Swallows and Amazons. Arthur Ransome

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СКАЧАТЬ pirate?” asked the female native.

      “The one on the houseboat. We saw him. And his parrot.”

      Mr. Jackson laughed. “So that’s what you call him,” he said. “I dare say you’re right.”

      “I saw the houseboat,” said the female native.

      “It’s Mr. Turner,” said the powerful native. “He usually lives on the houseboat in summer-time. This year he won’t let anyone go near him. Last year those Blackett girls, nieces of his from the other side of the lake, were always with him. Not this year though. Keeps himself to himself this summer, does Mr. Turner. No one knows what he does there, but they do say he’s got things in that houseboat worth a fortune.”

      “That’s his treasure,” said Titty. “I knew he was a retired pirate. Of course he can’t let anybody go near it.”

      “Vicky will be wanting me,” said the female native, “so I won’t stay with you. And anyhow you don’t want too many natives about, I’m sure. It’s beginning to get dark and if I were you I should be early to sleep, for the sun will wake you in the morning, even if the birds don’t.”

      “Thank you ever so much for bringing the things,” said Susan.

      “Specially the lanterns,” said Titty.

      “Glook, glook, glook,” said the female native, as she began to walk down to the landing-place. “No, I think I won’t have any tea, thank you. You’ve had yours and day is nearly over. Oh,” she added, “there’s one thing I’d forgotten.” She went for a moment into the captain’s tent and came out again smiling. Then, as she walked down to the boat she said to John, “I’m not going to keep on coming to bother you.”

      “You don’t bother us, mother,” said John.

      “I’m not going to anyhow, but I’m going to ask you to let me know every two or three days – or oftener if you like – that everything is all right. You’ll be wanting provisions, you know, and we natives can always supply them. So you’ll be calling now and then at Holly Howe, won’t you?”

      “I’ll come to-morrow, if you like,” said John.

      “Yes, I’d like to know how the first night went.”

      “What did you do in my tent just now, mother?” said John.

      “You’ll see when you get back.”

      The female native stepped into the boat and went to the stern and sat down. Mr. Jackson, that strong native, pushed the big boat off, kneeling on the gunwale of her as she slid away. He had the oars out in a moment and pulled away into the evening.

      “Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye, mother,” shouted the Swallow’s crew. “Good-bye, Mr. Jackson.”

      “Good night to you,” said Mr. Jackson.

      “Drool,” said the female native; “that means good night and sleep well.”

      “Drool, drool,” they shouted back.

      They ran to the head of the island, to the look-out place under the tall pine and waved as the boat with the natives rowed away into the dusk. Long after they could not see the boat they could see the white flashes as the oars lifted from the water. And long after they could not see them at all, they could hear the sound of rowing, growing fainter and fainter in the distance.

      “We’d better be getting to sleep before it’s quite dark,” said Mate Susan.

      “Lights out in half an hour,” said Captain John.

      “But we haven’t lit our lights yet,” said Roger.

      “No, but we’re just going to,” said Captain John, opening his lantern and striking a match. There was still some light outside, though not much under the trees, but in the tents it was quite dark. John lit his lantern and took it into his tent and put it on the tin box, which he moved into the middle so that there should be no danger of setting fire to the tent walls. Then he remembered that the female native had done something in his tent just before she went away. He looked round to see what it was. Pinned to the tent wall near the head of his bed was a scrap of paper. On it was written, “If not duffers won’t drown.”

      “Daddy knows we aren’t duffers,” said John to himself.

      Susan had put her lantern on one of the two biscuit tins. She and Titty were making their beds comfortable.

      The tents looked like big paper lanterns glowing under the trees. Shadows moved about inside them. It always takes some time to get comfortable on a haybag the first night. There were voices.

      “Are you all right, Titty?”

      “Aye, aye, sir.”

      “What about that boy?”

      “He’s all right, Mister Mate. Are you ready for Lights out?”

      “Yes.”

      “Lights out!”

      The two lanterns were blown out and the white tents were part of the darkness. There was no light now but the glow of the embers on the camp-fire. “Good night! Good night! Good night!” There was no noise now but the lapping of the lake on the rocks. In a few moments the captain, the mate, the able-seaman, and the boy were fast asleep.

      CHAPTER VI

      ISLAND LIFE

      THE NEXT DAY was a busy one. It began early. Sunshine in a tent is even more waking than sunshine in a room. Titty woke first and lay awake looking at patches of sunlight and shadow playing on the white walls of the tent as the sun came through the waving tops of the trees. Then she crawled to the door of the tent and put her head out, sniffing the damp morning air and listening to the rustling of the leaves and the noise of ripples on the island shore. Then she heard voices in the other tent. They were waking up there, too. “John.” “Yes.” “We’re on the island.” “Of course we are. Didn’t you know?” “Not till I was properly awake.”

      “Hullo,” called Titty. “Good morning.”

      “Good morning.” “Good morning.”

      John and Roger crawled to the door of their tent.

      “Where’s Susan?” said Roger.

      “Still asleep.”

      “No, she isn’t,” said Susan, rolling over on her haybag and rubbing her eyes. “What time is it? Is it time to fetch the milk?”

      John disappeared to look at his watch, which was now called a chronometer because John was the master of a ship.

      “Three minutes to seven,” he said. He had thought of putting it into ship’s time, but it would have taken him a moment or two to be sure what it was.

      “I СКАЧАТЬ