The Sea of Adventure (16 page)

"Tripalong?" said Lucy-Ann, with a giggle, thinking it was a very good name for this man, who walked with curious mincing steps. Jack wanted to laugh.

"No, no — Tipperlong," said Horace, and smiled all over his face at Lucy-Ann. "What is your name?"

"My name's Lucy-Ann," she said. "And my brother's name is Jack. Are you coming to see the puffins? It's this way."

"I should also like to meet whoever is in charge of you," said Mr. Horace Tipperlong. "And — er — where is your boat? Didn't you come in a boat?"

"It was smashed up in a storm," said Jack solemnly. Mr. Tipperlong tut-tutted with sympathy.

"How dreadful! Then how were you going to get back home?"

"Look out," said Jack, just saving Horace as he was about to plunge down a puffin's burrow. "This place is undermined by the puffins. Mind where you go!"

"My word — what a lot of birds!" said Horace Tipperlong, standing still. He had been so engrossed in polite talk that he did not seem to have noticed the amazing colony of puffins. Another black mark against him! Jack could not believe that a real ornithologist would walk half-way through the puffins without exclaiming at them.

"Extraordinary! Most astonishing! I don't remember ever seeing so many birds together before," said Horace. "And all those thousands on the cliffs too. Well, well, well! And do you mean to say you really have got two tame puffins? I can hardly believe it."

"They're Philip's," said Lucy-Ann, and then could have bitten out her tongue.

"I thought you said your brother's name was Jack," said Horace enquiringly.

"She must have made a mistake," said Jack, saying the first thing he could think of. They were getting very near the entrance of the underground hole now. Look out, Mr. Horace Tipperlong!

Lucy-Ann began to feel nervous. Suppose this man Tripalong, or whatever his name was, didn't fall into the hole when Jack tripped him — suppose instead he went for Jack? Suppose — well, suppose he had a revolver? He didn't look a desperate sort of man, but you never knew. Lucy-Ann looked at the pockets of his shorts to see if she could spy anything like a lump in the shape of a revolver there.

But his pockets were so bulged out with dozens of things that it was impossible to tell. Jack nudged her. "Keep out of the way now," he said in a very low voice. Lucy-Ann obediently slipped behind, her heart beating fast.

Jack came to the entrance of the hole. A stick marked it as usual, for it really was almost impossible to find without some sort of signpost. Horace tripped along, looking short-sightedly through his dark glasses — and then, to his enormous astonishment, Jack put out a leg, rushed him, and tripped him right over. He fell at the side of the hole — but before he could get up, Jack had given him a shove — and right into the hole he went, crash!

Jack had a stout stick in his hand, which he had picked from the pile beside the bonfire. He parted the heather and looked into the hole. In the dim light he could see Horace Tipperlong sitting up, and he heard him groaning.

Tipperlong looked up and saw Jack. "You wicked boy!" he said angrily. "What do you mean by this?"

His glasses had fallen off in his headlong dive. His eyes certainly did not look very fierce. They looked rather weak and watery. He held his head as if he had hurt it.

"Sorry," said Jack, "but it had to be done. Either you caught us — or we caught you. We needn't go on pretending any more. We know quite well what gang you belong to."

"What are you talking about?" cried the man, and he stood up. His head popped out of the hole. Jack raised his stick at once.

"Get back!" he said fiercely. "You're our prisoner. You took Bill, didn't you? — well, now we've taken you. If you attempt to clamber out, I shall hit you on the head with this. You just try it."

Horace hastily retreated. Lucy-Ann looked white and scared. "Oh Jack — is he hurt? Jack, you won't really hit him, will you?"

"I jolly well will," said Jack. "Think of Bill, Lucy-Ann — and our poor Lucky Star — and us stranded here because of this fellow and his precious friends. Don't you realise that if he gets out and back to his boat, they'll send heaps more, and won't rest till they've got us? Don't be feeble!"

"Well — I don't want to see you hit him," said Lucy-Ann. "Dinah wouldn't mind a bit, but I'm not strong-minded like Dinah."

"Look here — will you kindly tell me what all this nonsense is about?" shouted Horace. "I never heard of such a thing! Here I come to a bird-island, which, as far as I know, certainly isn't a crime — and you two kids lead me here, trip me up, and shove me down this hole. I've hurt my head badly. And now you say if I try to get out, you'll brain me. You nasty little creatures!"

"I'm really very sorry about it," said Jack again, "but there wasn't anything else to be done. You will realise that with our boat gone — and Bill disappeared — we had to get a boat somehow. We can't stay here for the rest of our lives."

Horace was so amazed and upset at this speech that he stood up again. He sat down hurriedly when he saw Jack's stick. "But look here — do you really mean to say you're now going to take my boat? I never heard such brazen cheek. You wait till I get hold of the people in charge of you, my boy — you'll get the worst hiding you've ever had in your life."

Chapter 21

HORACE DOES NOT LIKE PUFFIN ISLAND

"LUCY-ANN — see if you can spot either Philip or Dinah," ordered Jack. "Philip will probably be in the boat, ready to start her up, if need be — but Dinah will possibly be looking out to see if there is any sign from us."

Lucy-Ann stood up. She saw Dinah standing way off, waiting anxiously at the top of the cleft in the cliff. Philip was not to be seen. Presumably he was down in the boat.

Lucy-Ann waved violently. "It's all right. We've got him in the hole!" she yelled.

Dinah waved back, then disappeared. She had gone to tell Philip. Soon the two appeared again, and came through the puffin colony at top speed to hear what had happened.

"We got him," said Jack proudly. "Easy as pie. Down he went, plonk!"

"Who's there?" enquired Horace plaintively. "Is that somebody else? Look here — you've just got to tell me what's going on here. I'm all at sea."

"That's where we'll be soon, I hope," grinned Jack. "And in your boat! Philip, meet Mr. Horace Tripalong."

"Gosh — is that really his name?" said Philip.

The incensed Mr. Tipperlong roared up the hole. "My name is TIPPERLONG and I'll thank you to remember it. Ill-mannered children! You wait till I make a complaint about you, and get you punished. I never heard of such behaviour in all my life."

"You can't blame him for being wild," said Jack. "He says he's a — a — I say, Mr. Tripalong, what did you say you were?"

"An ornithologist, ignorant boy!" yelled Mr. Tipperlong.

"Golly, what's that?" said Philip innocently, and the others giggled.

"You let me out of this," commanded Mr. Tipperlong, and his head appeared cautiously near the entrance of the hole, ready to bob back if necessary.

It was necessary. "Look here," said Jack, exasperated, "do you want me to give you a good old conk on the head before you know I mean what I say? Because I will! I don't want to; but I will! I bet you gave Bill a few blows before you captured him. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

"You're talking double-Dutch," said Horace, in a disgusted voice. "I think you must be mad. Do you mean to tell me you kids are all alone on this island? I don't believe a word you say. You tell whoever is in charge of you to come and have a word with me. If you think I'm going to stay here much longer, you're mistaken. I've never met such unpleasant children in my life. I suppose you're playing at being Just Williams. Pah!"

This was a lovely noise. Kiki, who had been listening with surprise and enjoyment to the animated conversation, now joined in.

"Pah! Pooh! Pah! Pop!"

She flew to the edge of the hole and looked in. "Pah!" she said again, and went off into a cackle of laughter.

Horace looked up in fresh alarm. Was that really a parrot at the hole entrance — saying "pah" and "pooh" to him in that rude way?

"Is that — is that one of the tame puffins you told me about?" he asked doubtfully.

"I thought you were an ornithologist," said Jack in scorn. "Kiki is a parrot. I should have thought anyone would have known that!"

"But — how can a parrot live here?" said Horace. "It's not a sea-bird. Oh, this is all a dream. But what a very silly dream!"

At that moment a puffin came down the end of the burrow that led into the back of the hole.

"Arrrrrrr!" it announced in a deep and guttural voice. Mr. Tipperlong jumped violently. All he could see in the dimness of the hole was a baleful eye and a big and many-coloured beak.

"Go away," he said weakly. "Shoo!"

"Shoo!" said Kiki from the hole entrance in great delight. "Pah! Pooh! Shoo! Arrrrrrrrr!"

"You're all mad," said poor Horace. "I'm mad too, I suppose. Shoo, I tell you!"

The puffin said arrrrr again and then went back up its burrow. Judging by the flow of arrrrs that came down the hole, it was telling its wife all about the peculiar puffin-man it had just seen in the hole.

"What are we going to do now we've got him?" said Philip in a low voice. "I suppose he is an enemy? I mean, — he does sound rather a goof, doesn't he?"

"All part of a clever plan," said Jack. "He's no ornithologist. He's been told to dress up like a goofy one and act the part. Some bird-men are awful goofs, you know. We've met them. Well, this one is just about too goofy for words — he's over-acting, if you know what I mean. I'm glad he hasn't got a revolver. I've been afraid of that all the time."

"Yes. So was I," admitted Philip. "There may be one in the boat. I hope there is. It might come in useful. Well, what are we going to do?"

"Do you think he can hear what we're saying?" said Lucy-Ann, looking frightened.

"No, not if we talk as low as this," said Philip. "Jack, the boat is a nice little bit of work. Smaller than the Lucky Star, but it has a little cabin and will easily take us all, and some food."

"Are there oars in it, in case we want to cut out the engine, and go in quietly to shore anywhere?" asked Jack.

"Yes," said Philip. "I noticed those. Have you got a good plan, Jack? I keep on and on thinking, but all I can make up my mind about is to sail off in the boat — but where to I don't know. We want to escape — but we want to escape to somewhere. And not out of the frying-pan into the fire either. We'd better do it soon, too, because if dear old Tripalong doesn't get back to the gang with news pretty soon they'll send others here."

"Yes, I'd thought of all that too," said Jack, and the girls nodded. "The thing is — shall we try to make for the outer islands and find one where a few fishermen live, and try to get help? Or shall we try for the mainland? Or shall we hunt for Bill?"

There was a silence. Everyone was thinking hard. Lucy-Ann spoke first.

"I vote for hunting for Bill," she said. "We could try that first, anyway — and then make for safety afterwards if we're not successful. But I do think we ought to try to find Bill first."

"Good for you, Lucy-Ann," said Jack. "That's what I think. Now for some more planning."

Horace Tipperlong suddenly demanded their attention again. "Stop all that talk, talk, talk," he cried fretfully. "I'm ravenous — and thirsty too. If you're going to try and starve me to death, say so. But at least let me know."

"We're not going to starve you. Don't be an ass," said Jack. "Lucy-Ann, open some tins and give them to him. And chuck him down some biscuits too. Dinah, fill a pan with water from the pool."

"Right, chief," grinned Dinah, and went off to the pool in the rocks. Horace was handed down the full pan of water, and some tins and biscuits. He began to eat hungrily. The sight of the food made the others feel hungry too.

"We'll have a feed as well," said Philip. "Shall I take a turn at holding the stick and sitting by the hole, Jack?"

"Yes," said Jack. "But mind — give him a good old conk if he so much as shows a hair!"

This was said in a very loud voice, so that Horace was sure to hear. But Horace said nothing. Apparently he was willing to bide his time now.

The children were soon devouring a tinned chicken, tinned peas which they ate without heating, a tinned fruit salad with tinned cream, washed down with water from the pool.

"Jolly good," said Jack, with a comfortable sigh. "I feel better. Wonderful what food does to you!"

"It would make me sick if I ate as much as you've just eaten," said Dinah. "You're a greedy pig. You ate twice as much as anyone else."

"Can't help it," said Jack. "I was twice as hungry. Now then — lower your voices, please — we'll make our plans."

"Shall we set out at night?" said Philip in a low voice.

"No," said Jack at once. "We'd never see our way, even in the moonlight. We'd better set off first thing tomorrow morning, about dawn. We'll hope old Tripalong is asleep then, so that we can get a good start without his interrupting us."