And then came another which hit Laddie, sending a shower of the gritty grains down his back.

“Hi!  Quit that!” cried Russ.  He and Laddie looked all around, but they could see no one.  A mysterious enemy was shooting at them.

CHAPTER XXV

THE TREASURE

Once more there came sailing through the air a paper “cannon ball.”  It fell on the ground between Laddie and Russ and burst open, a lot of dry, soft sand spilling out.

“There!” cried Laddie.  “See!  I didn’t throw ’em!”

“No, I don’t guess you did,” admitted Russ.  “But who did?”

Just then a jolly laugh sounded, and out from behind a ridge of sand—­one of the dunes made by the wind—­came George Carr.

“Did I scare you?” asked George.

“A—­a little,” admitted Russ, wiggling to get rid of the sand down his back.

“We didn’t know who it was,” said Laddie.  And he, too, squirmed about, for there was sand inside his blouse.

“I thought you wouldn’t,” said George, laughing again.  “I saw you playing soldiers and I thought I’d make believe I was another enemy coming up behind.  You didn’t make any fort in back of you,” he said to Russ, “and so I could easily fire at you.”

“But we don’t put sand in our paper bullets,” complained Laddie.

“Don’t you?” asked George.  “Then I’m sorry I did.  I hope I didn’t hurt you, or get any in your eyes.”

“No,” answered Russ, sort of shaking himself to let the sand sift down through the legs of his knickerbockers.  “But it tickles a lot.”

“Well, I won’t throw any more,” promised George.  “But lots of times we play soldier down on the beach and we throw sand bullets.  Only we don’t ever throw ’em at each others’ eyes.  Sand in your eyes hurts like anything.”

“I know it does,” agreed Russ.  “Mun Bun got some in his the other day and he cried a lot.”

“Well, come on, let’s play soldier some more,” suggested George.  “I’ll be on Laddie’s side.  You go in the fort, Russ, and we’ll stand against you.  Two to one is fair when the one is inside a fort.”

“And won’t you throw any more sand bullets or cannon balls?”

“No, only paper ones.”

“All right, then I’ll play.”

Russ went back in his fort, and Laddie and George, outside the wall of sand, began pelting him with wads of paper.  But now the battle went differently.  The attacking force could shoot twice as many paper bullets and balls as could Russ and they soon ran up on him, pelting him so that he had to put his hands over his head.

“All right—­I surrender!  I give up!” he cried.

“Wait till I haul down the flag!” laughed George.

Then he took down the red and blue penciled handkerchief and he and Laddie took possession of the fort.  Russ was beaten, but he did not mind, for it was all in fun.  Then he took a turn outside the fort, with Laddie and George inside.  However, as this was two against one, Russ could not win, though the three boys had jolly times.