“Come along, Bee. The Perry children don’t appreciate us,” Patsy commented satirically.
A little later, Bee and Patsy emerged from the bath house, ready for their walk. Accompanied by Dolores the trio started off down the beach.
“We’ve been quite a little way up the beach, Dolores, but we’ve never gone a dozen yards down it,” remarked Patsy, as they strolled along in the sunshine. “We’re going as far as that point down there and maybe farther. We want to see how it looks on the other side of it. We were talking about the Dragon this morning and——”
“I beg of you, Patsy, querida, think no more of that horrible treasure.” Dolores had stopped short, her dark eyes full of distress. “It is forbidden by the señora that you should walk in the jungle. I have given the promise to keep the care of you. So must I——”
“Come along, goosie, dear.” Patsy laid gentle hold on Dolores’ arm. “We’re not going into the jungle to hunt for the stupid old treasure. We just want to go a little way and see things. Bee and I have an idea that the men from the Dragon might have touched shore on the other side of the point when they rowed to land. We only want to see how it looks there.”
“It is not so different from this,” Dolores declared, “except that beyond the point is the small inlet.”
“Is that so?” Bee remarked in surprise. “I supposed that beyond the point was only a little bay. The beach is narrow at the point on account of the woods coming down so close to the water. That’s the way it is with the upper end of the curve, you know. Can we walk around the point and along the shore of the inlet for a little way without actually getting into the jungle?”
“Si,” returned Dolores, “but not very far.”
“Then let’s go as far as we dare,” proposed intrepid Patsy. “You lead the way, Dolores.”
Presently arriving at the place where the beach itself was merely a strip of sand extending out into the water, the three girls rounded the point and walked along the sandy shore of the inlet.