They never attack people singly, as bears do, but they are dangerous in packs, as Tom one day found out to his cost.
The food was getting low, and Tom thought it was time to do something.
They had found strange fruits like strawberries growing, and also some sort of roots that tasted like nuts; but unless they could get some fish poor Flossy would die.
So Tom started off all alone on a voyage of discovery.

Frank stayed in the cave with the girls, and they promised to be very good.
The morning was very calm, and so still that Tom could hear Pansy calling to him "not to be long" when he was quite a mile up the mountain-side.
Why he took this course he could never tell, but, when he crossed the top, marvellous indeed was the view that lay before his eyes.
Uncle Staysail used to tell him that the natives of the north say there is an open sea somewhere near the Pole, with many islands in it, and trees, and flowers, and birds.
And now, behold! such a sea lay right down in the round valley yonder at his feet.

It was not really a sea, but a lovely round lake, and right in the middle was a large green island.
Tom rubbed his eyes and gazed and gazed, and then rubbed his eyes and gazed again.
"Was it all a dream ?" he wondered.
No, there was no dream about it.

It took Tom some hours to explore this lake.

He walked round it and found that at the far side a ridge of rocks, very narrow, led right out to the island.