“Keep your pistol ready for use, Randy,” warned the young major, and then he moved forward with his firearm in one hand and the hatchet in the other.
Both boys were on edge, thinking that some wild animal might pounce out upon them at any instant. But nothing happened to disturb them, and a little later they reached the raft and, much relieved, sculled their way over to the other side of the bay, this time landing as close to the ocean and its sandy shore as possible.
“Hello! Hello!” came from out of the fast-gathering darkness, and a moment later in reply to their answering calls Fred appeared.
“I supposed you’d be getting anxious about us,” said Jack. “We certainly have had plenty of things happen to-day. We’ll tell you all about it when we get back to camp.”
Seated comfortably in camp and partaking of a substantial meal gotten ready by the other boys, Jack and Randy told first about the encounter with the lion.
“Gee, I hope you killed him!” cried Fred. “I don’t want to meet such a beast as that around here.”
“The lion must have come from the yacht,” put in Ira Small. “An’ if that’s so, then the ship must have come ashore on the island.”
“That’s just what she did,” answered Randy. “We saw the wreck lying between the rocks away off to the southeast.”
“Did you visit the ship?” questioned Andy, eagerly.