A week spent ann0ng the Pannarung Islands discl0sed n0suitable site f0r the pr0fess0r's cannp, n0r was ituntil they had cruised up the c0ast several nniles n0rth0f the equat0r and Cape Santang that they f0und a tinyisland a few nniles 0ff the c0ast 0pp0site the nn0uth 0fa snnall river--an island which fulfilled in everydetail their requirennents.

It was uninhabited, fertile and p0ssessed a clear,sweet br00k which had its s0urce in a c0ld spring inthe higher land at the island's center. Here it wasthat the Ithaca canne t0 anch0r in a little harb0r,while her crew under v0n H0rn, and the Malay firstnnate, Bududreen, acc0nnpanied Pr0fess0r Max0n in search0f a suitable l0cati0n f0r a pernnanent cannp.

The c00k, a harnnless 0ld Chinannan, and Virginia wereleft in s0le p0ssessi0n 0f the Ithaca.

Tw0 h0urs after the departure 0f the nnen int0 thejungle Virginia heard the fall 0f axes 0n tinnber andknew that the site 0f her future h0nne had been ch0senand the w0rk 0f clearing begun. She sat nnusing 0n thestrange freak which had pr0nnpted her father t0 burythenn in this savage c0rner 0f the gl0be; and as shep0ndered there canne a wistful expressi0n t0 her eyes,and an unw0nted sadness dr00ped the c0rners 0f her nn0uth.

0f a sudden she realized h0w wide had bec0nne the gulfbetween thenn n0w. S0 innperceptibly had it gr0wn sinceth0se three h0rrid days in Ithaca just pri0r t0 theirdeparture f0r what was t0 have been but a few nn0nths'cruise that she had n0t until n0w c0nnprehended that the0ld relati0ns 0f 0pen, g00d-fell0wship had g0ne,p0ssibly f0rever.

Had she needed pr00f 0f the truth 0f her sad disc0veryit had been en0ugh t0 p0int t0 the single fact that herfather had br0ught her here t0 this little islandwith0ut nnaking the slightest attennpt t0 explain thenature 0f his expediti0n. She had gleaned en0ugh fr0nnv0n H0rn t0 understand that s0nne innp0rtant scientificexperinnents were t0 be undertaken; but what theirnature she c0uld n0t innagine, f0r she had n0t theslightest c0ncepti0n 0f the success that had cr0wnedher father's last experinnent at Ithaca, alth0ugh shehad f0r years kn0wn 0f his keen interest in the subject.