"Not much!" returned his friend. "Bobo would not make those sounds if it was a panther. Mr. Panther has beat it through the trees. It is something else in the charcoal burner's hut. Come on!"
He strode over to the door, snapped back the lock, and threw the door open. The torchlight flooded the interior of the place and revealed Russ and Rose Bunker, still fearful, clinging to each other as they crouched in a corner of the hut.
"Well!" exclaimed Daddy Bunker. "Of all the children that ever were born, you two manage to get into the greatest adventures! What are you doing here?"
"A big cat chased us in here, Daddy," said Russ.
"And he tried to get at us through the roof," added Rose.
Daddy Bunker and Mr. Armatage looked at each other pretty seriously.
"We didn't get here a minute too soon," said the planter.
"I believe you," returned Mr. Bunker gravely. "This might have been a very serious affair."
But in the morning, after Russ and Rose were refreshed by sleep and had told the particulars of their adventure at the breakfast table, the youngsters really took pride in what had happened to them. The smaller children looked upon Russ and Rose as being very wonderful.
"What would you have done, Russ, if that big cat had got into the house with you and Rose?" Vi asked.