The four men approached to a point a few feet from the radio table and
halted, and the tall angular man, assuming the role of spokesman,
demanded in deep tones:

"What're you kids doin' here?"

"We're just waiting for some of our friends to come back," Hal replied.

"Where'd your friends go?" continued the spokesman with a leer that
caused the two boys to shrink back a step or two.

"They just took a trip in the motor boat," replied Hal cautiously.
"They'll be back soon."

"Oh, they will, eh," leered the man as if he penetrated the weakness of
the warning in the boy's answer. "How many are they of your friends?"

"More than we are," replied Hal, having reference to physical size of Mr.
Perry and Cub.

"Oh, come now, kids, tell us the truth," ordered the leering spokesman,
advancing a pace nearer. "Tell us how many went away in your boat and how
soon they'll be back."

"There was a large man and a big boy," Bud interposed with more assurance
that he felt.

Sly grins crept over the countenances of the four men.

"Oh," grunted the spokesman; "you hope by that kind o' talk to scare us
away. Well, nothin' doing along that line. This here island belongs to
us, and we don't allow no trespassin."

"Is the island for sale?" inquired Hal, who thought he saw an opening
through which he might work up the interest of the three men without
arousing their antagonism.

"Fer sale?" repeated the spokesman of the quartet, all four of whom
seemed to exchange among themselves a round of sinister glances. "Well, I
guess nit. They ain't enough money this side o' the United States
treasury to buy this island from us."

"We might be able to scrape up a handsome sum, if necessary," Hal
reasoned.

A suggestion of covetous greed shone in the eyes of all four men, but the
spokesman belied his own looks by saying:

"Nothin' doing. We want you guys to git out o' here. This is our summer
resort, eh, Spike"--turning to the long-armed, deep chested man.

"Spike" nodded grimly and replied:

"You bet it is, cap'n. We're gen'lemen of leisure an' don't care fer
money. All we want is our own, and they's sure to be trouble if anybody
tries to take it away from us."

"Well, we don't want anything that doesn't belong to us," was Bud's
reassuring answer; "and if this island is yours, we surely don't want to
stay here. But we thought that maybe you'd be glad to sell, for a member
of our party said he'd like to buy all of the islands of th