The Sea of Adventure (23 page)

The children knew that "they" meant the enemy. Dinah looked all round them. "If the enemy do come round this island, they can't help seeing us. We'd be spotted at once in our boat."

"Well — we'll make up our minds what to do when the boat's afloat again," said Bill at last. "What about a spot of sleep? Lucy-Ann is looking as white as a sheet. She's had no sleep at all."

"I do feel awfully sleepy," admitted Lucy-Ann, trying not to yawn. "But I feel dirty and sticky too."

"Let's have a quick dip in the sea, and then have a snooze," said Jack. "We can take it in turn to keep watch for the enemy."

"I don't want a dip," said Dinah. "I'm too sleepy. You three and Bill have a dip, and I'll make up our beds again and get the rugs and things set out comfortably."

"I'll help you," said Lucy-Ann. "I'm too tired to bathe."

Bill and the boys soon slipped into the water. The girls watched them. "You know," said Lucy-Ann, after a while, "it's almost impossible to see the boys and Bill among all those birds bobbing about. Once I lose sight of them I can't spot them again."

It was quite true. There were so many birds bobbing about on the water that the boys' wet dark heads, and Bill's, could hardly be picked out from the crowd.

"Let's tell Bill when they come back," said Dinah, a sudden idea sliding into her head. "I bet if we all slid into the water if the enemy came, nobody would ever spot us among the birds there."

"No, they wouldn't," agreed Lucy-Ann. "It would be a marvellous idea, Dinah!"

They told the others when they came back, glowing from their bathe. Bill nodded, pleased. "Yes — a fine idea. If the enemy comes in sight, that's what we'll do. Our heads would be completely lost among the bodies of the swimming birds."

"What about the boat though?" said Jack.

"We could do what we did for ourselves, when we were on the rocks beside the lagoon," said Philip. "Drape it with seaweed so that it looked like a rock!"

"You're full of bright ideas, you kids," said Bill. "Whilst you're all having a snooze I'll do a little boat-draping. If the enemy come, they'll come soon. They won't waste many hours before they try to find us. I'll wake you if I see or hear any sign of them, and you must all be prepared to drop over the side of the boat. Better sleep in your undies, so that you don't wet all your clothes. Your bathing-suits are wet."

"Ours aren't," said Lucy-Ann. "Oh dear — I'm so awfully sleepy. I do hope the enemy don't come yet. I'm not at all sure I shall wake up if they do!"

Bill tucked them all up in rugs. They were asleep in a moment or two, tired out. Bill began to do a little boat-draping. He pulled great fronds of seaweed off the nearby rocks and hung them over the boat-sides, till the little vessel looked like a boat-shaped rock.

Having finished his task, Bill sat down in the cabin. He idly removed a cover from something there — and then stared in surprise.

A wireless! Was it a transmitter too? Surely Horace going off all alone into the wilds, would have had the sense to take a transmitter with him, in case he got hurt, or became ill? With trembling hands Bill began to examine the wireless.

He gave a loud exclamation that woke up Jack. The boy sat up in alarm. "Is it the enemy, Bill?"

"No. But look here — why on earth didn't you tell me there was a wireless in this boat? I can get a message through, with luck."

"Golly! I forgot all about it!" said Jack. "But is it a transmitter, Bill?"

"Yes. Not a very good one — but I'll do my best to try and work it so that I can send a message to headquarters," said Bill. "There's always someone standing by there, hoping to hear from me. I haven't reported for days."

Bill began to hunt about and Jack wondered why. "What are you looking for, Bill?" he asked.

"The aerial," said Bill. "There must be an aerial somewhere, for the transmitter. Where on earth can it be?"

"I remember seeing something on a shelf at the back of the cabin," said Jack sleepily. "It was about six feet long."

"That would be it!" said Bill, and went to look. He pulled out something long and slender. "Good! Here it is. I can soon fix it up."

Jack watched Bill for a few minutes, then he felt his eyes closing and he slumped down in his rugs again. It was very, very exciting to watch Bill putting up the aerial and trying to make the transmitter work — but not even that excitement could make Jack's eyes keep open. In half a second he was fast asleep again.

Bill worked and worked, groaning occasionally with disappointment as first one thing failed and then another. Curious sounds came from the wireless, and little lights glowed here and there within it. There was something the matter with it, and Bill didn't know what. If only he knew! Oh, if only he could get the thing to work, just for a minute or two!

At last he thought he had got it fixed. Now to send a message through. Now to send out his code number and wait for a reply.

He sent out his code time and again. There was no reply. The wireless seemed to be quite dead at his end. There was nothing for it but to send a message and hope it would be received — but Bill had grave doubts about it.

He rapidly sent a message through in code, asking for immediate help. He repeated the message time and time again, but got no reply at all. He gave the lagoon-island as a guide to their whereabouts, knowing that they must be somewhere near it. Surely it must be on some map, and could be located?

He was so busy trying to send his message and listening for a reply which never came, that he almost didn't hear the distant purr of a powerful motor-boat. But the sound did at last penetrate his mind and he looked up with a start.

He shouted to the children. "Wake up! Quick! Into the water with you — the enemy are here! WAKE UP!"

They all woke up with a jump. The enemy! Splash! Into the water they slid, all five of them, the two girls hardly awake. The enemy! Yes, there was the motor-boat heading straight for them all!

Chapter 30

AHOY THERE! SHOW YOURSELVES!

THERE was a sudden flash of sunlight on the lens of a pair of field-glasses. They were being levelled at the island, on whose rocks the children's boat had been grounded. The glasses swept the rocks and the island, and then came back to the rocks again.

The boat was there, draped from end to end with seaweed. The glasses rested on it for a few moments. Then they swept the sea, but among the bobbing birds it was impossible to pick out the five wet heads.

The children kept as close to swimming birds as possible. Philip was all right because Huffin and Puffin perched on his head, and hid him beautifully. Lucy-Ann was near a big cormorant, who eyed her with interest but did not swim away from her. Dinah and Jack were among a crowd of bobbing, diving puffins, and Bill, fearful of his big, somewhat bald head being spotted, kept bobbing under the water, and holding his breath there as long as he could.

After what seemed an age the enemy's motor-boat swung round and went away, going right round the island — or so Bill thought. They heard the sound of its engine growing fainter and fainter.

Not until it had completely died away did Bill let the children get back into the boat. Then, when he thought it was quite safe, they all clambered back, wet and hungry, but no longer sleepy.

"How slippery the boat is, with all this seaweed!" said Jack. "Dinah, your idea worked well. I don't think the enemy even guessed there was anyone here — and there were five people and a boat within easy sight of their glasses."

"Yes, a very fine idea, Dinah," said Bill. "Now — what about breakfast? I'm starving!"

They sat down and opened a few tins. Kiki screeched with delight when she saw the chunks of pineapple in one of them. She tried to raise her crest, but as she only had one or two feathers left in it, it was not a very successful effort.

Jack suddenly thought of something. "Bill! Do I remember something — something about you and Horace's wireless — or did I dream it? Yes, perhaps I dreamt it."

"You certainly didn't," said Bill. "I found Horace's wireless — most unexpectedly, I must say — and discovered to my joy that it was a transmitter as well as a receiver — so that I ought to be able to send messages as well as receive them."

"Oh, Bill! So you've wirelessed for help — and we shall be saved!" said Lucy-Ann joyfully.

"Unfortunately there's something wrong with the thing," said Bill. "Couldn't get a chirp out of it — and whether or not my messages have gone through I can't tell. But probably not. It's not a very good set, this one of Horace's."

"Oh — so it's not very likely it was of much use," said Dinah, disappointed.

"Not very," said Bill. "By the way, did anyone feel a slight upward lift then? I have an idea the boat is coming off the rocks."

He was right. It was soon afloat, and Bill took the oars. He rowed for some distance away from the island, and then a thought struck him.

"Look here — Horace couldn't possibly have come all the way up here — and hoped to get back again — without a store of petrol. Have you examined this boat thoroughly?"

"No, not really thoroughly," said Jack. "It isn't much of a boat."

"I grant you that — but there really should be some petrol somewhere," said Bill. "Philip, pull those piles of rope and stuff up. There would be room under the boards there for tins of petrol."

Philip and Jack did as they were told. They hauled up three loose boards — and there, neatly arranged below, was Horace's store of petrol!

"Gosh!" said Jack. "What a find! Now we'll be all right. We'll be on the mainland in no time. Good old Horace!"

They handed Bill a tin. He emptied it into the petrol tank of the engine and then took another tin. That was emptied in too. Hurrah! Now they could really make headway.

Soon the engine was purring happily away and the little boat was speeding over the waves. No more rowing! Bill set his course for the south-east.

"Hark! There's an aeroplane about somewhere!" said Lucy-Ann suddenly. "I can hear it."

They all looked up into the sky. Soon they saw the plane, coming from the north-east. It was flying low.

"Looks as if it's trying to spot us," said Bill uneasily.

"It belongs to the enemy then!" said Jack. They all looked intently at the approaching plane. It seemed suddenly to see them, and veered in their direction. It flew down very low, circled round them, and then made off.

"Blow!" said Bill. "Now we're for it! They'll send out their most powerful motor-boat — or maybe one of the seaplanes they seem to use — and that'll be that!"

"Well, we've got plenty of petrol," said jack, "so we can keep on quickly for miles. We'll be well away from here before long."

The boat sped on, Bill giving her her top speed. When he reckoned that her petrol would soon be running out he called to Jack, "Get out the other tins, Jack. I'll put some more in before she's empty."

But what a shock for the boys! All the other tins were empty! Bill stared in dismay.

"Gosh! Somebody has swindled Horace properly! He probably gave orders for all the tins to be filled — and somebody took the money for the lot, and only filled half. What a dirty trick!"

"But just the sort that would be played on poor silly Horace!" said Philip. "Oh, Bill — we're out on the open sea now, miles away from any island. What will we do if the petrol gives out before we've reached anywhere?"

Bill wiped his forehead. "I don't like this," he said. "There's not much left in the tank now. Once we run out, we can't get far with oars, and we shall be at the mercy of any fast motor-boat sent out to catch us. I think perhaps one of the bullets must have glanced off the petrol tank and made it leak a bit."

Nobody said anything. "Oh dear," thought Lucy-Ann, "just as we think things are all right, they turn out wrong again."

After a while the engine stopped with a series of coughs and splutters. "No more petrol," said Jack gloomily.

"Send for the doctor," said Kiki.

"Wish we could," said Philip.

"Arrrrrr!" said Huffin from the deck-rail. Both Huffin and Puffin were still with the little company. Lucy-Ann had begun to hope that they would travel right home with them. What excitement they would cause!

"This is really disgusting," said Bill. "So near and yet so far!"

There was a dead silence, and only the plish-plash of the sea against the sides of the boat could be heard. Philip's rats, surprised at the quiet, ran out of their various hiding-places in his clothes, and sniffed the air. Bill hadn't seen them since he had been captured from Puffin Island, and he stared in surprise.

"My word — how they've grown! Well, well, who knows, we may have to eat them in the end!"

He meant this as a joke, but both Lucy-Ann and Dinah took it seriously, and squealed in horror.

"Ugh! Bill! How could you say such a horrible thing! Eat a rat! I'd rather die!" said Dinah.

"Shall we row, just for something to do?" said Jack. "Or have a meal? Or what?"

"Oh, have a meal," said Philip. Then a thought struck him. "I say, Bill — I suppose we oughtn't to start rationing ourselves, ought we? I mean — do you think we may be marooned out here on this lonely sea for days on end?"