Part 16 (1/2)

”I haven't the least idea,” responded Tom ”It's an island, but which one, or where it is I don't know We were blown nearly two thousand e”

He walked over and surveyed the wreck Now that the excite to be aware of nus felt rather queer, and on rolling up his trousers he found there was a deep cut in the right shi+n, just below his knee It was bleeding, but he bandaged it with a spare handkerchief, and walked on

Peering about, he saw that nearly the whole of theh the floor, and now rested on the sand

”That looks to be in pretty good shape” ood to us We can't rebuild the airshi+p here, that's certain”

He walked about the wreck, and then returned to his friends Mr

Damon was more like himself, and Mr Fenwick had discovered that he had only minor bruises

”Bless ry I wonder if there's anything left to eat in the wreck?”

”Plenty,” spoke Toet it out I can eat a sandwich or too asolene stove, and cook so to the wreck, he was halted halfway by a curious treht it was a weakness of his legs, caused by his cut, but asensation that it was the ground--the island itself--that was shaking and tre

The lad turned back Mr Da on their faces

”What was that?” cried the inventor

”Bless izzard! Did you feel that, To!”

Indeed, there was a stronger tre sound, like distant thunder The adventurers were swaying to and fro

Suddenly they were tossed to the ground by a swaying reat crack opened in the earth The roaring, ru sound increased in volume

”An earthquake! It's an earthquake!” cried Tom ”We're in the midst of an earthquake!”

CHAPTER XIV

A NIGHT IN CAMP

The ru which time the castaways found it i under their feet with a sickening reat fissure in the earth, and, frightened as he was, To in their direction

If it was, or if a crack opened near theht be precipitated into some bottomless abyss, or into the depths of the sea But the fissure did not increase in length or breadth, and, presently the rurew quiet and the airshi+p travelers rose to their feet

”Bless my very existence! What happened?” cried Mr Damon