But their appearance in no wise seemed to move the pity of the man. He laughed grimly as his two dogs flew furiously at the two newly rescued lads.
"Lucky for you that them dogs didn't come on you when I wasn't by," he said, filling and lighting a short pipe, and seating himself on a log. "They'd have torn you limb from limb. Now, then," he demanded, with a sudden accession of fierceness, "who are you, anyhow? What are you doing on Castle Rock Island?"
"We've escaped——" began Sandy, when something warned him that it would be as well to disguise the true state of affairs from this gruff, unsympathetic sort of individual.
"Oh, ho! You've escaped, have you?" said the man, with an ugly leer. "And from what, pray?"
"From our boat. It was wrecked," volunteered Jack, with a sufficient statement of facts to cover the case. "But is this Castle Rock Island, really?"
"Of course, it is. Didn't I say so?"
Jack and Sandy exchanged astonished glances. So they had reached their destination, after all. But in what an astonishing way!
"Well," glowered the man, "is that all?"
"I guess so," responded Jack, "except that we fell into the marsh while looking for a place where we could get some food and rest. We've got money to pay for it," he added, thinking that the man might live nearby.
The fellow's eyes lit up at the mention of money.