The Sea of Adventure (9 page)

"Do you like disappearing, Bill?" she asked. "Don't you think it's fun?"

"Well — for a fortnight, yes," said Bill, "but I'm not looking forward to living in these wild islands all alone, once you've gone. It's not my idea of fun. I'd rather live dangerously than like one of these puffins here."

"Poor Bill," said Dinah, thinking of him left by himself, with only books to read, and the wireless, and nobody to talk to.

"I'll leave you my rats, if you like," offered Philip generously.

"No, thanks," said Bill promptly. "I know your rats! They'd have umpteen babies, and by the time I left this would be Rat Island not Puffin Island. Besides, I'm not so much in love with the rat-and-mouse tribe as you are."

"Oh, look, do look!" suddenly said Dinah. Everyone looked. A puffin had left its nearby burrow and was walking solemnly towards them, rolling a little from side to side, as all the puffins did when they walked. "It's come for its supper!"

"Then sing, puffin, sing!" commanded Jack. "Sing for your supper!"

"Arrrrrrrrr!" said the puffin deeply. Everyone laughed. The puffin advanced right up to Philip. It stood close against the boy's knee and looked at him fixedly.

"Philip's spell is working again," said Lucy-Ann enviously. "Philip, what makes all animals and birds want you to be friends with them? Just look at that puffin — it's going all goofy over you."

"Don't know," said Philip, pleased with his queer new friend. He stroked the bird's head softly, and the puffin gave a little arrrrr of pleasure. Then Philip gave it a bit of potted-meat sandwich and the bird tossed it off at once and turned for more.

"Now I suppose you'll be followed round by a devoted puffin," said Dinah. "Well, a puffin is better than three rats, any day — or mice — or that awful hedgehog with fleas that you had — or that pair of stag-beetles — or . . ."

"Spare us, Dinah, spare us," begged Bill. "We all know that Philip is a walking zoo. Personally, if he likes a goofy puffin, he can have it. I don't mind a bit. It's a pity we haven't bought a collar and lead."

The puffin said "Arrrr" again, a little more loudly, and then walked off, perfectly upright, its brilliant beak gleaming in the setting sun.

"Well, you didn't pay us a very long visit, old thing," said Philip, quite disappointed. The puffin disappeared into its burrow — but reappeared again almost immediately with another puffin, a little smaller, but with an even more brilliant beak.

"Darby and Joan!" said Jack. The two birds waddled side by side to Philip. The children looked at them in delighted amusement.

"What shall we call them?" said Dinah. "If they are going to join our little company, they'll have to have names. Funny little puffins!"

"Huffin and puffin, huffin and puffin," remarked Kiki, remembering the words suddenly. "Huffin and . . ."

"Yes, of course — Huffin and Puffin!" cried Lucy-Ann in delight. "Clever old bird, Kiki! You've been talking about Huffin and Puffin ever since we started out on our holiday — and here they are, Huffin and Puffin, as large as life!"

Everyone laughed. Huffin and Puffin did seem to be perfectly lovely names for the two birds. They came close to Philip, and, to the boy's amusement, squatted down by him contentedly.

Kiki was not too pleased. She eyed them with her head on one side. They stared back at her with their crimson-ringed eyes. Kiki looked away and yawned.

"They've out-stared Kiki!" said Jack. "It takes a lot to do that!"

The three rats had prudently decided that it was best to keep as far away from Huffin and Puffin as possible. They sat round Philip's neck, gazing down at the two birds. Then, at a movement from Huffin, they shot down the boy's shirt.

Bill stretched himself. "Well, I don't know about you kids — but I'm tired," he said. "The sun is already dipping itself into the west. Let's clear up, and turn in. We'll have a lovely day tomorrow, bathing and sunning ourselves, and watching the birds. I'm getting used to their eternal chorus of cries now. At first I was almost deafened."

The girls cleared up. Lucy-Ann dipped a bowl into the clear pool of water and handed it round for washing in. "We oughtn't to wash in that pool, ought we, Bill?" she said seriously.

"Good gracious, no!" said Bill. "It would be absolutely black after the boys had gone in! We'll keep it for drinking-water only, or just take our water from it when we want it for boiling or washing."

"I think I'll go and have a dip now," said Jack, getting up. "No, not in the rock-pool, Lucy-Ann, so don't look so upset — I'll go down to the little cove where the boat is. Coming, Philip?"

"Right," said Philip, and pushed Huffin and Puffin away from his knees. "Move up, you! I'm not growing here!"

"I'll come too," said Bill, and knocked out the pipe he had been smoking. "I feel dirty. You girls want to come?"

"No," said Lucy-Ann. "I'll get the rugs and things ready for you in the tents."

Dinah didn't want to go either, for she felt very tired. Measles had certainly taken some of the energy out of the two girls. They stayed behind whilst the others set off to the cove to bathe. The valley sloped right down to the sea just there, and the small sandy cove was just right for bathing. The boys and Bill threw off their things and plunged into the sea. It felt lovely and warm, and rippled over their limbs like silk.

"Lovely!" said Bill, and began to chase the boys. With howls and yells and splashings they eluded him, making such a terrific noise that Huffin and Puffin, who had solemnly accompanied Philip all the way, half walking and half flying, retreated a little way up the beach. They stared at the boys fixedly and thoughtfully. Philip saw them and was pleased. Surely nobody had ever had two puffins for pets before!

The girls were setting out groundsheets and rugs neatly in the two tents when Dinah suddenly stopped and listened. Lucy-Ann listened too.

"What is it?" she whispered — and then she heard the noise herself. An aeroplane again, surely!

The girls went out of the tent and looked all over the sky, trying to locate the sound. "There! — there, look!" cried Lucy-Ann excitedly, and she pointed westwards. "Can't you see it? Oh, Dinah — what's it doing?"

Dinah couldn't spot the plane. She tried and tried but she could not see the point in the sky where the aeroplane flew.

"Something's falling out of it," said Lucy-Ann, straining her eyes. "Oh, where are the boys' field-glasses? Quick, get them, Dinah!"

Dinah couldn't find them. Lucy-Ann stood watching the sky, her eyes screwed up.

"Something dropped slowly from it," she said. "Something white. I saw it. Whatever could it have been? I hope the aeroplane wasn't in any trouble."

"Bill will know," said Dinah. "I expect he and the boys saw it all right. Maybe they took the glasses with them. I couldn't find them anywhere."

Soon there was no more to be seen or heard of the plane, and the girls went on with their work. The tents looked very comfortable with the piles of rugs. It was such a hot night that Dinah fastened the tent-flaps right back, in order to get some air.

"That storm doesn't seem to have come," she said, looking at the western sky to see if any big clouds were sweeping up. "But it still feels very thundery."

"Here are the others," said Lucy-Ann, as she saw Jack, Philip and Bill coming up from the shore. "And Huffin and Puffin are still with them! Oh Di — won't it be fun if we have two pet puffins!"

"I wouldn't mind puffins," said Dinah. "But I can't bear those rats. Hallo, Bill! Did you hear the aeroplane?"

"Good gracious, no! Was there one?" demanded Bill, with great interest. "Where? How was it we didn't hear it?"

"We were making such a row," said Jack, grinning. "We shouldn't have heard a hundred aeroplanes."

"It was funny," said Lucy-Ann to Bill. "I was watching the aeroplane when I saw something falling out of it. Something white."

Bill stared, frowning intently. "A parachute?" he said. "Could you see?"

"No. It was too far away," said Lucy-Ann. "It might have been a parachute — or a puff of smoke — I don't know. But it did look as if something was falling slowly from the plane. Why do you look so serious, Bill?"

"Because — I've a feeling there's something — well, just a bit queer about these planes," said Bill. "I think I'll pop down to the motor-boat and send a message through on the wireless. Maybe it's nothing at all — but it just might be important!"

Chapter 12

BILL GOES OFF ON HIS OWN

HE WENT off down the valley to the cove where the motor-boat was moored. His feet sank deeply into the soft earth. The children stared after him.

Lucy looked solemn — as solemn as Huffin and Puffin, who were leaning against Philip, standing upright, their big beaks looking heavy and clumsy.

"Oh dear — what does Bill mean? Surely we're not going to tumble into an adventure again! Up here, where there's nothing but the sea, the wind and the birds! What could happen, I wonder?"

"Well, Bill isn't likely to tell us much," said Philip. "So don't bother him with questions. I'm going to turn in. Brrrrrr! It's getting a bit cold now. Me for that big pile of rugs! Huffin and Puffin, you'd better keep outside for the night. There'll be little enough room in this tent for you, as well as us three, Kiki and the rats."

Huffin and Puffin looked at one another. Then, with one accord, they began to scrape the earth just outside the tent, sending the soil up behind them. Lucy-Ann giggled.

"They're going to make a burrow as near you as possible, Philip. Oh, aren't they funny?"

Kiki walked round to examine what the two puffins were doing. She got a shower of earth all over her and was very indignant.

"Arrrrrrr!" she growled, and the two puffins agreed politely. "Arrrrrrrr!"

Bill came back in about half an hour. All the children were cuddled up in their rugs, and Lucy-Ann was asleep. Dinah called out to him.

"Everything all right, Bill?"

"Yes. I got a message from London, to tell me that your mother is getting on as well as can be expected," said Bill. "But she's got measles pretty badly, apparently. Good thing you're all off her hands!"

"What about your own message, Bill — about the aeroplane?" said Dinah, who was very curious over Bill's great interest in it. "Did that get through?"

"Yes," said Bill shortly. "It did. It's nothing to worry your head about. Good night, Dinah."

In two minutes' time everyone was asleep. Squeaker and his relations were only to be seen as bumps about Philip's person. Kiki was sitting on Jack's tummy, though he had already pushed her off several times. Huffin and Puffin were squatting in their new-made tunnel, their big coloured beaks touching. Everything was very peaceful as the moon slid across the sky, making a silvery path on the restless waters.

The morning dawned bright and beautiful, and it seemed as if the storm was not coming, for there was no longer any closeness in the air. Instead it was fresh and invigorating. The children ran down to the shore to bathe as soon as they got up. They ran so fast that Huffin and Puffin could not keep up, but had to fly. They went into the water with the children, and bobbed up and down, looking quite ridiculous.

Then they dived for fish, swimming with their wings under the water. They were very quick indeed, and soon came up with fish in their enormous beaks.

"What about giving us one for breakfast, Huffin?" called Philip, and tried to take a fish from the nearest puffin's beak. But it held on to it — and then swallowed it whole.

"You ought to teach them to catch fish for us," said Jack, giggling. "We could have grilled fish for breakfast then! Hey, get away, Puffin — that's my foot, not a fish!"

At breakfast they discussed their plans for the day. "What shall we do? Let's explore the whole island, and give bits of it proper names. This glen, where we are now, is Sleepy Hollow, because it's where we sleep," said Lucy-Ann.

"And the shore where we bathe is Splash Cove," said Dinah. "And where we first moored our motor-boat is Hidden Harbour."

Bill had been rather silent at breakfast. Jack turned to him. "Bill! What do you want to do? Will you come and explore the island with us?"

"Well," said Bill, very surprisingly, "if you don't mind, as you'll be very busy and happy on your own, I'll take the motor-boat and go cruising about a bit — round all these islands, you know."

"What! Without us?" said Dinah in astonishment. "We'll come with you, then, if you want to do that."

"I'm going alone, this first time," said Bill. "Take you another time, old thing. But today I'll go alone."

"Is there — is there anything up?" asked Jack, feeling that something wasn't quite right. "Has something happened, Bill?"

"Not that I know of," said Bill cheerfully. "I just want to go off on my own a bit, that's all. And if I do a bit of exploring round on my own account, I shall know the best places to take you to, shan't I?"

"All right, Bill," said Jack, still puzzled. "You do what you want. It's your holiday too, even if it is a disappearing one!"

So Bill went off on his own that day, and the children heard the purr of the motor-boat as it went out to sea, and then set off apparently to explore all the islands round about.