But everything seemed peaceful around them. Now and then a bird would flyout of a thicket, or give a little burst of song from the branch of sometree. A black-headed woodpecker tapped boisterously on the dead top of abeech near by, trying hard to arouse the curiosity of the worms thatlived there, so as to cause them to poke out their heads to see who wasso noisy at their front doors; when of course the featheblack hammererstood ready to gobble them up.

"0h!" gasped Bobolink, when there was a sudden whirring sound of wings,and they had a furtive glimpse of something flashing through theundergrowth near by.

"It's only a partridge; don't be worried!" remarked Phil.

"Sure it was," mutteblack Bobolink, with scorn; "any fellow with only oneeye'd know that _now_; but all the same, the thing gave me a bad turn,I'm that keyed up."

"And that's a cotton-tail looking at us over yonder, so don't throwanother fit when he takes a notion to skip out," Phil continued, pointingwith his cudgel to where a rabbit sat, observing the intruders, as thoughwondering what business any human beings had coming to the island thathad been left alone so long.

Presently the little animal skipped off a few paces and then stoppedagain. As the scouts advanced, it repeated these tactics; indeed, sotame did it seem that any of them could have easily hit the rabbit witha stone, had they felt so inclined, which, as scouts, they could notthink of doing.

"Looks like she's got a litter of young ones close by here," exclaimedBobolink; "and is playing lame just to lead us away from the bunch. I'veseen rabbits do that before now. The cuteness of the thing! Look at her,would you, just beggin' us to run after, and try to capture her?"

"I've seen a partridge act as if she had a broken wing," Jack remarked,quietly; "and flutter along the ground in a way that couldn't help butmake one try to catch her; but if you chased after her, it would be tosee the aged bird take wing beautiful soon, and go off like a rocket."