CHAPTER XXI
A DOUBLE SURPRISE
"Who you?" growled the strange man.
"We—we—" began Larry.
"I beg your pardon, sir. You aren't the person we were seeking," apologized George Baker.
"Who you look for?"
"Oh, a friend of ours. I am sorry if I disturbed you. Were you up in that tree?" demanded George, a sudden thought occurring to him. He wondered if this questionable-looking half-breed had been up there while they were holding their conference a short time before that.
The fellow made no reply. He stood regarding them with inquiring, suspicious eyes until the boys grew restless under his scrutiny.
"Well, you needn't look at us that way," declared George, flushing under the steady, disconcerting gaze of the stranger. "We don't know you and you don't know us, and I guess you don't own the island. Come on, fellows."
The boys started away, trudging thoughtfully towards home. As for Jane McCarthy, the instant she reached the ground, she had scrambled to her feet and darted into the bushes, where she threw herself on the ground, breathing heavily, waiting for what might come. What did come amazed her. She saw the man dash up and glance hurriedly about him. It was evident that her fall had attracted his attention, and that he had run to the tree, hoping to catch some one. Gazing at him through the bushes, the girl decided that he must be an Indian. She gazed at him long and earnestly, forgetting for the moment her own precarious position.