No second suggestion was needed; and they all flung themselves on the ground and lay where they were, letting the sea-breeze blow upon their heated faces. 'Awfully jolly,' murmured Gerald; 'I should like to have a fight like that every day.' Harry lay stretched out with a restless face looking about him with eyes that sparkled notwithstanding his fatigue, and kicking his heels when he had the energy to do so. Had he been less completely exhausted, he would have got up and explored the island, taking Gerald with him, but a cricket match and a siege in one afternoon, following a long walk in the morning, are as much as most boys are capable of. Presently Reggie jumped up. 'Allan,' he said, 'don't you think we ought to be going?' Allan looked at the waves which were beginning to jostle one another in mid-channel. 'Just about time,' he said. 'Couldn't we show them the inside of the house first,' said Marjorie; 'it won't take a minute.' 'All right,' said Allan, 'but we must be quick.' 'Is this where you stay when it is wet,' said Harry, as they pushed open the door of the cottage. 'What a jolly place. Can you light fires on the hearth?' 'Of course we can,' said Marjorie, 'and bake bannocks--why, Allan; some one has been here since we left!' 'Nonsense,' said Allan, looking about him. 'Why, I declare, some one has!' 'There has been a fresh fire lighted on the hearth,' said Marjorie, 'and the things are not as we left them. There are marks like footprints on the floor too.' 'What impudence,' said Reggie, with a darkening face. 'We must put up a notice board. No one has any business to come here except ourselves.' Allan had been looking about him, and he suddenly darted forward and took possession of some object lying upon the floor. After a glance at it he turned white, gave an odd little gasp and slipped it into his pocket. 'What is it, Allan?' asked the others, crowding around. 'Nothing,' he said; 'nothing at all. I don't think any one has been here; it's all fancy.' Reggie's eyes looked very much astonished at this change of front. 'Come along,' said Allan impatiently; 'it's time we went home,' and he swept them out of the cottage with so much decision that they obeyed, looking at him with puzzled faces. 'Hulloa!' cried Hamish; 'we had better be going.' 'Going?' echoed Allan; 'why, yes, we have no time to lose. Come along, all of you.' 'What's the matter?' asked Harry of Marjorie as they hurried towards the boat. 'It's a very high tide,' she said. 'Soon there will be a dangerous current flowing between the two islands, and if we get into it we might be swept out to sea. We are allowed to have the boat on condition that we watch the tide-ways; so we have to be careful.' It took some hard rowing to gain the opposite shore; and when they had landed, Reggie turned to Hamish. 'A near thing that, eh, Hamish?' he said; and they all looked at the dark swift current which filled the channel.