Before he had finished speaking he had turned and started back toward the grove on the run and they barely caught the final words. But, as if by common assent, the others quickly followed him and were at his heels by the time he had reached the edge of the grove.
"Better take it easy," Mr. Lakewood cautioned as he caught hold of the captain's arm.
But he shook him off and plunged into the woods, and for a moment, was lost to sight. In a very short time, however, the others caught up with him and together they worked their way as rapidly as possible through the trees which grew so closely together that anything more than a slow walk was out of the question. Every few feet they stopped to listen but no sound, indicating the presence of anyone outside their party, reached them and in less than twenty minutes from the time they had entered the wood they emerged from the other side and found themselves only a few feet from the ocean.
As they stood for a moment looking out over the water was it fancy or did Jack's sharp ears catch a faint sound of what seemed to him to be a wild mocking laughter far back in the depths of the woods?
"Did you hear that?" he asked turning to Bob who was standing a few feet away.
"Did I hear what?" Bob asked.
"Sounded like laughter to me."
"No, I didn't hear anything except the swaying of the trees back in there."
"Maybe that was what I heard," Jack said but he did not look as though he believed it.
"Well, what now?" Mr. Lakewood asked a moment later.