Page:Anderson--Isle of seven moons.djvu/273

Rh which, though narrow of girth, could quite conceal her slender figure.

"At last we found this uv a place atter tackin' all over the hull Atlantic like a hayseed chasin' a  pig," she heard the little old man say, "why damme, Pete, if the boat herself didn't get so dizzy with goin' about that she near capsized. Blast me  hide if ever I ship on a cruise like that agin."

It all came so quickly she didn't have time even properly to stop her ears, and now the tall man held something in his hand. It looked like her high school diploma, only dingier and stained. He unrolled it and the three bent over it.

"It's anelluva puzzle," quoth the little old man.

Puzzle, puzzle! She looked again, then crept from trunk to trunk toward the spot where they sat in the edge of the cave. There were markings upon the unrolled canvas—yes—they were something like those on the stone in the cavern.

Cautiously she retraced her steps.

Quite as light as the fall of the first rays of the sun on Ben's face, was the touch of her finger on his shoulder.

Up he sat, trying to shake the sleep from his body, and looking properly foolish, as a young man should, who finds his sweetheart up and about before him and on such a glorious morning.

"Ben—Ben wake up—there are strangers on the island!"

"Strangers—what strangers?" He hardly comprehended.

"Silly—they wouldn't be strangers if I knew who they were."