Swallowdale. Arthur Ransome

bunloaf to last out and went down with the captain to bring up the saucepan full of water so that it could be put on the fire the moment the kettle came off and the eggs were cooked. Then, when supper was over, mother lent a hand with the washing-up and it got done much faster than most people would think possible.

      Then Bridget had to see the parrot put to sleep in the stores tent, with his blue cover over his cage, so that he should not wake the camp by loud shouts at dawn. Then both the visitors were taken all over the island and shown even the harbour, which had been kept secret the year before. At Look Out Point, Bridget was allowed to look through the telescope. But it was already after her bed-time and mother was in a hurry to take her back.

      “Time for Bridget’s watch below,” she said. “She didn’t get half the sleep she should have had last night, after the railway journey, what with all the chattering there was between decks.”

      The others laughed.

      “It was the first night of the holidays,” said John. “At least, the first that really counted.”

      “Well,” said mother, “she’s got to make up for it tonight.”

      The four explorers took the best of all natives and the ship’s baby down to the landing-place and saw them into their boat.

      “I think you should be all right,” said mother, saying goodbye.

      “We jolly well are,” said John.

      “Remember what daddy said, and don’t go and be duffers and get drowned. And, of course, if you want anything, give a note to Mrs. Dixon in the morning when you go for the milk.”

      “We’ll send a mail, anyhow,” said Titty.

      “Push her off now, John. Good night. Don’t stay up late. Get a good sleep. Let me see. What was the word in native language? Glook, was it? or Drool? Drool. Drool.”

      “Never mind about talking native,” said Titty. “We’ve been teaching you English all this year.”

      “So you have,” said mother. “Good night. Sleep like old trees and get up like young horses, as my old nanny in Australia used to say.”

      “Good night. Good night. Good night, Bridgie.”

      The four explorers ran up to the Look Out Point once more, partly to wave to mother on her way up the lake, partly in the hope that they might yet see the little white sail that would show that Nancy and Peggy were coming to the island.

      “It’s too late for them to come now,” said Susan.

      “You never know with Nancy,” said John.

      “They’d think nothing of coming in the dark,” said Titty.

      “Well, we’ve left the place for their tent,” said John.

      They watched the Holly Howe rowing boat grow smaller and smaller in the distance. At last it disappeared behind the Peak of Darien. Roger, who had been following it as long as he could, shut the telescope with a click, yawned and rubbed his eyes.

      They went down into the camp. There was some tidying-up and some washing of hands and faces at the landing-place, a last expedition to the harbour to see that Swallow was comfortable for the night, and then Mate Susan began to hurry the crew to bed. She found it easy enough to persuade the explorers to get into their new sleeping-bags and to lie down in their new tents. But this first night on the island, after a whole year away from it, nobody could settle down to sleep at once. One thing after another came into somebody’s head. Sometimes it would be John who thought of it, sometimes Titty, very often it was Roger, and sometimes even Susan had something to say that she was afraid she would forget if she left it till next day. Long after the captain had said “Lights out” and the little lanterns had been blown out in each tent, talk went on. It stopped at last. Roger was asleep, and perhaps Susan. Titty whispered very quietly,

      “John.”

      “What is it?”

      “What do you think yourself Nancy meant by native trouble?”

      “Oh, I don’t know. Go to sleep, or they’ll come and find us not up in the morning.”

      CHAPTER III

      HORSESHOE COVE AND THE AMAZON PIRATES

      TIRED AS THEY had been the night before, the explorers woke early. As the sun rose above the wooded hills on the eastern side of the lake it poured down through the trees on the island and splashed the little white tents with light so strong that nobody could sleep, and it was easier to look at the green outside than at the dancing, dazzling patches on the tent walls.

      Roger woke and listened. There was a rustle of leaves in the trees and the noise of little waves splashing on the rocks. It was lonely, waking up for the first time in a tent with no one else in it, and Roger crawled out at once and made sure that the other tents were there, and then looked in through their open doorways to see that the rest of the crew were inside them. John and Susan might still have been asleep, but Titty was propped up on one elbow and looking out.

      “Hullo, Roger!” she said, when the ship’s boy blocked the doorway and looked in.

      “Hullo, Titty!” said he.

      “We’re really here,” said Titty.

      “I know we are,” said Roger.

      “I never thought we would be again. Let’s go and bathe.”

      “John and Susan are asleep.”

      “Hullo!” said John. “Have the Amazons come in the night?”

      “It’s only Roger and me.”

      “Go to sleep,” said Susan.

      “We’re going to bathe,” said Roger.

      “What’s the time, John?”

      “Half-past six.”

      “They can’t go for the milk for an hour yet.”

      “May I open up the fire and put some wood on to make a smoke?” said Titty.

      “Bother you fo’c’sle hands,” said the mate.

      “It’s no good trying to sleep now,” said the captain. “Let’s all bathe.”

      A few minutes later the cheerful screaming of a parrot brought out into the sunshine and four big splashes in the shallows by the landing-place showed that all five of the ship’s company had agreed that the day had properly begun.

      “Put your head right under, Roger,” said the mate. “Put it under right away. You can do what you like afterwards.”

      “Pouf!” said Roger, blowing and puffing and spluttering as he came up again. “I went right down to the bottom. This is better than swimming-baths. Come on, Titty. Let’s see who can pick up most pearls in one dive.”

      After the bathing there was the fire to make up and the kettle to boil. There was not much hurry about the kettle, so as soon as the fire had burnt up well the boy and the able-seaman brought handfuls of damp leaves from the water’s edge and threw them on the flames so that a great column of smoke poured up through the trees and drifted away to the north.

      “They ought to see that if they’re looking,” said Titty.

      “They’re probably asleep in bed,” said Susan.

      “I’m jolly glad we’re not,” said Roger. “Isn’t it time now to go for the milk?”

      “We’ll all go,” said Susan.

      “What about the mail for mother?” said John.

      Titty