"Itchyhankunpankumbaboo," chanted Mary.

"Surrender, vile pale-face," growled Dickie, "or die," and they danced round him while he roared with laughter at their antics.

David was furious, but there was nothing more to be done now, so he called to Peter and she dropped down from the tree

Tom stared at her in amazement. "And who are you?" he said. "And what's going on round here?"

Just at this moment the twins took advantage of his divided attention and each dived for a leg and brought him down. In a flash David and Peter were sitting on him, and when he struggled violently the twins added their weight to his legs and begged him to surrender.

"Just say you do, Tom," begged David. "But hurry up, because we haven't much time. We're going to blindfold you and show you our secret camp... Will you, Tom? If you don't we shall have to stay here until you do surrender, and that would waste such a lot of time."

Tom gasped. "Tell those kids to stop bouncing on me, then, and I'll come quiet!"

So they blindfolded him with the handkerchief Peter had used to tied round her hair gipsy-fashion and led him out of the wood.

Tom accepted everything very well, and when they reached the lone pine and Sally whinnied a welcome to her mistress, he snatched off the handkerchief himself and looked round the camp.

"Just like the pictures," he said at last, "Only better. Who found this?"

"I did," said Mary. "Peter and me did."

"Who's Peter?" he asked. "I get all mixed up with these kids."

David explained, and Tom and Peter looked each other up and down, and decided they liked each other. They showed him everything, including the cooking potatoes and the singing kettle, and then David showed them all the secret hiding-place of the club documents. Peter poured the tea and poked the potatoes out of the ashes, and they all sat down round the fire while David read out the rules.

"We'd like you to be a member, Tom. You like the things we like and we must all stick together up here. Really we ought to have asked you first before telling all about it, but I know you'll join, won't you?"

Tom took a mouthful of hot potato and went scarlet. "Of course, I will," he said. "And thanks for asking me... And I've a new rule to suggest... You haven't got a secret signal yet and you ought to have. We could use it for calling each other, or as a warning. If you wanted me on club business you could just pass me on the farm or in the lane and make the sign and I'd know and come as soon as I could. What do you think?"

"It's a grand idea, Tom. David was right when he said you'd make a good member... But what sort of signal shall we have?"