“Who are you?” asked Tommy cautiously.

“I’m Kernel Cob and this is my little friend Sweetclover and we’re looking for Jackie and Peggs’ motheranfather and we’ve been captured by the savages who may keep us here forever if you don’t help us.”

“That I will,” said Tommy, and in a jiffy he had gnawed them free.

“Now, show us the way down to the beach as quickly as you can,” said Kernel Cob, “for it will be daylight soon and then it will be too late.  Come.”

And they started running as fast as they could.

And not a minute too soon, for they had got only half way when they heard the shouts of the savages and knew that their escape had been discovered.

Faster and faster they ran, but the savages gained on them at every step and were soon close upon their heels.

[Illustration]

“Jump on my back!” shouted Tommy, “for I can run faster than all of them put together.”

And they did so and flew over the ground as fast as the wind.

And they reached the shore and jumped into the shoeboat and Tommy shoved them off with a great push that put them out of sight of land, and the savages’ spears fell in the water behind them.

“That was a narrow escape,” said Sweetclover, as she settled down in the boat.  “I hope Tommy Hare wasn’t caught by the savages.”

But she needn’t have worried in the least about Tommy, for as soon as he had pushed them off, he scurried away and was at that moment sitting under a tree, eating his breakfast.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER VI

Kernel Cob and Sweetclover sailed all day.  The shoeboat rode the waves with perfect ease.  Up it went and up till it came to the top of a great wave, and then it would race down on the other side as if they were bob-sledding and great sport it was, too, out in the middle of the ocean, and Sweetclover laughed and even old serious Kernel Cob smiled and forgot all about fighting.

Toward the afternoon, the sea quieted down and they rode along faster and presently, Sweetclover, who was always watching, cried out: 

“I see another island!”

“So it is!” said Kernel Cob, looking in the wrong direction.

“Not over there.  Look!” and she pointed.

Sure enough.  There was a large black stretch of what appeared to be land.  And it was very flat.

“I hope there will be no more savages to fight,” said Sweetclover.

“I hope there will,” said Kernel Cob.

“It’s moving,” said Sweetclover.  “It seems to be coming this way.”

“Where did it go?” asked Kernel Cob, for at that moment it disappeared altogether.

“I’m sure I saw it,” said Sweetclover.  “Didn’t you?”

But Kernel Cob only frowned and looked serious.

And, in a few minutes, they saw it again, but this time it was very much nearer and bigger and the sun made it look very smooth.