayan Bear. 155
Fig. 12. Rose of Jericho. 163
Fig. 13. The Koala. 164
Fig. 14. The Flower of the Upas Tree. 167
Fig. 15. Getting Angle from Position of the Sun. 212
Fig. 16. Venus' Fly-Trap. 234

ADVENTURES ON STRANGE ISLANDS