"I guess there's lots in there," said Joel, "an' I better go,"
so he wriggled back out into the light. And he hadn't been there
but a minute when something came squirming down along after him.
Joel flew into the bushes and peered out between the branches.

"Why, it's the man who stole Polly's bread!" he almost screamed.
The man went past the bush, so near that his long dirty fingers
could have picked him out in a minute, and then went down the
other way, looking around carefully, and whistling away softly
to himself, and presently returned to the cave. And as soon as
he had gone in again, Joel hopped out of his bush, and ran at a
lively pace down the mountain-side, thinking only of meeting
David, and then to get Ben and Deacon Brown and a lot of men,
"and won't we come back and catch every single one of 'em,
then!"

There was David fast asleep under his tree, and the little bird
singing to him. "Dave--Dave!" shouted Joel, shaking him hastily,
"wake up! The man that stole our bread's up there. The cave's
full of 'em. I'm goin' to get Ben, an' catch 'em!"

"I'm goin'--to--get--the--flowers," said little Davie, sitting
up straight and blinking. Joel seized his hand and spun him
along as fast as he could around the rocks and boulders that now
stood in the way.

Ben was at Deacon Blodgett's, and looked up to see Joel and
David, hot and panting, rush into the field. "I'm so tired,"
said Davie, and sank down; "O dear me, Ben, I'm so tired."