"What's the matter!" lazily demanded Max Bender, warming his hands over the tiny blaze.
"Look! Look!" repeated Bobby, turning to point again. "Here they come!"
"Here who come?" asked Bender, jumping up.
He shuffled up to the place where Bobby stood. One look he gave and then vented his amazement in a long whistle.
"My goodness!" he muttered. "They've got us beaten before we even begin."
"Aren't we going to fight?" demanded Bobby, with energy.
"What! fight the whole bunch—just us few?"
"Of course. We've got the island—"
"And a fat time we'd have trying to keep it," grunted Max.
"Why, you're a quitter!" exclaimed the smaller boy, under his breath. He whirled and waved his hands to the boys below, busy making snowballs. "Get up here, fellows—in a hurry!" he cried. "Here come the Bedlamites."