Part 3 (1/2)

Lucile stepped out upon the sand, then bent down to exaed back into the brush

”They're here, all right,” she whispered ”That's the track of the felloith the mis-mate feet”

”Listen!” said Marian

”Sounds like shouting,” said Lucile, after a moment's silence

”What do you suppose?”

”We'd better move around to a better position”

Cautiously they worked their way through the dense undergrowth

Pausing now and again to listen, they laid their course by the sounds

These sounds resolved thehter

”They're drinking,” said Lucile with a shudder

”If they are, we daren't get near them,” whispered Marian

Closer and closer they crept until at last they expected at any moment to come into view of the ca back into the brush ”I can't go on They're drunk, and all drunkentoo much for a h the brush So sore were theirtheir way, they came out upon the beach a hundred yards frohs of a dwarf fir tree they threw themselves upon the bed of pine needles to rest

”Look!” exclaimed Lucile suddenly ”What's that out there?”

”Ourout with the tide They must not have seen it Quick! Our rowboat! Wehearts they raced up the beach Having reached the heavy rowboat they pushed it off Wading knee-deep in the sea to give the boat a good start, they at last leaped to their seats and grasped the oars, and with strong, deft, strokes set her cutting the water

Length by length they lessened the distance between the prize

Now they were two hundred yards away, now one hundred, now fifty, now--

There calance over her shoulder Lucile took in the situation

”We'llway off”

Moments seemed hours as they strained at the oars, but at last they bumped the side of the motorboat and the next second found the to the tiller of the rowboat while she swung round to the wheel Lucile gave the ine responded with a pop-pop-pop

There came another shout, a hopeless one, from the robbers