The leaves were stripped from them.
"We must cut holes in the flags, and run the sticks through the holes," said Peter.

And the holes were cut.

The knife was sharp enough to cut flannel with.

Two of the flags were set up in heaps of loose stones between the sleepers of the down line.

Then Phyllis and Roberta took each a flag, and stood ready to wave it as soon as the train came in sight.
"I shall have the other two myself," said Peter, "because it was my idea to wave something red." "They're our petticoats, though," Phyllis was beginning, but Bobbie interrupted-- "Oh, what does it matter who waves what, if we can only save the train ?" Perhaps Peter had not rightly calculated the number of minutes it would take the 11.29 to get from the station to the place where they were, or perhaps the train was late.