"Why, isn't there enough here?" his father inquired, with a laugh.
"Oh, there's enough for now," Russ answered. "But if we go to an island we could pretend we were shipwrecked, and then we'd be hungry and want a lot to eat."
While the captain and Daddy and Mother Bunker sat under the shade of the trees and talked, the four older Bunker children wandered around the little grove, after having eaten the "snack," as the marine had called it. Mun Bun and Margy stayed near their mother.
Russ was digging away in the soft earth, to get a queer-looking stone which he wanted to add to his collection of shells, and Rose was watching some ants which were busily at work, when suddenly Laddie, who had wandered off down a little path, came running back, with Vi just ahead of him. Rose at once saw that something was the matter.
"What is it, Laddie? Did you see a snake?" she asked.
The little fellow, who was out of breath, shook his head.
"Nope! I didn't see—a snake," he answered. "But I saw—a lot—of ragged men—hiding in the bushes, and Vi saw 'em too. Didn't you, Vi? A lot of ragged men!"
"Were they tramps?" asked Rose quickly, as she took hold of Vi's hand.
"I guess so," Laddie answered. "They were terribly ragged men! I'm going back to daddy and mother!" he added.