finished the fence the next day, I regret to say the stone axe
was nowhere to be found, and it was three days before it turned up under
a bush where they had cut sticks.

While the children were busy fencing in the rabbits, Limberleg told
Hawk-Eye about the raft.

"You can see it down thereon the beach," she said. "I really think it
was very clever of them to make such a thing, but of course I didn't
tell them so."

"_Of_ course not," said Hawk-Eye.

Now, wasn't that just like parents?

Pretty soon, while Limberleg was cooking supper, Hawk-Eye slipped down
to the beach by himself and took a look at the raft. Then he dragged it
down to the water and tried it himself. He tried it several times. He
didn't say anything about it when he got back to the cave, but the Twins
saw how very clean his skin looked. And they nodded knowingly at each
other. They had their suspicions.

The Cave Twins--by Lucy Fitch Perkins

CHAPTER NINE.

THE SURPRISE.

What with fish and clams and crabs and periwinkles and roots and game
and berries and wild plums and all sorts of other good things to eat, as
the summer came on, the Twins and their father and mother began to grow
fat.

Limberleg didn't go hunting as she used to. There was no need of it
now, for Hawk-Eye could bring home more game than they needed. So she
stayed by the cave and kept the hearth fire bright and cooked the food
and cured the skins and looked after the children.

The Twins kept the rabbits and fed them every day with fresh leaves and
roots, and by and by there were six baby rabbits in the cage too.

"We might make the cage larger and have more rabbits," said Hawk-Eye,
"and then in winter, we should always have plenty of fresh meat right at
hand."

"What a good idea!" said Limberleg. "The children can feed them."

"Yes," said Hawk-Eye, "if they don't forget it."

"I'll see that they don't forget it," said Limberleg.

The Twins heard her say it.

"I think probably she will," said Firetop. He had great confidence in
his mother.

"Will what?" said Firefly.

"Will see that we don't forget it," said Firetop, and they guessed
right. She did.

By July they had a large enclosure fenced off and ever so many rabbits
in it. For cave people they were now very rich. They had a fine cave
home, plenty of skins, and plenty of food.

Limberleg had made herself a good needle out of bone and had sewed nice
soft deer-skins into clothes for them, all r