“Good old bats!” whispered Jack. “Would you think anyone would be scared of those little flitter-mice, Nora?”
“Aunt Harriet was,” said Nora. “I don’t know why. I think they are dear little creatures, with their funny black wings. Anyway, I shall always feel friendly towards them now. They have saved us from being found!”
Daisy the cow mooed loudly. Jack frowned. “If only we had milked Daisy before the trippers came!” he said.
“Did you hear that?” said one of the trippers. “That was thunder in the distance!”
The four children giggled. Nora rolled over and stuffed her hands into her mouth to stop laughing loudly.
“Good old Daisy!” whispered Mike. “She’s pretending to be a thunderstorm now, to frighten them away!”
Nora gave a squeal of laughter, and Jack punched her. “Be quiet,” he said. “Do you want us to be discovered just when everything is going so nicely?”
The trippers were getting into their boat. They pushed off. The children heard the sound of oars, and peeped out. They could see the boat, far down below, being rowed out on to the lake. A big wind sprang up and ruffled the water. The boat rocked to and fro.
“Hurry!” cried a woman’s voice. “We shall get caught in the storm. Oh! Oh! There’s one of those horrid bats again! I’ll never come to this nasty island any more!”
“I jolly well hope you won’t!” said Jack, pretending to wave good-bye.