"Good idea, Andy," said Tom, his face glowing with excitement. "But I say! Won't the girls be awfully worried if we don't swim back before low tide tonight?"
"We'll go to the cliff on the other side of this island and wave to them," said Andy. "They've got the field-glasses and will see us quite clearly. We'll point and wave and nod and try to show them that our plans are altered, but that we're all light"
"Good," said Tom, "Let's go now. I feel so awfully excited that I really must do something!"
The boys went to the other side of the island. After a while the girls appeared and waved to them. Jill put the glasses to her eyes.
The boys seem frightfully pleased and excited about something!" she said. "They are waving and pointing and nodding like anything. They seem to want us to understand something."
"Well, it-can only be that they have found something exciting and are going to do something about it," said Mary, taking the glasses from Jill and looking through them. "Yes—Tom's like a mad thing. Well, we shall know when they come back to-night. I only hope Tom will be able to swim back all right. I was really afraid he'd drown this morning."
The boys disappeared after a time. They sat down in a little sunny hollow and finished the rest of the food. Andy found a stream of water and the boys drank from it. Then they sat talking quietly, waiting for the night to come.
At last it came. The moon was behind the clouds, and gave only a pate light now and again. The boys, slipped quietly to the top of the cliff that overlooked the small cove next to the harbour. They had already planned the easiest way down. Andy went first. He climbed like a cat. Tom followed him, trying not to send any stones clattering down the cliff.
They came to the shore. It was sandy and their feet made no noise. The boys stayed in the shadow of the cliffs for a few minutes, listening. They could hear no noise at all, except the small sound of little waves breaking on the sand. The boats were not far off, upturned in a row. No one was guarding them. Indeed, why should anyone? No one had ever set foot on the islands since the farm-folk had gone—save for the crews of enemy seaplanes and submarines.
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?"
Chapter 12
A Daring Adventure
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."