The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island

Ii. the Mysterious Lights

A mountain chain beyond the river. Adventures along the river. Decide to follow the river to the north. Camping at the shore of a small stream. Prospecting tour on the stream. The flint arrow. The arrow in the skull of an animal. Different kinds of arrows. Home-sick. The light across the river. The test of firing a gun. Disappearance of the light. Seeking explanation. The night watch. The early breakfast and start. Scouting in advance. Qualifications in scouting.

Iii. the Bear Fight

A coast line of steep hills. Shooting an animal. The answering shot. The wonderful echo. Calculating distance of the bluff by the sound. The bear. The attack of the bear. The Professor's shot. The frightened yaks. Recovery of the wagon. Death of the bear. Rugged traveling. Changing their course. Deciding to return to their home. Stormy weather. The traveling chart. Methods used to determine course in traveling. An adjustable square. Obtaining angles from the shadows.

Iv. the Disappearance of the Yaks

Breezes from the north. Indications of proximity of the sea. Warm winds. What wind temperatures tell. The missing yak herd. Mystery of the turning water wheel. The mill and workshop. Their home. "Baby" learning civilized ways. The noise in the night. The return of the yaks. The need for keeping correct time. Shoe leather necessary. Threshing out barley. The flail. The grindstone. Making flour. Baking bread. How the bread was raised. What yeast does in bread. Temperature required. The "Baby" and the honey pot. The bread with large holes in it. George's trip to the cliffs. A peculiar sounding noise and spray from the cliffs. An air pocket. Compressed air. Non-compressible water.

V. an Exciting Hunt

Earthquake indications. The seismograph. The theory about the interior of the earth. How geologists know the composition of the interior of the earth for miles down. The earth's "crust." The weekly hunting trip. Determine to cross South River and explore. The lost hatchet found. Making a raft to cross the river. Going into the interior. The sound of moving animals. Caution in approaching. Discovering the beast. Two shots. The disappearing animal. Indications that the animal was hit. Trail lost. Returning to the river. The animal again sighted. Firing at the animal. The shots take effect. The animal too heavy to carry. Return to the Cataract home. Finding the camphor tree. Its wonders as a medicine. Calisaya. Algoraba, a species of bean, or locust. Sarsaparilla. The trip to South River with the team. Finding the shot animal. The ocelot. Two bullet holes instead of one. The animal not at the place where it was shot the night before. Mystery explained by the finding of second animal which they had shot. Skinning the animals.

Vi. Hunting Vegetables and Plants

The accomplishments of George and Harry. Theory and practice. Fermentation. How heat develops germs. Bacteria. Harmless germs. Tribes of germs. Septic system of sewage. The war between germs. Setting germs to work. Indications from the vegetable world as to the climate. Prospecting in the hills. Tanning leather. Bark, and what it does in tanning. Different materials used. The gall nut and how it is formed. Different kinds of leaves. The edges of leaves. The most important part of every vegetation. Trip to the cliffs. Hunting for the air pocket. Discovery of a cave. Exploring the cave. The water in the cave. Indication of marine animal in the water. Return to the mouth of the cave. Discovering the air pocket. The peculiar light in the cave. Calcium coating.

VII. INVESTIGATING THE PROSPECTOR'S HOLE

Speculation as to the animal in the cave. Determined to explore the mystery of the "hole" in the hill. Trip to the hills. Difficulty in finding the "hole." Accidental discovery of a rock. The "hole" found. Indication that it was made by man. Why plants flourish around holes and stones. Moisture and heat. Object of cultivating plants. Lead and silver ore. Zinc. Working with their ore furnace. Putting metals to work. Labor-saving tools, what they are and what they do. Roasting ore. Melting roasted ore in crucible. Recovering zinc. Light from zinc and copper. Harry bitten by a "cat." The zibet.

Viii. the Bull Fight

Different fruit, flowers and vegetables. The thistle. Its nutritious qualities. Why animals can eat it. The sorrel and the shamrock. Significance of the latter. Vanilla. Smell is vibration. Harmony and discord in odors. What essences are composed of. Preserving seeds for planting. Food elements in vegetables. Surprising increase in their herd of yaks. Investigation. The wild bull. Apollo, the bull of their herd. His absence. The wild bull charging George. Stampede of the herd. George carried with them. Appearance of Apollo. Engaging in combat. Apollo the stronger. Reappearance of George. Return of the cows. Apollo the victor. Finding a brand mark on the wild bull. Inventory of their stock. Work in tanning vats. The flash of Harry's gun in the distance. Explanation of the difference in time between the flash and report. "Sound" or "noise." Vibrations. Light. The locomotive whistle explained.

Ix. Exciting Experiences with the Boats

Health on the island. Illness of Harry. Fever. Determining temperature. Making a thermometer. Substitutes for glass and mercury. How Fahrenheit scale is determined. Centigrade scale. Testing the thermometer. Determining fever. Danger point. Why a coiled pipe tries to straighten out under pressure. Medicine for fever. Rains and rising Cataract River. Decision to explore sea coast to the east. Yoking up the yaks. Gathering samples of plants and flowers. The beach. Following the shore line. Discovering the boat which had disappeared from the Falls in South River. Surprising find of strange oars and unfamiliar rope in the boat. Harry and George decide to sail the boat around the cliff point to the Cataract River. The Professor takes the team home. Sighting an object on the cliffs. Going ashore at the foot of the cliffs for an examination. Ascending the cliffs. Discovering the wrecked remains of their life-boat. Consternation when their boat is washed away from the shore. Getting the wreck of the life-boat down to the water. The watching and waiting Professor. The boys launch the life-boat and float to the mainland. Meeting the Professor. Explanations.

X. the Birthday Party and the Surprise

Theory that their island is near some other inhabited island. The mysterious occurrences of the fire in the forest; the lights across the river. The disappearance of their boat. The removal of the flagpole and flag; the arrows; the hole in the hillside; the finding of the boat with unfamiliar oars and rope on it. Conclude to make another boat. Unsanitary arrangement of their kitchen. Purifying means employed. Different purifying agents. Primary electric battery. The cell; how made. The electrodes. Clay. The positive and the negative elements. How connected up. The battery. Making wire. How electricity flows. Rate of flow. Volts and amperes. Pressure and quantity. Drawing out the wire. Tools for drawing the wire. Friction. Molecules and atoms. Accomplishments of "Baby." Climbing trees and finding nuts. George as cook. Making puddings. "Baby's" aid. Finding eggs of prairie chicken. Planning a surprise for the Professor. The birthday party. George's cakes to celebrate the event. Harry's gong. The missing cakes. "Baby" the thief. The feast. Why laughter is infectious. Odors. Beautiful perfumes wafted to long distances. Bad odors destroyed. Why. Oxygen as a purifying agent.

Xi. the Gruesome Skeleton

The Cataract water. Common oak chips as purifiers. Tannic acid. Bitter almonds. Universal purification of water. The Bible method. Albumen impurities in water. Electric battery. The electrode. How the cells were made. Object of plurality of cells. Volts, amperes and watts, and their definitions. A new boat determined on. Determining size of the boat. Recovering their life-boat. Visit to Observation Hill. Hunting for the lost flagpole and flag. Wreckage of a ship's boat discovered. The Professor sent for. Ascertain it is not part of their wrecked boat. Gathering up portions of the boat. Amazing discovery of skull and skeleton. Methods of determining age. Condition of the skull and teeth. Carrying the remains to the Cataract. The funeral. The seven ages in the growth of man. Sadness. The skeleton at the feast. Why is death necessary. One of the many reasons.

XII. THE DISTANT SHIP AND ITS DISAPPEARANCE

The endive. Chicory. The principle in the plant. The root. Curious manner of preparing it. A surprise for Harry. Making clay crocks. How to glaze or vitrify them. The use of salt in the process. A potter's wheel. Uses of the wheel. Its antiquity. Inspecting the electric battery. How it is connected up. Peculiarities in designating parts of the battery. Making the first spark. Necessary requirements for making a lighting plant. The arc light. What arc is and means. The incandescent light. Why the filament in bulb does not readily burn out. Oxygen as a supporter of combustion. Carbon, how made. Essential of the invention of the arc light. Determine again to explore cave. The lamps, spears and other equipment. Exciting discovery of a sail. Signaling the ship. The ship disappears. Discouragement. Determine to make a large flag and erect a new flagpole. Visiting the cave. Exploring it. Mounting one of the lamps on ledge for safety. Water not found where it was on previous visit. Discovery of a large domed chamber. Bringing forward the light on the ledge. Entering the chamber. Disappearance of the light from the ledge. The outlet of the chamber. Searching for the lost light. Determine to chart the cave. Steps taken. Surveying methods. Substitutes for paper and pencil. Soot. The base, the angle, and the projecting lines. How the side walls were charted.

Xiii. the Exciting Hunt Int He Forest

An eventful day. Accounting for the disappearance of the water in the cave. The animal in the cave. Subterranean connection with the sea. Starting to make the large flag. Regulation flag determined on. The stripes and their colors, and how arranged. Their significance. The blue field and how studded. Its proportional size. How the yellow ramie cloth was made white. The bleaching process. Chloride of lime. The red color. The madder plant. Its powerful dyeing qualities. Coffee. The surprise party for Harry. Chicory leaves as a salad. Exhilarative substances and beverages. The cocoa leaf. Betel-nut. Pepper plants. Thorn apples. The ledum and hop. Narcotic fungus. "Baby's" experiment with the red dye test sample. Test samples in dyeing. Color-metric tests in analyzing chemicals. Reagents. The meaning and their use. Bitter-sweet. Blue dye. Copper and lime as coloring substance. The completed flag. A hunting trip for the pole. Making a trailer. A pole fifty feet long determined on. Tethering the yaks at the river. Searching for pole. The shell-bark hickory. The giant ant-killer. His peculiarities. Weight of hickory. Weight of the pole. Problem to convey it to the river. Determine to get the yaks. Swimming them across the river. The Professor absent on their return. Searching for the Professor. A shot heard. Going in the direction of the shot. Another shot from vicinity of the team. Returning in the direction of last shot. Find the Professor with team on way to river. How they made a circle without knowing it. A lesson in judgment.