The Adventurous Four - - Страница 14

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The boys crept over the silvery sand. Take the boat on the left," whispered Andy. "It's just our size."

They came to the boat—and then they heard voices. They seemed to come from the far side of the cliff, and sounded clearly in the night. The boys could not hear any words—but the sound was enough to make them lie down Sat beside the boat they had chosen.

Tom was trembling. Suppose they were found out just as they were taking the boat! It would be too bad. The boys listened until the sound of voices died away and then they cautiously lifted their heads.

"When the moon gets into that very thick cloud we'll turn the boat over and run her into the water," whispered Andy. "You take this side and I'll take the other. Be ready."

"Right," whispered back Tom. So when the moon slipped behind the dark clouds the boys rose silently to their feet. They turned over the boat with hardly a sound, though it was awkward and heavy. Then they pulled it over the sand to the water. Tom got in and took the oars. Andy pushed the boat right out and leapt in himself. The moon was still hidden.

Silently the boys rowed away from the shore, hoping that the moon would remain behind the cloud until they had pulled out of sight. No shout was heard. No running feet. They were undiscovered, so far!

They rowed fast. When the moon came out again they were far from the little cove. "Look I Pull round a bit more," said Andy. "We're passing round the end of the island. We've done well to get here so quickly!"

Soon they were right round the narrow end of the third island. They rowed into the broad stretch of water between the second and third islands. Then across to the shore below the cliff where they had left the girls.

Jill and Mary were watching there. They had been very worried when night had come and brought with it no boys. They couldn't imagine what had happened. They were in a great state of alarm and fright.

And then Jill, looking through the glasses when the moon had swum out into a clear piece of sky, had seen a little boat coming into the stretch of water between the two islands. She clutched Mary's arm.

"Look! A boat! Is it the enemy?"

The girls looked and looked, their hearts w beating loudly. They could not see who was in the boat. It landed on the beach—and then the call of a sea gull floated up the cliff.

"Andy!" cried Jill, nearly falling down the cliff. "It's Andy! I'd know his sea gull call anywhere!"

The boys climbed up the cliff and came to the rocky ledge. The girls fell on them and hugged them like bears, they were so relieved to see them.

"The boat! Where did you get the boat?" cried Jill.

"What did you see? What did you find?" cried Mary.

"We'll tell you all about it," said Andy, and the four of them sat close together on the cold, windy ledge, quite forgetful of the chilly breeze, talking and listening eagerly. The girls could hardly believe the boys' story. It seemed quite impossible.

"And now that we've got a boat, we'll fill. It full of food and water, and see if we can get home," said Andy. "It's the only thing we can do—and we must do it."

"But, Andy." said Jill, "just suppose the enemy see their boat is missing—won't they take alarm and search the islands?"

"Yes—they certainly will," said Andy. "And so we must start to-morrow. We will have a good sleep to-night—take plenty of food from the cave—and see if we can make for home."

"If only we can get away before the enemy finds that boat is missing!" said Tom. "Oh, do you suppose we shall?"

The children did not have a very good night after all, for they were far too excited to sleep. They had all rowed in the stolen boat to their own island, and had landed there, tied up the boat and gone to their shack.

They slept rather late the next morning, for not one of them had gone to sleep before midnight—and they were awakened by the throbbing noise that they had heard two nights before!

"The seaplane again!" said Andy, waking up at once and leaping to his feet. He ran to the open doorway of the hut, and was just in time to see the plane soar overhead. Then it went round in great circles ready to land on the smooth water outside the second island.

"That means we can't get away to-day," said Tom at once. "We simply must get food into the boat—and we can't if that plane is there."

"No—we can't," said Andy. "But I tell you what we might do, Tom. We might row to the third island, tie our boat up in a hidden place, creep to the top of that cliff, and try to take a few photographs of the submarine bay! We meant to take some photos, you know."

"Yes—we could do that." said Tom. "we'll have to be pretty careful, though."

"We will be," said Andy. "Jill, what is there for breakfast?"

There were tinned sausages and baked beans and tomato sauce. Jill proudly produced some little rolls of bread she had made, too. They all ate in silence, thinking over everything that had happened.

"That seaplane may not stay long," said Andy. "It didn't last time. I expect k has come to add to the stores—or maybe take away from them. It will be busy that side of the island—so we will row round the after side, where we wont be seen, go across to the third one. and tie up there. You girls must stay here."

"Oh, you always have the exciting things to do." sighed Mary. "Can't we really come with you? I don't see why we can't."

"Well, if you promise to do exactly what you're told, you can come," said Andy, after a minute's thought. He didn't really like the idea of leaving the girls all alone again. Perhaps it would be better if they came.

The girls were thrilled. They cleared away the breakfast-things and washed up. They prepared a meal to take with them. It was a very good thing they had discovered that store cave—they now had plenty of food of all kinds. They did hope the seaplane wouldn't take everything away!

They all got into the boat. The boys rowed off, and were careful to keep to the side opposite the cave when they came to the second island. They rowed quickly over the space of water separating that island from the third one, and came to the farthest tip of ft. Here there was a tiny beach with steep, overhanging cliffs—so overhanging that it almost seemed as if a big piece was about to fall off!

"Just the place." said Andy, pulling into the tiny beach. "Jump out girls. Take the food with you. "Give a hand with the boat. Tom. we'll run it up the beach and put it right under that dangerous piece of cliff. It will be well hidden there."

They put the boat there and looked at it. The end of It jutted out and could be seen. Jill ran,to a seaweed-covered rock and pulled off handfuls of the weed.

"Let's make the boat into a rock!" she said, with a laugh. "Cover it with seaweed!"

"Jolly good idea!" said Andy. "I didn't know girls could have such good ideas!"

"You wait and see what fine ideas we have!" said Mary. They an pulled at the seaweed, and soon the boat was nicely draped and looked so exactly like a seaweed-covered rock that no one could possibly guess it wasn't, even as they passed quite near it.

"That's good." said Andy. "Now we'll make our way very carefully across this end of the island till we come to the little cove where we took our boat from. We'll just peep over the cttff and see if there's anyone there looking as though they have missed the boat! Then we'll crawl to the top of the next cliff that overlooks the submarine bay, and Tom shall take a few pictures."

Everything went well. Keeping close to tall bushes of gone and bramble, the four children crept over the tip of the island and soon came to the cliff below which was the boat-cove. Cautiously Andy parted some bramble sprays and peeped down to the beach below.

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