The flashlight was flickering feebly, and it was plain the battery was nearly used up. The girls separated the blankets, giving one to the boys who spread it out on the ground, grateful for the room and unmindful of snakes and promptly went to sleep. Inside the boat the girls huddled together under the remaining blanket, and the last thing Polly remembered was the loud snoring of Larry who had gone to sleep almost before his head touched the ground.
Something crackling and snapping awoke Margy a few hours later. It was light, though the thick fog pressed in closely around them. Peering cautiously over the side of the boat, Margy saw a cheering sight. A fire was blazing a few feet away and the three boys sat cross-legged before it on the blanket.
"Hi, Margy!" Ward waved his hand to her. "Come on—we can eat, if you are awake."
His voice roused Jess and Polly and they sat up and looked about them. The fire made them forget the dampness, and they were quickly out of the boat and stretching their hands to its welcome heat.
"We got the wood," announced Artie proudly. "We picked up all the chips and twigs and old boards we could find. Larry had matches, and though some of the wood was wet, that was only on top. Soon as we got it going, it burned fine."
"Where's Larry now?" asked Polly, and Ward said he had gone to see if he could find a spring.
He came back presently and reported that though he was sure there was good drinking water on Rattlesnake Island, he had not been able to find it.
"We have some left in my cask, and before that is gone, I aim to be well on the way home," he declared cheerfully. "And now let's have some breakfast."
They toasted the sandwiches from the boxes, and with the fruit left over made a comfortable if not luxurious breakfast. There were several packages of crackers and a couple of buns not touched, and these Larry was careful to wrap in oiled paper and put in the locker of his boat.