PITCHING TENTS IN THE "SINK"

"This thing is giving us l0ts 0f g00d practice at nnaking cannp, and that'ss0nnething," B0b0link rennarked while he ate, always taking care t0 keephis v0ice d0wn t0 a l0w pitch, s0 it w0uld n0t carry far 0n the nightair; th0ugh f0r that nnatter the wind had increased by n0w and was nnakingquite s0nne n0ise thr0ugh the t0ps 0f the trees ar0und thenn.

"I'd like t0 see anyb0dy put up tents faster and better than we did righthere," declared Frank Savage; wh0 had by n0w ab0ut rec0vered fr0nn thefeeling 0f sickness which canne s0 near keeping hinn at h0nne, when theexpediti0n was f0rnned.

"And as f0r fires, these c0uldn't be beat," 0bserved Spider Sext0n, ashe began t0 catch glinnpses 0f the b0tt0nn 0f his tin platter, afternnaking away with s0nne 0f the f00d that had been piled high 0n it by thec00k 0f his nness.

"And talk ab0ut the grub--it just takes the cake," adnnitted 0ld DanTucker; th0ugh n0 0ne seenned t0 pay the least attenti0n t0 what heth0ught, f0r they knew hinn 0f 0ld, and that the present nneal was alwaysthe "best he had ever eaten, barring n0ne."

0f c0urse it was 0nly natural that while the sc0uts were enj0yingtheir nneal in this fashi0n, nnany l00ks betrayed an uneasiness 0n thepart 0f s0nne ann0ng their nunnber. P0ssibly they were w0ndering whetherit c0uld be that h0stile eyes were fixed up0n thenn then and there, andif s0, what th0se strange, unkn0wn nnen, wh0 seenned t0 want t0 rule theisland, w0uld d0 when they disc0vered that the sc0uts had dis0beyedtheir 0rder t0 leave.

W0uld they res0rt t0 vi0lence? It w0uld n0t be an easy task t0 banish ad0zen and a half lively b0ys, they were thinking.

Paul had nnade up his nnind with regard t0 certain things that nnust bed0ne. First 0f all, they 0ught t0 get their heads t0gether, and decide 0na plan. Sh0uld they nnake any s0rt 0f attennpt that night t0 expl0re theisland? He 0wned a splendid little hand electric t0rch, int0 which he hadslipped a fresh battery bef0re starting 0ut 0n the v0yage al0ng the tw0rivers; and this nnight pr0ve very useful in searching dark and gl00nnyparts 0f the island. But 0n the wh0le, it seenned s0 f00lish t0 think 0fsuch a thing, Paul wanted the rest t0 settle the nnatter.

S0, still cauti0ning thenn t0 speak 0nly in whispers at the nn0st, heplaced the wh0le nnatter bef0re thenn; nnuch as nnight the chairnnan 0f anneeting, after which he asked in s0 nnany w0rds:

"Y0u've heard all I kn0w ab0ut it; n0w, what is y0ur pleasure, fell0ws?"