"Oh, I know who you are! I know who you are!" Bunny cried. "You're Tom Vine who ran away from us! Why did you run away? Daddy has been looking for you. You are Tom Vine; aren't you?"
"Yes, Bunny, I am. Wait a minute and I'll light a lantern, and you can see me better. Look out, Splash, so I won't step on you."
So that was why Splash had made such good friends with the big boy who came down the cave chimney hole—Splash knew Tom Vine, of course, even in the darkness.
Tom walked over to one of the boxes, and brought out a lantern. This he lighted. Bunny and Sue blinked their eyes at the sudden light, but they were soon used to it. Then they looked at Tom.
Yes, it was he. But he was even more ragged than when they had first seen him. He was laughing, though, and did not seem sad.
"And to think when I came home, and slid down the chimney of my cave, which I sometimes do, when I don't want to go around to the front door—to think when I did this I should find Bunny Brown and his sister Sue here!" said Tom. "How in the world did you find me?"
"We weren't looking for you," answered Bunny. "We were in the boat, with Bunker Blue. He went on an island to fish, and we sailed away with the umbrella. We landed here and I found this cave, to get out of the rain. I told Sue it was a make-believe robbers' cave."
"Well, I guess I'm the only robber who ever lived in it," said Tom. "But what are you children going to do? Tell me all about how you got here."
This Bunny and Sue did, from the time they started out with Bunker Blue, until Bunny opened his eyes to see Tom sliding down the grapevine rope.
"And now I'll tell you about myself," said Tom.