Although there had been no sign of Macbeth, Mary recovered her spirits and went out to meet Dickie. When they had finally tidied up, put the potatoes in the embers and tied Sally to the lone pine, David led them out towards the wood. The twins were Red Indians again, and were talking to each other in secret "gabble language". The shadows were lengthening and David hoped that Tom would not be late because he had promised to be home for supper, and Peter had a long way to ride. He found the thicket and the tree to which the end of the guiding string was tied easily enough, and then gave his orders. The twins were to hide a little way off to come along behind Tom when he had passed them. Then he helped Peter up into the tree so that she could drop on her victim while he hid behind the trunk. They were hardly in their positions before they heard Tom's melodious whistling at the edge of the wood. He was making no attempt to be quiet, and they actually heard him laugh when he found the silver birch and the end of the string. Peter was certain that if he only stopped still for a minute he would be able to hear her heart thumping, but he came blundering on through the gloom of the wood. Then the twins spoiled David's plan - Tom had passed their hiding-place quite unsuspecting and in another minute would have been at the ambush tree. Peter could actually see him as he came towards them with his lips pursed in a silent whistle and a frown on his freckled face. He was looking as if he was getting tired of a rather silly game when the twins gave two blood-curdling war whoops, jumped out of their hiding-place and flung themselves at him.

"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!"