“Just so easy!” Betsy laughed. “Come on, everybody. Hunt for air holes.”
But it wasn’t so easy after all. Now and then one of their number would leap toward what seemed to be an air-hole, dig frantically; then give up as a clam was not revealed.
“I’ve heard of stranded travelers living for quite a time on birds’ eggs.” It was Eleanor who made this suggestion.
“Well, I, for one, can climb trees.” Betsy started to race toward the woods, and the others followed, but once among the great old trees, they paused.
“I haven’t seen a sign of a footprint of any kind,” Virginia remarked, “so I conclude that we have this island very much to ourselves.”
But Virginia was mistaken for at least one dweller of the island was crouched in a nearby tangle of bushes and a pair of dark eyes watched every move made by the six invaders.
CHAPTER XXIII
FAIR EXPLORERS
Into the pleasant woods the girls went, Betsy, of course, in the lead. Sometimes there were open places among the trees where they could walk easily, but, at other times, they came to tangles of bushes that were very difficult to break through.
Suddenly the leader paused and held up a warning finger. “Hst!” she whispered in the dramatic way she seemed to enjoy, “I thought I heard sort of a rustling noise in the bushes over there.”
“It might be snakes—” Barbara began, when Sally uttered a piercing scream. “I stepped on one! I know I did!” she was screaming hysterically.