Rocks guarded the island, and the sea ran strongly over them, sending up spray and foam.

“However are we going to get safely to the shore of the island?” said Berta, rather alarmed at the array of fierce-looking rocks that guarded it.

“There’s a little cove we always use,” said George. She was at the tiller, and she steered the boat cleverly in and out of the rocks.

They rounded a low wall of very sharp rocks and Berta suddenly saw the little cove.

“Oh — is that the cove you mean?” she said. “Why, it’s like a little harbour going right up to that stretch of sand!”

There was a smooth inlet of water running between rocks, making a natural little harbour, as Berta said. The boat slid smoothly into the inlet and up to the beach of sand.

Dick leapt out and pulled it up the shore. “She’s safe here,” he told Berta. “Welcome to Kirrin Island!”

Berta laughed. She felt very happy. What a truly wonderful place to come to!

George led the way up the sandy beach to the rocks behind, and they climbed over them. They stopped at the top, and Berta exclaimed in amazement.

“Rabbits! Thousands of them! Simply thousands. My, my, I never saw such tame ones in my life. Will they let me pick them up?”

“No,” said George. “They’re not as tame as that! They’ll run away when we go near — but they will probably not go into their holes. They know us — we’ve so often been here.”

Sally the poodle was amazed at the rabbits. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She stood close beside Berta, staring at the scuttling rabbits, her nose twitching as she tried to get their smell. She simply couldn’t understand why Timmy didn’t run at them.

Timmy stood quite still beside George, his tail down, looking very mournful. A visit to Kirrin Island was not such a pleasure to him as to the children, because he wasn’t allowed to hunt the rabbits. What a waste of rabbits!

“Poor old Tim! Look at him!” said Julian. “He looks the picture of misery. Look at Sally, too — she’s longing to go after the rabbits, but she doesn’t think it’s good manners to chase them till Timmy does!”

Good manners or not, little Sally could bear it no longer! She suddenly made a dart at a rabbit who had come temptingly near, and it leapt into the air in fright.

“Sally!” called George, in a most peremptory manner. “NO! You’re not to chase my rabbits! Tim — go and fetch her here!”

Timmy went off to Sally and gave a tiny little growl. Sally looked at him in amazement. Could her friend Timmy really be growling at her? Timmy began to push himself against her and she found herself shepherded over to George.

“Good dog, Timmy,” said George, pleased to have shown everyone how obedient he was. “Sally, you mustn’t chase these rabbits, because they are too tame! They haven’t learnt to run away properly yet, because not many people come here and frighten them.”