The man came again next day and Andy showed him where they had put the tent. Andy limped about with the rag still on his leg, which made the others want to smile—but the man did not once guess that it was all pretence. As soon as he had gone Andy walked and ran just as usual!
The weather was not so good now. The sun was not so warm, and clouds sailed over the sky, bringing showers of rain at times. The children often had to sit in the tent, and they longed to begin making the raft.
"I don't want to start it till I'm sure the man has forgotten about the tumble-down shack," said Andy. "Yesterday he brought his boat in to this beach instead of the next one, and hardly looked over the island at all. If he comes to "this cove to-day, we can begin the raft this afternoon."
The man came at noon as usual. This time he DTo-ugnt a large supply of food, and tried to make the children understand that he would not be back for a few days. He pointed to three fingers and shook his head.
"I think he means he won't be back for three days," said Andy, his heart jumping for joy. He nodded to the man, who, instead, of looking over the island as he usually did, got straight back into his boat and rowed off.
"Well, if that isn't a bit of tack!" said Andy joyfully, as soon as he had gone. "I'm sure he won't be back for some days—and he's brought us a marvellous Supply of food, that will just do beautifully for the raft I We can safely begin building it this afternoon!"
Chapter 21
The Building of the Raft
The four children tackled the shack that afternoon and tore out as many planks as they could.
"Pile them up in different sizes," ordered Andy. ' "Come and help with this long plank, Tom—it's too heavy for me to pull out alone."
By the end of that day the children had sixteen planks of different sizes piled up. Andy was pleased.
"If we can get as many as that to-morrow, we'll be able to make a really fine raft," he said. "Tom, you are saving ail those long screws and nails, aren't you? We shall need them soon."
"Yes—they're all safe," said Tom, showing Andy a tin into which he had put all the screws and nails he had taken oat of the planks.
"Do you think we'd better hide these planks in case the man does come to-morrow, although we feel sure he won't?" asked Jill.
"Well—perhaps we had better," said Andy, who was feeling tired and not at all eager to carry heavy planks about. So he and Tom took the planks one by one and tad mem in thick heather. Then they went to have a good meal; which the girls had been getting ready.
"I've never been so hungry in my life!" said Tom.
"You've said that about a thousand times since we've been on this island," said Jill. "Well—see if you can eat that plateful!"
Tom took the plate. It was full of cold tongue, baked potatoes, and tinned asparagus tips which the man had brought yesterday. There were also sliced pears, tinned milk to eat with them, and hot cocoa. The pears and tinned milk were so delicious that Tom wanted a second helping.
"Good gracious! At the rate you eat you'll want about a thousand tins on the raft!" said Mary, opening another tin of pears. "Andy, I hope you won't forget to take a tin-opener when you go. It would be so awful to be hungry, and have heaps of tinned food round you—and not be able to eat any of it because you had forgotten an opener!"
Andy grinned. "I shan't forget that," he said. "Golly, I am tired!"
They were all tired, and they fell asleep in the tent almost as soon as they lay down on their heathery beds. They awoke late the next day and Andy could not make up his mind whether to get on with the raft or not.
"I'm pretty sure that fellow meant he wouldn't come for a few days," Andy said. "But if he did happen to come and found us at work on a raft, it would be too disappointing for anything."
"Well, one of us could go up to the rocky ledge and keep watch all the time, couldn't we," said Jill eagerly. "We could easily see anyone coming, then, and give warning in time to let you and Tom hide everything."
"Yes—of course," said Andy. "That's a good idea! Take it in turns of about two hours each. You go first, Jill, and Mary next."
So Jill went up to the rocky ledge and sat there. She could see the cave-beach of the next island and had a good view of any boat that might come over the water.
No boat was to-be seen—but all that day the islands were very noisy indeed! Seaplanes flew over many times, their engines roaring loudly. Three came down in the calm water opposite the cave-beach. Jill watched them carefully.
Stores were taken to the cave, as she could plainly see. The seaplanes roared away after a time—but all that day others flew over the islands, and the children wondered to see so many.
"Well, there's one thing that's lucky," said Andy with a grin. "Those seaplanes make such a noise that no one could possibly hear the sound of any hammering to-day—so I vote we get on with it and make as much noise as we like now there's a chance!"
So the sound of hammering was heard on the children's island that day, as Andy and Tom nailed twelve big planks crosswise to twelve others below. Then on top of the two crosswise rows Andy nailed yet another row of shorter planks to make the raft really solid and heavy.
The boys added a kind of rim to the raft to prevent things rolling off too easily. Andy was clever at carpentry and he knew all the best tricks of making each plank hold the other fast It was a very solid-looking affair that began to take shape by the time that night came.
Andy had found a strong post that would do for a mast, but he did not mean to put this up till the raft was almost ready to launch. "We can't very well hide a raft with a mast." he said. "It is easier to hide a flat raft with no mast, if that man pays us a visit too soon."
"How can we hide it, though?" asked Tom, looking at the heavy raft. "We really can't toss it lightly into the heather as we could do with planks!"
Andy grinned. "Well hide it in a very easy place," he said. "We'll simply rig up the tent above it, and pile heather on the raft, which will then make the floor I don't think anyone is likely to think that our tent hides a raft!"
In three days the raft was quite complete, and was very sound and solid. Andy had decided to take all the food in the big wooden box in which the man had brought the tins and jars on his last visit.
"We can nail the box to the floor of the raft," said Andy, "and our food will stay there quite safely I If we put it loose on the deck of the raft, everything would get thrown off in a rough sea, even though we've put a kind of rail to the edge of the raft."
There came a warning cry from Jill not long after that. She had seen a boat coming round the cliff on the far side of the cave-beach. Hastily the boys put up the tent over the raft, and Mary strewed the heather and bracken over the deck. She could not hide the box of. food in the middle of the raft, however.
"Never mind about that," said Andy. "Put a rug over it, and it will look like a seat or something."
There were two men this time, and one of them was the one who spoke English.
The boat drew up in the cove where the raft was, and one man got out. It was not the man who had seen the fallen-down shack, but the one who spoke English.
Andy went down to meet him. "Please, sir, won't you give us a boat to go home in?" asked Andy, knowing perfectly well that the man would say no.
"No," said the man at once. "You will stay here for as long as we wish. But soon the winter will come, and a tent will be no good to you. Is mere any building here that can be mended?"
"No," said Andy, who did not wish the man to examine the buildings, and perhaps ask where the tumbledown shack was. This had almost disappeared by now, for the children had taken all the planks for their raft!
"Let me see your tent," said the man. Andy's heart sank. It would be too bad if the raft was found just as it was finished. He took the man to the tent in silence.
The man looked inside. He saw the box in the middle covered with a rug. "What's that?" he asked.
"It's the box of food the man brought us the other day," said Andy, and he pulled off the rug. The man saw at once that it way only a box of food and he nodded. He did not go inside the tent, luckily, or his nailed boot might have gone through the heathery covering and struck against the wooden raft below. Then he would certainly have pulled aside the heather and seen the children's secret.
Jill and Mary watched, very pale and scared. Tom sat nearby and whistled. The man still stood looking into the tent, and all the children felt very anxious indeed—and then a great seaplane roared over the island, making a terrific noise.
"Look! Look!" yelled Tom, jumping up. "Isn't it a big one!"
The man looked up, at Tom's yell, and followed the seaplane with his eyes. "I must go," he said, and he went down the beach to the boat. "I will send men to put you up a rough hut for the winter. Be sensible children and you will be looked after—but if not, you will be,very sorry for yourselves."
The children were very thankful indeed when they saw the boat go off over the water. They heaved deep sighs of relief and looked at one another.
"Thank goodness, that seaplane came when it did and Tom let out that yell," said Jill. "It just took the man's attention away! I really thought he was going to go inside the tent and look at everything!"
"Well, I think we're safe to make our escape soon now," said Andy. "I don't expect any men will be sent for a while. We'll drag the raft down to the shore early to-morrow morning, and I'll set up the mast and rig the sail as best I can. Then Tom and I will start off."
The girls said nothing. They did not like being left alone on the island—and yet they knew that Andy was right, Somehow he must get home and tell the people there the secrets they had discovered. The raft would not really take four—and the girls were not strong enough to stand days and nights of tossing about on the sea.
"Well, Andy, it's very important that you should get back and tell the secret of these islands," said Jill at last. "So, for the sake of our country, Mary and I will stay behind here without any fuss and do the best we can, whilst you and Tom set off for home. But do rescue us as soon as possible!"
"Of course we shall," said Andy, glad to see that the girls were going to be brave and not male any fuss. "You are good sports, you two girls—I really do feel proud of you both—don't you, Tom?"
"Very proud," said Tom. And the girls went red with pleasure.
"We'll wish you luck to-morrow!" said Jill. "Oh, how I hope you'll soon get back home, Andy! Mary and I will watch every day till you come back."
They all went to bed early that night, for to-morrow was to be an important day! They did not sleep very well, for they were too excited.
And in the morning, early, they took down their tent, dragged off the heather that covered the raft, and tied ropes to it, to pull it down to the beach.
"Now we're off on another adventure!" said Andy, dragging the raft. "Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Down to the sea we go!"
Chapter 22
Away on the Sea
The raft was dragged right down to the sea. In the middle of it Andy fixed the post that was to be the mast. He rigged up the old sail very cleverly. The box of food was firm below the mast—they had enough to last them for some days. They took a big tin of water with them too, but expected to use the juice of the tins of fruit to quench their thirst after they had drunk all the water.
Andy had made two rough paddles to help the boat along and to guide it. The girls handed the boys the two warmest rugs to wrap themselves in at night, though Andy said they wouldn't be any use—they would get wet with the very first wave that splashed over the raft! But to please the girls he took the rugs.
"Andy, you can dry them in the sun in the daytime," said Jill, "and you might be glad of them. Mary and I have got plenty here."
The raft was ready to float off at last. The boys gave the girls a hug and said good-bye.
"Now don't worry," said Andy, jumping on to the raft. "You won't hear for days and days, because we've got to get back home, and then tell our tale and then ships have got to find their way here. So you'll have to wait a long time."
"What shall we say if the enemy want to know where you are?" asked Jill anxiously.
"Just say we have disappeared," said Andy. "And if you like to do another bit of pretending and make a fuss—well, do it!"
"All right," said Jill. "Anyway, you may be quite sure we shan't tell them you've gone off on a raft»
"No—we don't want their seaplanes hunting the sea for us!" said Andy, letting the sail unfurl. "Now—good-bye, Jill! Good-bye, Mary! See you soon!"
"Good-bye, Andy! Good-bye, Tom!" cried the girls, trying to smile cheerfully, though they felt very miserable and lonely to see the boys setting off together. "Good luck!"
Tom pushed out the raft and jumped up on it. He took a paddle and guided it. Andy let the sail billow out. The wind caught it and the little raft leapt along over the waves like a live thing f
"I say! It can get along, can't it!" cried Jill, jumping up and down in excitement. "Look how it bobs over the waves!"
The boys waved wildly to the girls. Little waves splashed over the deck of the raft and wetted the boys' legs. If they ran into a stormy sea they would soon be wet through—but at the moment they cared nothing for what might happen! They were very excited and very anxious to guide their little raft on the right course.
The sail flapped and billowed finely. Andy had rigged it most cleverly, and the wind shot the little craft along swiftly.
"It's going nearly as fast as the ship!" said Tom in delight.
"No—it isn't really," said Andy.-shaking his head. "No raft could ever equal a boat for speed—it's so clumsy and heavy. But I must say our raft isn't bad! Look out—there's a fat wave coming!"
The raft sailed into the wave—slap! It drenched Tom, and he laughed and shook himself like a dog. The sun was out and the boy's clothes soon dried.
The boys looked back at the shore of their island, which now seemed far away. They could just make out the two girls, who had now climbed to the top Of the cliff and were standing there, watching the raft out of sight.
"I hope Jill and Mary will be all right," said Tom. "Poor kids—it was awful having to leave them alone."
"Yes," said Andy. "But it was the only thing to be done. We've happened on very big things, Tom—and so we've got to be big enough and brave enough to meet them."
"Well—I'm not afraid," said Tom stoutly. "And as for you, Andy, I really don't believe anything in the world would frighten you!"
"Oh yes, it would," said Andy. "But I'd not show I was frightened! Look, Tom—you can see all the islands now!"
The boys stood on the raft, holding on to the mast and looked back on the cluster of islands. They lay in the sea together, and looked very small now that the boys were so far off. They could no longer see the girls. And soon even the islands too woukl disappear—then the boys would be quite alone on the wide sea.
"Do you really know which way to go, Andy?" said Tom.
"More or less," said Andy. "I can guide the raft by the sun in the day-time, and by the stars at night. It's a good thing for us that the wind is just in the right direction. I hope it lasts. It's easy enough now—but if the wind changes, things will be very difficult!"
Now the boys could no longer see any land at all. They were alone on the wide green sea. Below them the water was very, very deep. The sea was not rough, but a little choppy, and the raft bobbed like a cork over the waves. Every now and again a wave hopped over the side and wetted the deck of the raft. The boys got used to this and didn't even move when a wave reared its head to run across the raft.