Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/286

268 All moved forward toward the hollow. By walking well over to the left they managed to keep a distant row of palms between themselves and those who were at the water's edge.

But progress was slow, as all soon discovered. The hollow was a treacherous one, full of soft spots and pitfalls. Less than a hundred feet had been covered when two of the sailors went down up to their waists, and a second later Roger followed.

"Hold on, Roger! I'll help you!" cried Dave, and he and Phil ran to their chum's assistance. They did not dare to go near the soft spot and so all they could do was to throw the senator's son a stout vine for use as a rope, and then haul him out by sheer strength. In the meantime the others went to the rescue of the two sailors, and they were hauled out in similar fashion.

"This island certainly is the limit!" gasped Roger, when he was on firm ground once more. "I wouldn't live here if they made me a present of the whole thing!"

"That's right," returned Phil. "Because, if you lived here, you might some day find yourself buried before your time!" And this quaint way of expressing it made all of the boys grin in spite of their excitement.

Beyond the hollow another difficulty confronted them. Here were some sharp rocks, with