Hinpoha was leaning against a tree, pale as death, and she grasped Katherine by the arm and led her out of earshot of the others. “The cans of beans,” she said faintly. “Don’t look so scared, Katherine, it’s only–the–panic!”
“What on earth did you do?” asked Katherine.
“I remembered that Migwan set a can of beans in the fire to heat once when we were camping and it exploded, and I thought that would be a fine way to start a panic here. So to make sure I took three cans–great big ones–and buried them in the hot ashes. When they exploded I was going to scream and make everybody come running.”
“Well, they exploded all right,” said Katherine drily. “I thought the island blew up.”
“So did I,” said Hinpoha. “They went up just like dynamite. The kettle was blown off the hanger and landed fifty feet away.”
“To say nothing of blowing the tent down,” said Katherine.
“Oh,” said Hinpoha hastily, “that didn’t blow 169 down. The boys and Uncle Teddy had taken it down this morning to fix it differently and they were just setting it up again when the awful explosion came. They all yelled and jumped and the whole thing came down on their heads.”
Katherine looked over to where the arms and legs were still waving under the billows of canvas and doubled up against a tree in silent spasms. Then she suddenly straightened up. “Who is hiding Eeny-Meeny?” she asked.
“Why,” gasped Hinpoha, “you are!”
“I?” said Katherine.