e island."

"True; but we shall see presently. The first thing is to rally our men.
Boatswain, pipe to quarters."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" answered Pipe, and the shrill whistle sounded through
the air and along the water. A few stragglers who had joined the various
searching parties gathered in at the call. But most of the sailors and
marines were already present.

"Now lads, we must away to our ships. Fall in! Forward, march!" The
column started up the shore at quick step, and was soon lost to view.

CHAPTER XIII.

RAFT THE SMUGGLER.

Spite and Hide saw that Faith's cry had aroused the Brownies, and pushed
at their utmost speed directly from the camp. It did not occur to them
that they might be tracked by the threads of web-work torn off by leaves
and twigs from the cords with which they had bound their captives. But
they did fear that one of the Nurses might again cry out; and they
stopped long enough to fasten gags upon their mouths.

Several times the Pixie chiefs turned toward Fort Spinder, hoping to
reach the Old Bridge by the way they had come. But their progress was
checked by bands of Brownies scattered everywhere in the direction of
the fort. The lights of the searchers were seen dancing throughout the
entire plain, and running hither and thither in confused lines among
grass and shrubbery.

More than once the Pixies were on the point of being discovered. Several
times they had to crouch under the leaves, lest they should be seen by
parties of excited searchers. Indeed, their safety lay in the fact that
the Brownies were so much excited; and had all been as self-possessed as
the cool headed True, Spite and Hide would have been captured.

At last they reached a point where the plain sweeps down to the sandy
bank of the lake, which is a natural basin widened into an artificial
pond. The brook that flows from the Hillside spring runs through it.
There is an island in the middle of the lake, covered with grass, moss
and ferns. In honor of the old home the Brownies called the lake Loch
Katrine, and the island Ellen's Isle, names which the Pixies refused to
acknowledge, and called the pond Lake Arachne and the island Aranea
Isle. On this little sheet of water, and its inlet and outlet, the
navies of the Brownies and Pixies floated; and here was the scene of
many a battle between Rodney and his sailors and the Pixies and pirates.

Spite and Hide paused on the border of the plain to consider. It was not
f