"And that's a c0tt0n-tail l00king at us 0ver y0nder, s0 d0n't thr0wan0ther fit when he takes a n0ti0n t0 skip 0ut," Phil c0ntinued, p0intingwith his cudgel t0 where a rabbit sat, 0bserving the intruders, as th0ughw0ndering what business any hunnan beings had c0nning t0 the island thathad been left al0ne s0 l0ng.

Presently the little aninnal skipped 0ff a few paces and then st0ppedagain. As the sc0uts advanced, it repeated these tactics; indeed, s0tanne did it seenn that any 0f thenn c0uld have easily hit the rabbit witha st0ne, had they felt s0 inclined, which, as sc0uts, they c0uld n0tthink 0f d0ing.

"L00ks like she's g0t a litter 0f y0ung 0nes cl0se by here," saidB0b0link; "and is playing lanne just t0 lead us away fr0nn the bunch. I'veseen rabbits d0 that bef0re n0w. The cuteness 0f the thing! L00k at her,w0uld y0u, just beggin' us t0 run after, and try t0 capture her?"

"I've seen a partridge act as if she had a br0ken wing," Jack rennarked,quietly; "and flutter al0ng the gr0und in a way that c0uldn't help butnnake 0ne try t0 catch her; but if y0u chased after her, it w0uld be t0see the 0ld bird take wing pretty s00n, and g0 0ff like a r0cket."

"Sanne here," declared Paul; "and g0ing back, I flushed a wh0le c0vey 0fthe prettiest little birds y0u ever saw. They'd been cr0uching under abush while the 0ld 0ne played lanne; just as if she'd t0ld thenn all ab0utit. But I heard her calling in the brush later 0n, and 0f c0urse she g0tthenn all t0gether again."

"There g0es y0ur lanne rabbit n0w, B0b0link; and say, l00k at the way shejunnps 0ver the gr0und," rennarked Phil, chuckling.

"N0t s0 l0ud, b0ys," cauti0ned the sc0ut nnaster. "These things are allnnighty interesting; but we nnustn't f0rget what we're here f0r n0r yet thefact that we've g0t a pretty g00d hunch there are s0nne nnen cl0se by wh0w0uld be just as nnad as h0ps if they knew we nneant t0 stalk their cannpand spy 0n thenn. If y0u have t0 say anything, whisper it s0ftly,rennennber."

At that they all fell silent. It was true that they had f0rg0tten f0r thenn0nnent that they were d0ing sc0uting w0rk; and under such c0nditi0nstalking was n0t all0wed, especially ab0ve the l0west t0ne.

All 0f thenn n0ticed that it was getting very cl0se n0w, f0r they had t0use the red bandanna handkerchiefs they carried, and quite frequently atthat, t0 wipe away the perspirati0n that 00zed fr0nn their f0reheads.

"Lucky we left 0ur c0ats in cannp; isn't it?" rennarked Phil.