Five Run Away Together (10 page)

It was not to be found which was most exasperating. But at last Julian discovered it in his pocket, so all was well.

The little stove was filled with methylated spirit, and lighted. The kettle was filled and set on top. Then the children went off to bathe.

"Look! There's a simply marvellous pool in the middle of those rocks over there!"

called Julian, pointing. "We've never spotted it before. Golly, it's like a small swimming-pool, made specially for us!"

"Kirrin Swimming Pool, five pence a dip!" said Dick. "Free to the owners, though! Come on—it looks gorgeous! And see how the waves keep washing over the top of the rocks and splashing into the pool. Couldn't be better!"

It really was a lovely rock-pool, deep, clear and not too cold. The children enjoyed themselves thoroughly, splashing about and swimming and floating. George tried a dive off one of the rocks, and went in beautifully.

"George can do anything in the water," said Anne, admiringly. "I wish I could dive and swim like George. But I never shall.*

"We can see the old wreck nicely from here," said Julian, coming out of the water.

"Blow! We didn't bring any towels."

"We'll use one of the rugs, turn and turn about," said Dick. "I'll go and fetch the thinnest one. I say—do you remember that trunk we saw in the wreck yesterday? Odd, wasn't it?"

"Yes, very odd," said Julian. "I don't understand it. We'll have to keep a watch on the wreck and see who comes to collect the trunk."

"I suppose the smugglers—if they are smugglers—will come slinking round this side of the island and quietly send off a boat to the wreck," said George, drying herself vigorously. "Well, we'd better keep a strict look-out, and see if anything appears on the sea out there in the way of a small steamer, boat or ship."

"Yes. We don't want them to spot us," said Dick. "We shan't find out anything if they see us and are warned. They'd at once give up coming to the island. I vote we each of us take turns at keeping a look-out, so that we can spot anything at once and get under cover."

"Good idea!" said Julian. "Well, I'm dry, but not very warm. Let's race to the cave, and get that hot drink. And breakfast — golly, I—could eat a whole chicken and probably a duck as well, to say nothing of a turkey."

The others laughed. They all felt the same. They raced off to the cave, running over the sand and climbing over a few rocks, then down to the cave-beach and into the big entrance, still splashed with sunshine. .

The kettle .was boiling away merrily, sending a cloud of steam up from its tin spout.

"Get the ham out and a loaf of bread, and that jar of pickles we brought," ordered Julian. "I'll open the tin of milk. George, you take the tin of cocoa and that jug, and make enough for all of us."

"I'm so terribly happy," said Anne, as she sat at the entrance to the cave, eating her breakfast. "It's a lovely feeling. It's simply gorgeous being on our island like this, all by ourselves, able to do what we like."

They all felt the same. It was such a lovely day too, and the sky and sea were so blue.

They sat eating and drinking, gazing out to sea, watching the waves break into spray over the rocks beyond the old wreck. It certainly was a very rocky coast.

"Let's arrange everything very nicely in the cave," said Anne, who was the tidiest of the four, and always liked to

play at "houses" if she could. "This shall be our house, our home. We'll make four proper beds. And we'l each have our own place to sit in. And we'l arrange everything tidily on that big stone shelf there. It might have been made for us!"

"We'll leave Anne to play "houses" by herself," said George, who was longing to stretch her legs again. "We'll go and get some heather for beds. And oh!—what about one of us keeping a watch on the old wreck, to see who comes there?"

"Yes—that's important," said Julian at once. "I'll take first watch. The best place would be up on the cliff just above this cave. I can find a gorse bush that will hide me all right from anyone out at sea. You others get the heather. We will take two-hourly watches. We can read if we like, so long as we keep on looking up."

Dick and George went to get the heather. Julian climbed up the knotted rope that still hung down through the hole, tied firmly to the great old root of an enormous gorse bush. He pulled himself out on the cliff and lay on the heather panting.

He could see nothing but to sea at all except for some big steamer miles out on the sky-line. He lay down in the sun, enjoying the warmth that poured into every inch of his body. This look-out job was going to be very nice!

He could hear Anne singing down in the cave as she tidied up her "house'. Her voice came up through the cave-roof hole, rather muffled. Julian smiled. He knew Anne was enjoying herself thoroughly.

So she was. She had washed the few bits of crockery they had used for breakfast, in a most convenient little

rain-pool outside the cave. Timmy used it for drinking-water too, but he didn't seem to mind Anne using it for washing-up water, though she apologised to him for doing so.

"I'm sorry if I spoil your drinking water, Timmy darling," she said, "but you are such a sensible dog that I know if it suddenly tastes nasty to you, you will go off and find another rain-pool."

"Woof!" said Timmy, and ran off to meet George, who was just arriving back with Dick, armed with masses of soft, sweet-smelling heather for beds.

"Put the heather outside the cave, please George," said Anne. "I'll make the beds inside when I'm ready."

"Right!" said George. "We'll go and get some more. Aren't we having fun?"

"Julian's gone up the rope to the top of the cliff," said Anne. "He'll yell if he sees anything unusual. I hope he does, don't you?"

"It would be exciting," agreed Dick, putting down his heather on top of Timmy, and nearly burying him. "Oh sorry Timmy—are you there? Bad luck!"

Anne had a very happy morning. She arranged everything beautifully on the shelf-crockery and knives and forks and spoons in one place —saucepan and kettle in another — tins of meat next, tins of soup together, tins of fruit neatly piled on top of one another. It really was a splendid larder and dresser!

She wrapped all the bread up in an old tablecloth they had brought, and put it at the back of the cave in the coolest place she could find. The containers of water went there too, and so did all the bottles of drinks.

Then the little girl set to work to make the beds. She decided to make two nice big ones, one on each side of the cave.

"George and I and Tim will have the one this side," she thought, busy patting down the heather into the shape of a bed. "And Julian and Dick can have the other side. I shall want lots more heather. Oh, is that you, Dick? You're just in time! I want more heather."

Soon the beds were made beautifully, and each had an old rug for an under-blanket, and two better rugs for covers. Cushions made pillows.

"What a pity we didn't bring night-things," thought Anne. "I could have folded them neatly and put them under the cushions. There! It all looks lovely. We've got a beautiful house."

Julian came sliding down the rope from the cliff to the cave. He looked round admiringly. "My word, Anne—the cave does look fine! Everything in order and looking so tidy. You are a good little girl."

Anne was pleased to hear Julian's praise, though she didn't like him calling her a little girl.

"Yes, it does look nice, doesn't it?" she said. "But why aren't you watching up on the cliff, Ju?"

"It's Dick's turn now," said Julian. "The two hours are up. Did we bring any biscuits? I feel as if I could do with one or two, and I bet the others could too. Let's all go up to the cliff-top and have some. George and Timmy are there with Dick."

Anne knew exactly where to put her hand on the tin of biscuits. She took out ten and climbed up to the cliff-top Julian went up on the rope. Soon all five were sitting b) the big gorse-bush, nibbling at biscuits, Timmy too. At least, he didn't nibble. He just swallowed.

The day passed very pleasantly and rather lazily. They took turns at being look-out, though Anne was severely scolded by Julian in the afternoon for falling asleep during her watch. She was very ashamed of herself and cried.

"You're too little to be a look-out, that's what it is," said Julian. "We three and Timmy had better do it."

"Oh, no, do let me too," begged poor Anne. "I never, never will fall asleep again. But the sun was so hot and . . ."

"Don't make excuses," said Julian. "It only makes things worse if you do. All right—

we'll give you another chance, Anne, and see if you are really big enough to do the things we do."

But though they all took their turns, and kept a watch on the sea for any strange vessel, none appeared. The children were disappointed. They did so badly want to know who had put that trunk on the wreck and why, and what it contained.

"Better go to bed now," said Julian, when the sun sank low. "It's about nine o'clock.

Come on! I'm really looking forward to a sleep on those lovely heathery beds that Anne has made so nicely!"

DISTURBANCE IN THE NIGHT

IT was dark in the cave, not really quite dark enough to light a candle, but the cave looked so nice by candlelight that it was fun to light one. So Anne took down the candle-stick and lighted the candle. At once queer shadows jumped all round the cave, and it became a rather exciting place, not at all like the cave they knew by daylight!

"I wish we could have a fire," said Anne.

"We'd be far too hot," said Julian. "And it would smoke us out. You can't have a fire in a cave like this. There's no chimney."

"Yes, there is," said Anne, pointing to the hole in the roof. "If we lighted a fire just under that hole, it would act as a chimney, wouldn't it?"

"It might," said Dick, thoughtfully. "But I don't think so. We'd simply get the cave full of stifling smoke, and we wouldn't be able to sleep for choking."

"Well, couldn't we light a fire at the cave entrance then?" said Anne who felt that a real home ought to have a fire somewhere. "Just to keep away wild beasts, say!

That's what the people of old times did. It says so in my history book. They lighted fires at the cave entrance at night to keep away any wild animal that might be prowling around."

"Well, what wild beasts do you think are likely to come and peep into this cave?" asked Julian, lazily, finishing up a cup of cocoa. "Lions?

Tigers? Or perhaps you are afraid of an elephant or two."

Everyone laughed. "No—I don't really think animals like that would come," said Anne.

"Only—it would be nice to have a red, glowing fire to watch when we go to sleep."

"Perhaps Anne thinks the rabbits might come in and nibble our toes or something,"

said Dick.

"Woof!" said Tim, pricking up his ears as he always did at the mention of rabbits.

"I don't think we ought to have a fire," said Julian, "because it might be seen out at sea and give a warning to anyone thinking of coming to the island to do a bit of smuggling."

"Oh no, Julian—the entrance to this cave is so well-hidden that I'm sure no one could see a fire out to sea," said George, at once. "There's that line of high rocks in front, which must hide it completely. I think it would be rather fun to have a fire. It would light up the cave so queerly and excitingly."

"Oh good, George!" said Anne, delighted to find someone agreeing with her.

"Well, we can't possibly fag out and get sticks for it now," said Dick, who was far too comfortable to move.

"You don't need to," said Anne, eagerly. "I got plenty myself today, and stored them at the back of the cave, in case we wanted a fire."

"Isn't she a good little house-wife!" said Julian, in great admiration. "She may go to sleep when she's look-out, but she's wide-awake enough when it comes to making a house for us out of a cave! All right, Anne—we'll make a fire for you!"

They all got up and fetched the sticks from the back of the cave. Anne had been to the jackdaw tower and had picked up armfuls that the birds had dropped when making their nests in the tower. They built them up to make a nice little fire. Julian got some dried seaweed too, to drop into it.

They lighted the fire at the cave-entrance, and the dry sticks blazed up at once. The children went back to their heather-beds, and lay down on" them, watching the red flames leaping and crackling. The red glow lit up the cave and made it very weird and exciting.

"This is lovely," said Anne, half-asleep. "Really lovely. Oh Timmy, move a bit do. You're so heavy on my feet. Here, George, pull Timothy over to your side. .You're used to him lying on you."

"Good-night," said Dick, sleepily. .'The fire is dying down, but I can't be bothered to put any more wood on it. I'm sure all the lions and tigers and bears and elephants have been frightened away."

"Silly!" said Anne. "You needn't tease me about it — you've enjoyed it as much as I have! Good-night."

They all fell asleep and dreamed peacefully of many things. Julian awoke with a jump.

Some queer noise had awakened him. He lay still, listening.

Timothy was growling deeply, right down in his throat. "R-r-r-r-r-r-r," he went. "Gr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!"

George awoke too, and put out her hand sleepily. "What's the matter, Tim?" she said.

"He's heard something, George," said Julian, in a low voice from his bed .on the other side of the cave.

George sat up cautiously. Timmy was still growling. "Sh!" said George and he stopped.

He was sitting up straight, his ears well cocked.

"Perhaps it's the smugglers come in the night," whispered George, and a funny prickly feeling ran down her back. Somehow smugglers in the day time were rather exciting and quite welcome—but at night they seemed different. George didn't at all want to meet any just then!

"I'm going out to see if I can spy anything," said Julian, getting off his bed quietly, so as not to wake Dick. I'll go up the rope to the top of the cliff. I can see better from there."

"Take my torch," said George. But Julian didn't want it.