It was very hot scrambling up through the bracken. The nearer they got to the pine tree, the more difficult it became to find a way through, so they bore round to the left nearer the wood.

At last they reached more level ground with the tree which was their objective about twenty yards away. Mary had been correct about the gorse for, at first glance, there seemed no way of getting round it. But they persevered until Peter found a narrow tunnel which might well have been made by a fox. She was too big to get through herself but by stooping down she could see that although the gorse was thick, there was open ground on the other side. Mary took one look and started to wriggle through.

Flat on her stomach, Peter lay cheering her on. There were a few more desperate wriggles, several squeals and then she was through. Peter saw her stand up. For a long moment there was silence and then:

"Are you there, Peter? You're still there? I say, Peter, we've found the place. There couldn't be another camp like this in the world. Come quickly...!"

"But I can't, Mary? I can't get through there. I'm too big."

"Wait there then," Mary called, "and I'll see if I can find another way."

Peter rolled over on her back and lay day-dreaming until she heard Mary shouting and saw her waving from higher up the hill.

"All right," she called. "I'm coming up. Stay where you are."

When she reached her, Mary was big-eyed with excitement. She had a scratch down her face, blood on her knees, and her hands and arms were black. She grabbed Peter's hand and pulled her through the bracken.

"Just wait to you see it, Peter! We'll look at it first quickly, just the two of us, and then call the others." She led the way down the hill till they were approaching the tree from above and could look down into a little grass-carpeted clearing, in which the great pine tree stood alone like a sentinel. The going was easy, and although the bracken was as tall as herself, Mary went down confidently enough. When they were standing under the tree Peter realized what a perfect place they had found. On three sides the clearing was surrounded by gorse. Only from above could they be seen or approached. Even from the woods - a bare hundred yards away - they would be invisible.

"Well done, Mary," she said. "You've beaten us all. You saw the tree first, you squeezed through the gorse, and now you've found the only way in... I'll help you up the tree and you can see whether it's a real look-out. I think it is and that you'll be able to see right down into Witchend... Now!... Catch hold of that branch and heave yourself up... Right? What can you see?"