They were pelting away at one another, using paper “bullets” and “cannon balls,” shouting and laughing, when, as they became quiet for a moment, they heard a voice asking: 

“What is all this?”

They looked up to see Mrs. Bunker with Mun Bun and Margy.

“How-do?” called George, grinning.

“Oh, we’re having such fun!” cried Laddie.  “We’re soldiers and we got a fort, and we had a flag——­”

“It’s made out of a handkerchief and red and blue pencils,” added Russ.

“I want to play soldier!” exclaimed Mun Bun.

“No, it’s too rough for you,” explained Russ.

“I want to play, too!” insisted Margy.

“We’re done playing fort and soldier,” said Russ.  “We’ll play something else.”

“Let’s see who can dig the deepest hole,” suggested George.  “I’ll go and get a shovel, and you have yours, Russ and Laddie.  Let’s see who can dig the deepest hole!”

The two older Bunker boys thought this would be fun, and George ran over to his cottage to get his shovel.

“Can we play that game, Mother?” asked Margy.

“Yes, you and Mun Bun can do that,” said Mrs. Bunker.

The warm sun was drying out the beach, and when George came back with his shovel he and Laddie and Russ began three holes in a row, each one trying to make his the deepest.  Mun Bun and Margy, each of whom had a small shovel, also began to dig, though, of course, they could not expect to dig as fast as the boys, nor make as deep holes.

“I’ll sit on the sand and watch you,” said Mrs. Bunker.

“Maybe we’ll find a treasure,” suggested Russ.

“What treasure?” asked George.

“Oh, before we came down here, when we were at our Aunt Jo’s in Boston,” Russ explained, “we knew a boy named Sammie Brown.  His father dug up some treasure on a desert island once.  We thought maybe we could dig up some here.”

“But we didn’t—­not yet,” added Laddie.

“And I don’t guess we ever will,” said Russ.  “Only we make believe, lots of times, that we’re going to.”

The three boys dug away and Mun Bun and Margy did the same, only more slowly.  Then along came Rose and Violet.

“What are you doing?” Violet asked, getting in her question first, as usual.

“Digging holes,” answered Russ.

“Seeing who can make the biggest,” added George.  “Mine’s deeper than yours!” he said to Russ.

“Yes, but mine’s going to be bigger.  I’m going to make a hole big enough so I can stand down in it and dig.  I’m going to make a regular well.”

“I guess I will, too,” decided George.

“So’ll I,” said Laddie.

“Well, if you come to water, don’t fall in,” advised Mrs. Bunker with a laugh.

“You go get a shovel and dig, too,” called Russ to Rose.

“No, I don’t want to,” said his sister.  “I’ll watch you.”

My, how the sand was flying on the beach now!  Russ, Laddie and George were all digging as fast as they could with their shovels, each one trying to make the biggest hole.  Mun Bun and Margy dug also, but, though they made a lot of sand fly, they did not always dig in the same place.  Instead of keeping to one hole they made three or four.  But they had just as much fun.