The Sea of Adventure (17 page)

"Yes — because we'll have to leave the hole unguarded when we all go to the boat," said Lucy-Ann.

"I'd thought of that," said Jack. "You three can go to the boat, take food with you, and our clothes and rugs — get everything absolutely ready — and then, when you're ready to start, give me a yell and I'll come tearing along to join you. You can send Dinah up to the top of the cleft to wave."

"And by the time Horace has realised nobody is on guard to conk him on the head, we'll be out to sea in his boat!" said Dinah, enjoying the thought. "Poor old Horace! I feel quite sorry for him."

"I don't," said Jack unfeelingly. "If he's Bill's enemy, he's jolly well mine. He deserves all he's got — and honestly, except for being tripped into the hole, he's got nothing much to complain about. I shan't block him in, when we leave, and put food there, as I thought we would at first. It won't matter if he gets out once we're gone. And I shouldn't think it will be long before some others of the gang come along to see why he hasn't turned up at home — wherever that is!"

"It seems a bit of a wild-goose chase to try and find Bill, with all these scores of islands to choose from," said Philip. "But I shouldn't feel comfortable if we didn't have a shot, anyway."

"Nor should I," said Jack. "Bill's often come to our rescue, in other adventures. It's time we went to his — if only we can find him. I suppose there's no doubt but that the enemy have taken him to their headquarters on some island or other here."

"Don't you think it would be a good idea if we got everything ready this evening?" said Dinah suddenly. "You know — all the food in the boat — and rugs and clothes and things — so as not to have to waste a single minute getting ready tomorrow morning. You said you wanted to set off at dawn."

"Yes — that's a good idea," said Jack. "I'll take turn at the hole with the stick now if you like, Philip — and you help the girls to carry things down to the boat. What a bit of luck capturing one like that! I must say I think we've been pretty clever."

"Pah!" said Kiki. "Pooh! Pah!"

"Sorry you don't agree, old thing," said Jack. "Very sorry. But I still think we have been very clever!"

"We'd better leave some food for Tripalong, hadn't we?" asked Dinah. "I mean — I know the gang will be along in a day or two to see what has happened to him — but he'll have to have things to eat till they come."

"Yes. Leave him some tins and a tin-opener," said Jack. "And Philip, were there any rugs in the boat, belonging to him?"

"Yes," said Philip. "I'll bring them back here, after I've taken some food to the boat. We'll chuck them down to him. I think we're being awfully kind to our enemy."

Horace didn't think so. He got all upset again after a bit, and began to shout wildly down in the hole.

"This has gone on long enough. You let me out, you little villains! Wait till I get my hands on you! What is the meaning of this, I'd like to know?"

"Oh, don't keep up the pretence any more, Mr. Horace Tripalong," said Jack, bored. "We're enemies, both of us, and you know it. You open up a bit and tell me where Bill is and a few things more. You might get off more lightly in the end, if you do."

"Who's this Bill you keep talking about?" said Horace in an exasperated tone. "Look here, are you playing at pirates or Red Indians or what? I never heard of anyone being kept prisoner down a hole like this, by a pack of villainous children!"

"No — I never heard of it either, now I come to think of it," said Jack. "Well, dear Horace, if you won't admit what we all know, keep quiet."

"Pah!" said Horace, aggravated beyond words.

"Pah!" said Kiki at once, and went to the hole entrance. She looked down.

"Pah! Naughty boy! Pop goes the weasel! How many times have I told you to shut the door? God save the King! Pah!"

Mr. Tripalong listened in amazed horror. Was he really and truly mad? Could that be a parrot talking to him so rudely?

"I'll wring that bird's neck," he said fiercely, and got up.

"Ring the bell, please!" said Kiki, and went off into one of her cackles. Then she poked her head in again and screeched like a railway engine in a tunnel. It was absolutely deafening in the hole below, and Horace fell back on the ground, defeated.

"Mad! Quite mad! All mad!" he muttered, and, putting his head in his hands, he said ho more.

Chapter 22

THE ENEMY

THE three children, accompanied by Huffin and Puffin, made various journeys to and from Sleepy Hollow with food, rugs and clothes. Philip brought back a pile of rugs from the boat and thrust them down the hole entrance. They descended on poor Horace and enveloped him. He was very much startled, but glad to find in a moment or two that his captors were actually offering him something warm and soft to lie on.

He arranged them underneath himself. Ah, that was more comfortable. He began to think longingly of all the things he would do to those children, once he got free.

At last everything was in the motor-boat, ready for the early start. It was now getting dusk. Philip, Lucy-Ann and Dinah came and sat beside Jack.

"I suppose one or other of us must keep watch over the hole all night, in case Horace escapes?" whispered Philip. Jack nodded.

"Yes. We can't risk his getting out, just as we've got everything set. You take first watch, Philip. We won't let the girls watch, because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hit Horace good and hard if he popped his head out."

"I would!" said Dinah indignantly. "Lucy-Ann is the softie, I'm not."

Lucy-Ann said nothing. She felt sure she wouldn't be able to hit Horace hard. Anyway the boys decided that only they should keep watch, so that was all right.

The sun had gone down into the sea. The sky was pricked with the first few stars. The children lay about comfortably on the heather, talking in low voices. There was no sound from Horace. Perhaps he was asleep.

Philip's three rats, which had suddenly begun to look very grown-up, came out to sniff the evening air. Dinah removed herself at once. Huffin and Puffin regarded the rats with fixed eyes. Kiki yawned and then sneezed. Then she coughed in a very hollow manner.

"Shut up, Kiki," said Jack. "If you want to practise your awful noises, go up on the cliff and make the sea-gulls and guillemots listen."

"Arrrr!" said Huffin solemnly.

"Huffin agrees with me," said Jack.

"Pah!" said Kiki.

"And pah to you," said Jack. "Now shut up, Kiki, do. It's a lovely evening. Don't spoil it with your pahing and poohing."

Just as he finished speaking, there came a noise from far out to sea — a very small noise at first, hardly heard above the sound of the sea and the wind — but becoming quite unmistakable after a while.

"A motor-boat!" said Jack, sitting upright. "Now what in the world . . ."

"Have they come to look for Horace already?" said Philip, in a low voice. "Blow! This upsets our plans like anything!"

Nothing could be seen on the darkening sea, but the noise came nearer and nearer. Jack clutched Philip and spoke in his ear.

"There's only one thing to do. We must all go and get into our boat now, this very minute — and get out to sea. We mustn't let the enemy see the boat in the channel there, or they'll take it, and our only chance will be gone. Come on, quickly!"

Silently the four children rose to their feet. Kiki flew to Jack's shoulder, not uttering a sound. Huffin and Puffin, who had retired to their burrow, came out again. They flew beside the hurrying children, not even remarking arrrr to one another.

Across the puffin colony they went, stumbling and staggering between the hundreds of burrows. Up the little slope of the cliff and over to the cleft in the rock. Down the rocky ledges, be careful, be careful! And into the rocking boat, their breath coming fast and their hearts beating like hammers.

"Start her up," ordered Philip, and Jack started the engine. Philip threw off the mooring-rope and it skittered into the boat by the girls' feet. In a moment more they were backing gently out of the little channel.

Soon they were right out of it. Philip went to the east a little. It was almost dark now.

"We'll stop the engine," said Philip. "And wait here till the other boat goes into the channel, because I expect she'll make for it. I don't want to bump into her. And the men on board her might hear our engine."

So the engine was stopped, and the motor-boat swung up and down gently as waves ran beneath her to the rocky cliffs some way off.

The sound of the other boat's engine was now very loud. Philip wished he had gone a bit further off after all. But the bigger boat swung by without stopping and then nosed its way into the hidden harbour. The children, crouching in their boat, straining their eyes, had just been able to make out a dark shape and that was all.

The other boat's engine stopped and peace came back into the night. Some of the sea-birds, disturbed, uttered a few wild cries and then flew back to their roosting-places on the ledges.

"Horace will be glad to be rescued," said Dinah at last.

"Yes, he'll probably already be out of the hole," said Jack. "He'd soon know when we were gone. I've no doubt there'll be a lot of bad language going on when they find out how we imprisoned poor Horace — and gosh, when they find out we've taken his boat . . ."

"Arrrrrr!" said a deep voice from the rail round the deck.

The children jumped in the darkness. "Oh — it must be Huffin or Puffin," said Philip, pleased. "Fancy them coming with us. I do think that's friendly of them."

"They're sweet," said Lucy-Ann, and put out her hand to Huffin. Both the puffins were there, sitting side by side in the darkness. Kiki flew to join them.

"What are we going to do now?" said Dinah. "Dare we go off in the dark? We might bump into rocks and wreck the boat."

"We'll have to stay here till the first light of day," said Philip. "Then we'll set off, and hope the men on the island won't hear our engine, and come after us!"

"We shall have got a good start," said Jack. "Well, what about having a snooze, if we're going to stay here? Where's the anchor? Shall we let it down? I don't fancy drifting about at the mercy of the waves all night long."

Whilst the boys were busy, the girls laid out rugs, mackintoshes and jerseys to lie on. It was a lovely warm night, and nobody minded.

"It's so nice to have the stars above us instead of a ceiling or a tent roof," said Lucy-Ann, snuggling down. "I don't feel a bit sleepy, somehow. I suppose it's all the excitement. I've got used to this adventure now. Oh dear, how glad I am that I didn't have to hit Horace on the head! I should have dreamt about that for ages."

They lay for some time, talking. They all felt very wide-awake indeed. Huffin and Puffin appeared to be awake too, because they occasionally remarked am to one another. Kiki was on Jack's feet.

She also was wide-awake, and began to recite the nursery rhymes she knew: "Humpty dumpy, puddingypie, ding dong bell, ring his neck!"

"Shut up!" said Jack. "We're trying to go to sleep, you tiresome bird!'

"I hope Huffin and Puffin stay with us," said Lucy-Ann. "Wouldn't it be lovely if we could take them home with us?"

"Shut up!" said Kiki, and cackled.

"Parrots are not allowed to say that," said Jack severely, and sat up to tap her on her beak. But she had promptly put her head under her wing, so he couldn't.

"Artful creature," said Jack, and heard a faint "Pah!" from under Kiki's wing.

Just as Lucy-Ann was falling off to sleep, the others sat up so suddenly that she was jerked awake. "What's the matter?" she began. And then she knew.

The engine of the other motor-boat was going again. Lucy-Ann sat up with the others, her eyes straining through the darkness.

"They must have found Horace, heard his report, and all have gone back on board," said Jack. "They are evidently not going to spend the night here. Look — here they come — gosh, they've got their lights on this time."

"Jack — Jack! They'll be going back to their headquarters," said Philip urgently. "Let's follow them. Get the anchor up, quick. They won't hear our engine because theirs makes such a row. Come on, let's follow them! They'll take us to where Bill is!"

The men's motor-boat swung round when it had come from the channel, and headed out to sea. It was not long before the children's set off in its wake. They could not hear the other boat's engine because of their own, and they knew that theirs would not be heard by the men for the same reason.

Huffin and Puffin were still on the deck-rail. Clearly they meant to go wherever the children went. Lucy-Ann thought it was nice to have such staunch, loyal friends, even if they were only puffins. Kiki was on Jack s shoulder again, her beak to the breeze.

"All aboard," she kept saying. "All aboard. Pah!"

The first boat sped along quickly. It was easy to follow because of its lights. The children stood with their noses to the wind in silence. Lucy-Ann spoke first.

"This adventure is getting more adventurous," she said. "Oh dear — it really is!"