“Where are you going?” called her mother.
“I’m going to hide Elizabeth where the wild man can’t find her,” answered the little girl.
“Oh, don’t be silly!” said her mother. “The wild man is only a poor shipwrecked sailor, I’m sure, perhaps out of his mind a little on account of living alone so long. He won’t hurt you nor your doll, Sue. Don’t be foolish.”
This made Sue feel a little ashamed of herself, and she and Bunny played about the beach, again taking off their shoes and stockings and going in wading.
Meanwhile Will and Sam were searching for the wild man. They soon found the little wooden house, discovered by Bunny Brown, and went inside. No one was there, and the sailors began looking about to see if they could tell from what ship it had been torn by a storm.
While they were looking about them, not disturbing anything in the house, however, Will suddenly called:
“Hark! I hear a noise outside!”
“Maybe it’s the wild man!” said Sam.
CHAPTER XXIII
CAUGHT
The two sailors each had the same thought. They wanted to catch this strange man, whether or not he was really wild. So when Will and Sam, who were inside the queer little wooden house, heard that noise outside they at once thought they had a chance to catch the wild man, if it should prove to be that person who had caused the sound.