Part 24 (1/2)

”I wonder where _they_ camp at night?” said Laura thoughtfully one evening as she and Jess were paddling in for supper, being the last of the scattered girls to make camp. She had sighted the strange fishermen off the western end of Acorn Island again.

”Bet they are the fellows who took our food!” exclaimed Jess, suddenly.

”And have hung about here all this time? Nonsense!” returned Laura.

”But don't let Lil and Nellie hear you say that.”

”All right. But I bet they are.”

”I'm more worried by that cloud yonder,” said Laura. ”We're going to have a tempest.”

”Hope not till supper's over,” said the hungry Jess.

”We'll peg down the tents to make sure as soon as we get in,” said the careful Laura.

They did so. Half through supper the first drops of the storm fell.

Then the thunder rolled nearer and a tall tree was riven on the mainland, within sight of Camp Acorn.

_That_ pretty well settled the supper for most of the girls. Even the bravest had never experienced a thunder storm under canvas before.

So they all ran into Mrs. Morse's cabin. It did not seem so bad there.

In the midst of the downpour, however, and in a lull between thunder claps, Barnacle, who had been tied to the corner of the hut and had crawled under the floor for protection, suddenly broke out with a terrific salvo of barks. He rushed out into the rain and leaped at the end of his rope, barking and yelping.

”Somebody's about the camp,” murmured Mrs. Morse. ”The dog's nose--if not his eyes--tells him so.”

”It's Liz,” ventured Jess, for the maid-of-all-work had not come with them to the cabin.

Laura threw the door open, in spite of the flas.h.i.+ng lightning. Lil shrieked and even some of the other girls cowered as the lightning played across the sky. But before the thunder burst forth again, Laura heard another sound--and it was not the Barnacle baying.

Lizzie Bean, in the cook-tent, was screaming in a queer and stifled way.

CHAPTER XVI

WHERE THE BARNACLE'S NOSE LED HIM

The rain descended in torrents before the cabin door. E'er Laura could plunge into it, Jess dragged her back and slammed the door.

”Don't be a goose, Laura!” she cried.

”She--she----Something is the matter with Liz,” declared Laura.

”Of course not!”

”I tell you, I heard her. And there's the dog barking again.”

”You can't go through that rain----”

”I will!” declared Laura, and she wrenched open the door once more.