CHAPTER XXII
Russ saw his sister Rose standing in a little shady group of trees, looking at some sight down in a small glen, or little valley.
"What's the matter, Rose?" asked Russ.
"Hush. Not so loud," she whispered back, holding her hand up to make him keep quiet. "You'll scare 'em away if you're not careful."
"Scare who?" asked Russ.
"The tramps," Rose answered. "See, there are the ragged men down there. They're having a picnic, like us, I guess."
Russ looked and saw a group of the sort of men he had always called tramps. They were ragged and dirty, and were seated about a fire over which hung a steaming kettle.
"They're cooking just like gypsies," said Russ. "Maybe they are gypsies, Rose."
"No, they're tramps," went on the little girl. "And I guess they are the same ones that took Captain Ben's rowboat and the other things off the dock. And maybe they're the same ones that took Mrs. Brown's jewelry."
"Oh, maybe they are!" exclaimed Russ. "What'll we do?"
"Let's go and tell daddy and mother and Captain Ben," answered Rose. "They'll know what to do."
Russ and Rose turned back on the woodland path. The ragged tramps did not appear to have seen or heard the children, and a little later the oldest of the six little Bunkers were excitedly telling the others on the island beach what they had seen.
"Tramps, eh?" exclaimed Captain Ben. "Well, now I have a chance to catch them. They can't get away from me now, as the island is too small. Can you show me where they are, Russ and Rose? Then you can come back while your father and I round them up."
"Oh, can't I help catch 'em?" pleaded Russ.
"No, indeed!" his father exclaimed, as he and Captain Ben got ready to go to where the ragged men were cooking some sort of meal in the woods.
"Wait a minute!" called Mother Bunker. "If you two men are going tramp hunting, that means I shall be left alone here with the children. And if any of the tramps get away, and come around where we are——"
"That's so!" exclaimed Daddy Bunker. "I didn't think of that. What shall we do?" he asked Captain Ben. "It will take two of us to round up the tramps, and yet——"
Just then the whistle of a boat sounded down near the beach where the Bunker party had landed in theSpray. Captain Ben glanced down, and as he did so a smile and look of relief came over his face.
"This will make it easy," he said. "There's Captain Blake and some boys I know. They were in the war with me. Some of them can stay with Cousin Amy and the children, and the rest can come with us and help catch the tramps."
"I wish I'd been a soldier boy, then I could help catch tramps, too!" exclaimed Russ.
"Hello, Captain Ben! What are you doing here?" called Captain Blake, who had brought a group of boys from a warship to the island for a day's outing.
"We're having a picnic," replied Captain Ben. "And you're just in time, boys!" and he greeted the jolly sailor lads.
"Just in time for lunch, do you mean?" asked one rosy-cheeked lad, as he danced around on the sand after leaping from the motor boat.
"Yes, I guess we have some lunch left, if the six little Bunkers didn't eat it all up," went on Captain Ben.
"Six little Bunkers!" repeated Captain Blake. "That sounds like a troupe of circus performers."
"Well, they can get up a circus if they have to!" laughed Captain Ben. "But here they are," and he pointed to the six little Bunkers, and introduced Daddy and Mother Bunker as well.
"But what I meant when I said you were just in time," went on Captain Ben, "is that we've discovered a nest of tramps here on the island. I think they're the same gang that took my rowboat, and also took some things off the dock. They're down in a little glen—two of the Bunkers saw them—I want you boys to help me catch 'em!"
"Whoopee! That's what we'll do! All aboard!" cried one of the sailor boys.
"But you can't all go," went on Captain Ben. "Some of you must stay with Mrs. Bunker and the children in case the tramps scatter and some of them run this way."
"I could drive 'em away, but they won't let me!" complained Russ, who felt quite indignant that he was not to be allowed to take part in the chase.
"I'll tell you what we'll do, sonny!" said Captain Blake, with a smile. "You and I and one of the sailor boys will stay here as a sort of home guard. The others can go and catch the tramps. And we'll have an extra piece of cake, maybe, for staying at home instead of having the fun of the chase."
"Yes, you shall each have two pieces of cake," promised Mrs. Bunker.
"And I want some!" added Mun Bun, who was generally to be heard from when there was anything like cake to eat.
So it was arranged. Captain Ben, Daddy Bunker and some of the sailor boys went off over the hill, very quietly, toward the place where Rose and Russ had seen the tramps around their camp fire. Captain Blake and a big, hearty, strong sailor boy remained behind as a guard for Mother Bunker and the six little Bunkers. Captain Blake was a jolly man, and he soon had the children laughing with his funny stories.
"Do you know any riddles?" asked Laddie, after a while.
"Well, I might think of one," said the captain. "I'll ask you this: What is the longest word in the world?"
"If I had a dictionary here maybe I could find it," said Russ.
"You don't need a dictionary for this," went on the seaman. "I think I'll have to tell you. The longest word is smiles."
"Why, that's only a little, short word," said Rose, smiling herself.
"But isn't there a mile between the first and the last letter?" Captain Blake asked. "You see, first there is a letter S. Then comes the word mile, and then there's the last S—a mile between the two, and I call that a very long word."
"Oh, how funny!" laughed Rose. "That's a good riddle."
"And I know another," said Laddie. "What is it that's got only one eye and carries a long train in it?"
"What is it that has only one eye and carries a long train in it?" repeated the captain. "Do you mean a train of cars?"
"No, I mean a long train—like that on a lady's dress," Laddie explained. "It's a needle!" he said quickly, before any one had time to guess. "A needle has one eye and when there is thread in the eye the thread makes a long train."
"Ha! Ha! That's pretty good!" laughed the captain. Then he told more stories, and the sailor with him sang some jolly sea songs and the six little Bunkers were having a fine time.
"I wonder if daddy and Captain Ben are catching the tramps," said Mrs. Bunker, after a while, when it seemed as though it was time for the searching party to return.
Suddenly there was a crackling in the bushes.
"Here comes some one now," said Russ.
The noise in the bushes grew louder, and there was the sound of several voices. Captain Blake, who had been having fun with Mun Bun and Margy on the grass, rose to his feet and picked up a stout club. The other sailor did the same, and they stood in front of Mrs. Bunker and the children, looking in the direction of the noise.
Russ moved up as though to take his place beside the two protectors, but his mother called to him to come back to her, where Rose and the other little Bunkers were now gathered.
Then they all waited to see who should come through the bushes. Would it be Daddy Bunker and Captain Ben returning with the tramps they had caught, or the ragged men themselves, scattering and running away?