The Happy Adventurers

hunters or Th

nly very runny," said

it?" Mollie asked rather dreamily, as she

never thought of it. It mi

rants?" Mol

e child! I didn't know

, she wondered, that she forgot Chauncery so much more when she was with those other children than she forgot the children when she was at C

ill try it for the strawberries to-morrow.

and Grannie was absorbed in casting on a stocking-top with an intricate pattern, while Aunt Mary wrote letters, she began again to think and wonder about her curious journey, which for some reason seemed less strange to-day th

afe, commonplace paths, and avoid adventurous by-ways, but Aunt Mary, Mollie felt sure, was an anti-jogger, so to speak, and would always choose adventures if she had a choice. "It's funny to think," Mollie reflected, "that she can't be so very much younger than Mrs. Campbell is-was-is-was then. I suppose she is a

e to muse upon the subject of her aunt's spinsterhood. Not for long, however; she decided that Aunt Mary must have had excellent reasons of her own for

. "Dick has a way of copying them with a thing he has that makes the

d's peculiar fancy for Victorian photographs. So Mollie wrote a short letter to her brother, enclosing the group which had worked the magic charm for

had dreams of becoming a writer of books, but her difficulty hitherto had been that the usual sort of book is so ordinary, and she had never been able to think of anything remarkably unusual to write about. The autobiography of a person who could live in various periods of the Christian Era might turn out to be quite interesting, she thought, if

roduced without once asking what it was wanted for. "It just shows-" M

pecting Prudence as calmly as though she were coming from next door. She had the album on her lap, an

said, "but we must have Aunt

making strawberry jam, and I went and told her about putting in gooseberries

t the piano began-a tune Mollie knew well this time, for s

how my heart

he old fol

nd-quick," said

*

s far as she could see, firm yellow sand on the lower half, fine white silvery sand higher up. On the left it only ran for a couple of miles or so and then ended in rocks, over which the sea threw a cool whi

gh lightly clad in a swimming-suit, and Prue with her skirts rolled up and her feet bare. A wide sun-hat cove

flat object down to the sea, Hugh pulling in

, and I suppose the summer holidays have come round again. It is a l

re. She was dressed, like Prue, in a turned-up overall and wore a wide hat, which hid the red curls from view and gave her an unfamiliar look. Bridget was sitting not far from Grizzel, busily doing crochet-work and singing a song about a wild Irish boy, while her

ked herself, "I think I'll go and s

s, and that her head was covered with a sun-hat like theirs, a tanned Panama straw, light as a feather, and

e drew near. "Come along and lend a hand-we are just ab

ross-bars underneath. There was a mast in the exact centre, with a sail at present close-reefed, and there was a pair of old oars which, H

zzel find all tho

corks-jolly old winebibbers they must be," he added ungrateful

wavelets. A gentle breeze was blowing off the sea, but the tide was running out, which, Hugh remarked, was a good plan, as the raft would go out to sea with the tide and come back with the wind in her sail. He thought,

he appeared to slide along as much below the ocean as above it. After standing for some minutes they wandered along towards Grizzel, who was still sitting by the pale rosy patch on the sand. When they sat down besi

y; they come in beds like this all along the beach. There are lots of lovely shells here, and sea-eggs too. We collect them som

lls' twenty times running, as f

Mollie answered, "but I could say

zel, taking no notice o

rate of half an inch a

ea-shells' th

nse," said Prudence. "

mm

with the Campbells, but gathered from Mamma's conversation that she was paying a visit and had arrived that morning. She wondered aga

n view, coming from the north and heading south-west. They all stopped working and talking as they watched her steaming a

l," Papa said at last;

t three o'c

e great ship drew nearer-n

emble in her voice that made Prudence and

red softly, putting a hand over the white

They went down to the edge of the shore, and stood w

d for days and nights and weeks across all that sea. I wonder if some children on the other side will be playing on t

n the Australian mail. But in future she determined she would always watc

f the big steamer but a trail of sm

ittle waves, sometimes above and sometimes below. In the water in front of the raft she could see Hugh's head, like a round black ball-and-yes, she was n

"look-there is Hugh, and he has got someone with him-

jerk, and brought her thoughts and her

ne with him," she

ecidedly wet about the deck. They proceeded to unfurl the sail, which one boy held while the other two took to the oars, and, after some hard work, the Nancy Lee was safely bea

imming-suit, the rest of him being wet, white skin; but in spite of this unusual appearance Mollie was almost sure-in fact she was quite sure-that it was Young Outram.

ng up and down with excitement. "Oh, Prue-have the

re a goose! Do you think they co

orgot! It is so har

ere! Oh, Prue, ho

er. Both boys came racing along the sand towards

up. "What price school! How's this fo

he say?" as

ark, and that he enjoys being here immensely," translated Mollie. "Som

en't got any," sai

'Please' if we had," sa

" asked Young Outr

ere asking for some wha

explain

mean then?"

lie. "You shouldn't use such long words, Jerry, and they aren't true either

thing as common

s," said

sn't," s

little brown onion to put in the ground and you bring

if y

tty first go-off like that. Keep your hair on, Mollie, and don't get the hump over nothing. If you must jaw

asked Hugh, who had

glish," Mollie said impatiently. "I don't want to

hirry, arry therry yourry woerry urrystarry wurry wurry tharry

say?" asked bot

good. I think we'd better have a Circle. Give me your hand, Mollie, and you take Hugh's. And Hugh Dick's, and Dick Grizzel's, and Grizzel Young Outram's, and

and wriggled in the warm, wet sand, and in their ears was the plash-plash of the little waves beating backwards and forwards on the beach. It was very pleasant. It seemed quite easy to think of those three nice things. And presently each child f

feeling almost ready to burst with goodnes

Prue. "Words don't matter much if you

he time does go so quickly, and there are lovely th

are a good many of us at school," he explained to Prudence, "and we are called Old Outram, and O

" exclaime

s go out on the raft again-please," he added, with a wink at Grizze

things first," said Prudence; "the raft

Prue disappeared she returned to the boys with a basket ma

ttle shyly, "I thought you might be feeling hu

alling in love, he would choose a shy girl with brown curls who did not talk slang and

clothed for Mollie's taste; she liked to be skimpy when she went swimming. But no one grumbles after they have been in a Circle-at

like a little tailor, one arm flung round the mast. The raft rocked gently up and down on the calm sea, while the children swam, ducked, and played about in the clear, sun-warmed water like a school of young po

anced about, twirling round and round, tossing from side to side

ge from the deep," cried Jerry; "pr

arty collected on and about the raft to see what would happen next.

ken glass would get on deck and cut us; we'll pull her

ring, and Hugh cautiously knocked off the neck of the bottle with a stone. He drew out a paper, which had been carefully rolled round a thin bamboo stick and tied with a red

RCH THE CAVE UNDER THE DUKE'S NOSE HE

d three boys all at on

asked

e nose was distinctly aquiline and promised to be more so in th

he only treasure you would find in the cave under my nose would be some

uggested; "I expect if we went there and walked round

big enough to have a

y are all quit

likely," said Dick, "in fact it is al

t do you think the hidden treasure will be?" a

bobbies would think the bottle story was all made up. I expect we'd all be put in jail, and it would be jolly awkward for Dick and me when we got back to school. I

vely. "They are so hard to convince, even about quite simple things, if they don't want t

lver, latest pat

first-class cam

re-bred bull-d

ttle model sewing-m

," said Grizzel, "and then we

ix of everything. Then Mollie began to laugh: "How funny we will look if we each get all the things," she giggled. "We will walk home on the stilt

a tear, "because it is getting on for tea-time and we have got to get dressed. Perhaps there will be time to go

s were panelled in wood, painted bird's-egg blue, and decorated with pictures of ships. The windows were round like portholes; the table stood across one end of the room and was screwed to the f

ham, an extraordinary number of boiled eggs, several loaves of smoking hot

, when tea was over. "We will go very quietly along

their boots and stockings slung round their necks. It did not take them long to cover the two miles which lay between their beach and the rocks. Mollie found it hard to p

any sort of nose. The rocks were low and for the most part jagged, with pools of water in the hollows between them for unwary or careless

ering; "he says they taste like a sea-breeze, and if we aren't going to take back a

d, merely the edge of Australia. The children scrambled along till they reached the turn of

the edge of a big boulder; "the message didn't say it was. It might be anywhere. Pe

ula," Hugh said. "We might sail the raft acros

ouldn't swim fifty miles; half a mile is my l

sail and tack a bit, a

food?" ask

'd have to distil sea-water, and that takes coal and might b

pon that voyage. "We would be pretty thirsty before there was en

getting home now," sai

dark before

htly up and tied the tops round with the lace ends. When she looked up from this task she stopped again to admire the gorgeous sunset. The whole sky was ablaze, and the sea had changed from blue to crimson and gold; the wet beach was gleaming like an opal, pale-rose and lavender,

to herself, "only that flagstaff h

, where a man could go in and get boiling water for his tea-that everlasting tea which the Australian drinks at any and every hour of the day? It was Papa, and he had said they called the hut 'The Nose'-short, Grizz

e!" of the Australian-born child, which caused five heads to be turned in her direction instantaneously. Prudence started running back, fearing that her sister had fallen and hurt herself. Grizzel's gesticulations made things

, hanging on to her periwinkles, and her excitement over her discovery, Grizzel was getting breathless and incoherent, and al

h pain," said Mollie,

with 'She sel

es brought the boys back, and the question became: What to do next? The sun was getting perilously near the horizon, and once i

ick at last, "and come along before breakfast. Nobody is

they had almost found it, but Mamma's word was law, and if they broke their promise about getting home, or at least mee

small figure slipped into the boys' room and shook first one boy and then another by th

said confidently, "we'll

llow," ordered Grizzel; "you'll f

smoke rising from somewhere among the low scrubby trees, and a minute after a del

o know that they had not to wait until half-past eight for breakfast, for the fresh sea air had given them ravenous appetites. They found the girls in Gobbler's Hollow-appropriately so named by Hugh-bending over a gipsy

s tin mug from Mollie, who had begged to be allowed to make the tea as she had seen

ch Grizzel explained was their storeroom. Later in the day the girls would come back and tidy up; for the present the gre

waves, while here and there lay long heavy drifts of seaweed, shining darkly in the early rays of the morning sunlight. The children splashed their way along, their eyes

said, "I don't see how anyone could miss fi

was of it was open to the daylight and contained no lurking dark corners. The walls were rough and rocky but not high; the roof was, as Jerry said, nothing particular, and the floor was of shingle and

's taste and see-" he stooped as he spoke and scoop

ill save us carting water about-by jinks!" he exclaimed, looking round at the others with a

stared round the cave again. There did not seem to be a place where treasure could be hidden. Moreover, there were trace

se broken bottles are the same as the one we found. They played cock-shy with them,

spring certainly will be an advantage when we've got used

n; it doesn't look like the writing of the sort of person who plays that kind of joke-and of course it would be meant for a joke. Let's all stand qui

ere small. Dick and Jerry were uneasily conscious that they were "the sort of person"

xamined with meticulous care by six pairs of eyes in turn. But it was all in vain;

could hide a thimble," Prue sai

out suddenly, pointing to th

nd there lay a bottle, the very twin of the one they had found in the sea, red sealing-wax and all. The boys made a

bottle held it to the light-yes, th

r break it open," she said; "

d drew out the paper. It was written

ASK FOR MR. BROWN AT THE DUKE'S NOSE, H

they have said that firs

he Duchess's Toes and hear of something to

ance of the cave and was scrutinizing the beach; "by the look of the shadows I should say it was a goo

a possible one for them all; so they went for it manfully and womanfully and were soon at top. But alas! the door of the hut w

ldn't the old treasure-hider put hi

und it," Mollie remarked sensibly, "an

be seen coming towards the hut; he w

ast night," exclaimed G

Br

ut door at that hour of the morning. Prudence was pushed forward as spoke

Anything I ca

d, showing the latest message to him, "

e will be no end bucked to hear that bit o' news; she was mighty taken up with her messages, she was. You'll have to wait a bit, though. I can't leave this pla

everal excited

t you wait an' you'll see somethin' to

ing late, and they would have to hasten their steps as it was, if they were to reach home in time for a proper tidy-up before breakfast. Mam

*

t twelve. Nobody had a watch, but the Australian chi

s. That makes a circle to fit your own shadow. Then you stand in the middle and see where the shadow h

t of clock yourself?" Mo

ied modestly; "it's on the same principl

the sun," Grizzel said; "Hugh

he right person comes along. I think that's a jolly ingenious idea. You'd have to know exactly where due north was, of course, and yo

e sun rose higher and higher in the heavens. It also became warmer and warmer; so they decided to sit in a row with their ba

e can think of all the things the treasure might be." The green umbrella had

now-to

with nothing in his han

Brown?" Mollie asked.

make-all lookin' one

ook at the sea

nd six pairs of feet instantly began to run,

ped? How do you like her paint? Look at her nice little oars. Eigh

aving at that moment was the wonderful boat around which they were standing. Her outer dress was of bright, dark green, with a scarlet line round the rim; inside she was

about cameras and things in the abstract, but that such a thing as a real, life-sized boat-and such a

eless. That lovely littl

ir all day long was the best medicine she could have. So the boat was bought-"and a fine price they paid for her too," Mr. Brown remarked-and the little girl was half her time on the sea, and got so sun-burnt and sturdy that before she left she was rowing the boat herself-"an' you'd never know she'd had a mite the matter wi

thing they set hands on. I soon saw that this chap was a different sort altogether, hammerin' an' tinkerin' away at his raft, and careful of her

found it, or the other

only bit I wasn't sure about was the Duke's Nose, for not many knows it by that name; but little Missie would have it-said it was

," Grizzel said, so that all eyes were i

lly when I have a cold i

' you, an' I'll row you along

ed Grizzel, whose round

ce since he be

ere ain't many round her

boys, and had lifted the girls in. Now he took the oars, and, with a few

his wife. If you want to go a regular excursion to the Port or such, you can always get one of us to go with you, unless, of course, your Pa can take you. But you'll get plenty of fun, an' learn a lot too, playin' round here-you'll learn the feel o' the sea, which is something quite different from rowin' on a river. An' don't you

had to be won before the lovely boat was really theirs. He was as delighted as they were them

her all about how we found the bottle," Prudence said to Mr. Brown,

. Brown answered. "She'd be mi

ietly with their needles" for an hour; but at last tea-time came, and evening followed, and the whole family except Baby embarked upon the first voyage in The Belle of Canada

sheiling of t

de us, and the

od is strong, the

eams behold

meads-these hoar

les from our f

nder Papa's arm; Prudence thought in her dreamy way of the little Canadian; Mollie remembered th

ritain, Australia, India, sailing in a Canadian boat-there's another song we ought to sing--" h

ia! Britannia

*

lie called out, as she sat up and rubbed her

eginning to look quite rosy and sunburnt! Spraining your ankle seems to suit you. I think I'll s

said M