Certainly the little black bats were out in their hundreds. The hot, thundery evening had brought out thousands of insects, and the bats were having a great feast, catching the flies and beetles that flew through the air.
It was the bats that sent the trippers away. One of the women caught sight of two or three bats darting round under the trees, and she gave a shriek.
“Ooh! Bats! Ooh! I can’t bear bats! I’m frightened of them. Let’s pack up and go quickly!”
“I can’t bear bats either!” squealed the other woman. “Horrid little creatures!”
“They won’t hurt you,” said a man’s voice. “Don’t be silly.”
“I can’t help it; I’m frightened of them,” said a woman. “I’m going!”
“But I wanted to explore the island,” said Eddie.
“Well, you’ll have to explore it another day,” said the woman. “Just look at the sky, too - there’s going to be a dreadful storm.”
“All right, all right,” said Eddie, in a sulky voice. “We’ll go. Fancy being frightened of a few bats!”
The children on the hillside stared at one another in delight. The trippers were really going. And no one had discovered them. Goody, goody!