"Yes, if we dare," said Marian, overcome for a moment with fear. "If they have seen us and come out to meet us, what then?"
"I hardly think they'd see us without a field glass," said Lucile.
Bending to the oars they set their boat cutting across the wavelets that increased in size with the rising wind.
Ten minutes of hard pulling brought their boat in behind the point, where it was quieter water and better rowing. This took them to a position quite out of sight of the white spot on the distant beach. If the pirate robbers were truly located in the bay and had not seen the girls they were safe to steal up close.
"Well, suppose they have. If the worst comes to the worst we can escape into the brush," said Marian. "We won't be worse off then than we are now."
"If only we can catch them off guard and get away with our motorboat!" said Lucile fervently.
Two hours of fighting the wilderness brought them at last to the beginning of the short, sandy beach. By peering through the branches they discovered that a clump of young tamaracks, growing close down to the shore, still hid the white spot they had taken for their boat.
Lucile stepped out upon the sand, then bent down to examine a footprint. Quickly she dodged back into the brush.
"They're here, all right," she whispered. "That's the track of the fellow with the mis-mate feet."
"Listen!" said Marian.