Swallows and Amazons. Arthur Ransome

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      “And you got the milk at the farm all right?”

      “Yes.”

      “I liked the native at the farm,” said Roger.

      “So did I,” said mother, “when I saw her yesterday.”

      Nurse somehow did not seem to feel that she was talking with seamen from another land. “You haven’t caught your deaths of cold yet,” she said. “It’s quite a holiday to be without you. And tell me, Master Roger, did you remember to clean your teeth? I never packed a tooth glass for you.”

      “I used the whole lake,” said Roger.

      “We’ve brought the mail,” said John. “It’s a letter from Titty.”

      He pulled the letter out of his pocket and mother opened it and read it. “I must write an answer to that,” she said.

      “We’ve come for a cargo,” said Captain John. “We forgot to take our fishing rods.”

      “Of course, you’ll want them,” said mother. “And there are your bathing things too. They were hanging out to dry yesterday when you sailed away and I never noticed them till this morning. You haven’t bathed yet from the island?”

      “We didn’t this morning,” said John.

      “We will to-morrow,” said Roger.

      “Well, be sure you choose a good place with no weeds,” said mother, “and be sure you don’t let Roger get out of his depth.”

      “Until I can swim,” said Roger. “I very nearly can.”

      “Until you can swim on your back and on your front. As soon as you can do that you will be all right. But better keep within your depth even then until you are sure you can swim a long way. Now, you get your fishing things together, while I write a mail for you to take back.”

      They put all the fishing tackle together. They took the four rods to pieces and put each one in its own bag. They packed the floats and hooks and reels in a big coffee tin. Meanwhile nurse made the bathing things into a bundle, tying them all up in a towel. Then mother came out with two letters, one for Titty, saying, “Love from all the Stay-at-homes, and thank you for your nice letter”; and one for Susan, saying that she must ask Mrs. Dixon for some lettuces, because if they tried to do without green vegetables the crew might get scurvy. Also mother gave them a big bag of peas. “Tell Susan just to boil them with some salt, and then put a pat of butter on them,” she said. Also she had a big tin of chocolate biscuits. “I don’t expect that mate of yours will manage much in the way of puddings,” she said, “and these may help out.” The captain and the boy ran into the farm again to say good-bye to nurse and Vicky, and then mother came down with them to the jetty, to help to carry the things.

      “It’s blowing a bit harder this morning,” she said as they were going down the field.

      “We reefed,” said Roger.

      “Did you?” said mother.

      “I helped,” said Roger.

      “Which pendant did you tie down first?” asked mother.

      “The one nearest the mast,” said Roger, “then the one at the end of the boom, and the reef points in the middle of the sail last of all.”

      “And which are you going to let go first when you shake your reef out?”

      “Reef points first,” said Roger, “then the one at the end of the boom, and then the one by the mast.”

      “That’s right,” said mother. “No duffers in your crew.”

      They stowed the cargo, hoisted the sail, and were soon reaching out of the bay.

      “The pirate on the houseboat’s got a cannon,” shouted Roger as they sailed away. He had forgotten all about it while on land.

      “Has he?” called mother. “Well, so long, you sailormen.”

      This time, with the wind aft, and a good one, the Swallow fairly raced to the island, with her wake creaming out astern of her. They sailed straight past well outside Houseboat Bay. They were too far out to see very much, but they saw the man on the houseboat get up and lean on the railing round his after-deck and look at them through a pair of glasses. A moment later they had passed the promontory on the southern side of the bay, and the houseboat had disappeared behind it.

      Soon they were nearing their island, and just as Holly Howe had seemed strange, so now the island seemed home. It was delightful to see it coming nearer, and to think of the tents and the camp, and to see smoke blowing away over the trees and to know that it came from the mate’s fire.

      “It must be nearly dinner-time,” said Roger.

      “Meat pie,” said John. “Hullo, there’s the able-seaman at the look-out.” Titty was standing under the tall tree on Look-Out Point. She waved and disappeared.

      “She’s gone to tell Susan we’re coming,” said Roger.

      Meanwhile the mate and the able-seaman had had a busy time on the island. They had built a little pier of big stones so that they could walk out on it when they wanted to dip some clean water from the lake. It was also very good for rinsing plates and cups. They had peeled potatoes and had been boiling them for a long time, prodding them with a fork to see if they were done, until every potato looked like a sponge. Then the mate had cut a great pile of bread and butter. Dinner was ready, and Titty came down to meet the Swallow at the landing-place.

      “We’ve got mail for you,” shouted Roger, “and mail for Susan, and your pirate has got a cannon. We saw it.”

      “A real cannon?” said Titty.

      “Yes,” said Captain John.

      “I knew he was a pirate,” said Titty.

      Titty carried the bathing things up to the camp, Roger carried the fishing rods and tackle. John carried the tin of biscuits and the bag of peas. In a few minutes the four explorers were making short work of the meat pie. The pie was cold, but the potatoes were so hot that they got left behind. No one could eat them as quickly as cold meat pie. So they made a second course. Biscuits and apples made the pudding.

      Susan read her letter. “Mother says I must give you plenty of lettuces and peas and things, or else you’ll all get scurvy. What is scurvy?”

      “Sailors die from it like flies,” said Titty.

      “We’ll have peas for supper,” said Susan. “You and Roger had better start shelling them.”

      They shelled half a saucepan full of peas while the mate washed up after dinner.

      The wind had fallen light again, and John went down to the Swallow, and let out the reef in the sail. Then they pushed off, and sailed away beyond the island to the south, where the lake widened and then narrowed again. Far away in the distance, they could see the smoke of a steamer at the foot of the lake.

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