His heart began to beat a little faster than was comfortable. What if some of the Hunt gang were prowling about.
“What do you think it is?” he asked, the next moment, in rather a quavering tone.
“Jiggered if I know,” said Merritt; “let’s go toward the beach and investigate.”
“Better do that than stay here,” agreed Tubby.
Picking up their scout staves both boys cautiously tip-toed toward the mouth of the ravine. But before they could reach it a sudden shadow fell across the white strip of sand at the outlet.
The next moment a huge body came into view. Its great bulk loomed up enormously to the eyes of the excited boys.
“It’s a big deer!” exclaimed Tubby; “what a beauty! Look at those horns!”
The deer, a fine antlered beast that was moving leisurely along the beach, looked up at the same instant. It gazed straight at the boys for a moment. Then it began pawing the ground angrily, and tossing its head.
“What can be the matter with it?” said Merritt in a whisper.
“Bothered if I know,” rejoined Tubby, “it looks kind of mad, doesn’t it? Maybe we’d better try to climb up that cliff.”