They gazed across the broad water over the gleaming ripples far away, for the light wind did not raise them by the shore, and traced the edge of the willows and the weeds.
“The savages are in hiding,” said Bevis, after a pause. “Perhaps they’re having a feast.”
“Or gone somewhere to war.”
“Are they cannibals?” said Mark. “I should not like to be gnawn.”
“Very likely,” said Bevis. “No one has ever been here before, so they are nearly sure to be; they always are where no one has been. This would be a good place to begin the map as we can see so far. Let’s sit down.”
“Let’s get behind a tree, then,” said Mark; “else if we stay still long perhaps we shall be seen.”
So they went a little farther to an ash, and sat down by it. Bevis spread out his sheet of brown paper.
“Give me an apple,” said Mark, “while you draw.” Bevis did so, and then, lying on the ground at full length, began to trace out the course of the shore; Mark lay down too, and held one side of the paper that the wind might not lift it. First Bevis made a semicircle to represent the stony bay where they found the roach, then an angular point for the sandy bar, then a straight line for the shelving shore.
“There ought to be names,” said Mark. “What shall we call this?” putting his finger on the bay.
“Don’t splutter over the map,” said Bevis; “take that apple pip off it. Of course there will be names when I have drawn the outline. Here’s the cliff.” He put a slight projection where the cliff jutted out a little way, then a gentle curve for the shore of the meadow, and began another trending away to the left for the place where they were.