d. There was nothing very alarming about this,
for the gun, when fired, only gave a faint squeak, and the bullet, which
was about the size of a small orange, dropped out quietly upon the sand.
Robinson, for it was really he, always seemed to be greatly astonished
at this result, peering long and anxiously down into the barrel of the
gun, and sometimes listening attentively, with his ear at the muzzle.
His animal companions, however, seemed to be greatly alarmed whenever he
prepared to fire; and, scampering off, hid behind the little hills of
sand until the gun was discharged, when they would return, and, after
solemnly watching their master reload his piece, follow him along the
beach as before. This was all so ridiculous that Davy had great
difficulty in keeping a serious expression on his face as he walked up
to Robinson and handed him the Hole-keeper's letter. Robinson looked at
him suspiciously as he took it, and the animals eyed him with evident
distrust.

Robinson had some difficulty in opening the letter, which was sopping
wet, and took a long time to read it, Davy, meanwhile, waiting
patiently. Sometimes Robinson would scowl horribly, as if puzzled, and
then, again, he would chuckle to himself, as if vastly amused with the
contents; but as he turned the letter over, in reading it, Davy could
not help seeing that it was simply a blank sheet of paper, with no
writing whatever upon it except the address. This, however, was so like
the Hole-keeper's way of doing things that Davy was not much surprised
when Robinson remarked, "He has left out the greatest lot of comical
things!" and, stooping down, buried the letter in the sand. Then,
picking up his gun, he said, "You may walk about in the grove as long as
you please, provided you don't pick anything."

"What grove?" said Davy, very much surprised.

"This one," said Robinson, proudly pointing out the tufts of sea-weed.
"They're beach-trees, you know; I planted 'em myself. I had to have some
place to go shooting in, of course."

"Can you shoot with _that_ gun?" said Davy.

"Shoot! Why, it's a splendid gun!" said Robinson, gazing at it proudly.
"I made it myself--out of a spy-glass."

"It doesn't seem to go off," said Davy, doubtfully.

[Illustration: "ROBINSON REMARKED 'HE HAS LEFT OUT THE GREATEST LOT OF
COMICAL THINGS.'"]

"That's the beauty of it!" exclaimed Robinson, with great enthusiasm.
"Some guns go off, and you never see 'em again."

"But I mean th