After some objection, Mrs. Bouncer said the boys might cook a meal there, but she would not let them sleep all night in the sand cave.
"It's sure to be damp," she said, "and, though you boys might not think so, I can't have you catching colds. Play there in the daytime as much as you like, but you can't sleep there."
With this they had to be content. They had lots of fun building the fire, and toasting frankforters over the coals. Sometimes the sausages would drop off the pointed sticks, and fall into the ashes, but Bob and his chums brushed the dirt off and went on eating as if nothing had happened.
They played in the cave for several days, and some of the other boys from nearby cottages joined with them, so the three chums became the leaders of a regular "pirate band."
One afternoon, however, something happened that put a stop to this fun. Sammy and his two chums had gone alone to the cave, and they had taken with them shovels to enlarge it, as it was getting too crowded on account of so many boys wanting to enter it.
"We'll make a dandy big cave, while we're at it!" boasted Sammy.
The three chums dug away for some time, and finally Bob said:
"That's enough, fellows. If we go too far back, and the sand should cave in, we'd never get out."
"That's right," chimed in Frank.
"Pooh! You fellows are scared!" exclaimed Sammy. "I'm going to dig it farther back. You two get some driftwood, and pile it out in front. We'll have a roaring big fire to-night."