The Secret Series - Complete Collection. Enid blyton

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      Mike felt sure that no one would ever know she was there.

      Peggy went hunting round looking for anything that might give them away. She did not find very much, for all the children tidied up after any meal or game. Broken egg-shells were always buried, uneaten food was given to the hens, and it was only things like snippings of wool or cotton that the wind had blown away that could be found.

      Peggy went on guard next and then Nora. It was dull work, sitting up on the hill-top doing nothing but watch, so Nora took her pencil and drawing-book and drew what she could see. That made the time go quickly. Peggy took her mending. She always had plenty of that to do, for every day somebody tore their clothes on brambles. After every stitch Peggy looked up and down the lake, but nothing could be seen.

      That evening Mike was on guard, and he was just about to come down to get his supper when he saw something in the distance. He looked carefully. Could it be a boat? He called Jack.

      “Jack! Come quickly! I can see something. Is it a boat, do you think?”

      Everyone tore up the hill. Jack looked hard. “Well, if it’s a boat, it’s very small,” he said.

      “It’s something black,” said Nora. “Whatever is it? Oh, I do hope it isn’t anyone coming now.”

      The children watched, straining their eyes. And suddenly the thing they thought might be a small boat flew up into the air!

      “It’s that black swan we saw the other day!” said Jack, with a squeal of laughter.

      “What a fright it gave us! Look, there it goes! Isn’t it a beauty?”

      The children watched the lovely black swan flying slowly towards them, its wings making a curious whining noise as it came. Nora went rather red, for she remembered how frightened she had been the first time she had heard a swan flying over the island - but nobody teased her about it. They were all too thankful it was only a swan, not a boat.

      “There’s no need to keep watch any more to-night,” said Jack, and they all went down the hill. Evening was almost on them. They sat by their fire and ate their supper, feeling happier than the day before. Perhaps after all no one would come to look for them - and anyway, they had done all they could now to get things ready in case anyone did come.

      The next day the children kept watch in turn again, and the next. The third day, when Nora was on guard, she thought she saw people on the far side of the lake, where a thick wood grew. She whistled softly to Jack, and he came up and watched, too.

      “Yes, you’re right, Nora,” he said at last. “There are people there - and they are certainly hunting for something or someone!”

      They watched for a while and then called the others. There was no fire going, for Peggy had stamped it out. They all crowded on to the hill-top, their heads peeping out of the tall bracken that grew there.

      “See over there! ” said Jack. “The hunt is on! It will only be a day or two before they come over here. We must watch very carefully indeed!”

      “Well, everything is ready,” said Peggy. “I wish they would come soon, if they are coming - I hate all this waiting about. It gives me a cold feeling in my tummy.”

      “So it does in mine,” said Mike. “I’d like a hot-water bottle to carry about with me!”

      That made everyone laugh. They watched for a while longer and then went down, leaving Jack on guard.

      For two days nothing happened, though the children thought they could see people on the other side of the lake, beating about in the bushes and hunting. Mike went on guard in the morning and kept a keen watch. Nora fed the hens as usual and Jack milked Daisy.

      And then Mike saw something! He stood up and looked - it was something at the far end of the lake, where Jack had gone marketing. It was a boat! No mistaking it this time - a boat it was, and a big one, too!

      Mike called the others and they scrambled up. “Yes,” said Jack at once. “That’s a boat all right - with about four people in, too. Come on, there’s no time to be lost. There’s only one place a boat can come to here - and that’s our island. To your jobs, everyone, and don’t be frightened!”

      The children hurried off. Jack went to get Daisy. Mike went to see to the hens and the hen-yard. Peggy scattered the dead remains of the fire, and caught up the kettle and the saucepan and any odds and ends of food on the beach to take to the cave.

      Nora ran to cover up their patches of growing seeds with bits of heather. Would they have time to do everything? Would they be well hidden before the boatload of people came to land on their secret island?

Chapter XVII - The Island is Searched

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      Now that people had really come at last to search the island the children were glad to carry out their plans, for the days of waiting had been very upsetting. They had laid their plans so well that everything went like clockwork. Daisy, the cow, did not seem a bit surprised to have Jack leading her to the inner cave again, and went like a lamb, without a single moo!

      Jack got her safely through the narrow passage to the inner cave and left her there munching a turnip whilst he went to see if he could help the others. Before he left the outer cave he carefully rubbed away any traces of Daisy’s hoofmarks. He arranged the bracken carelessly over the entrance so that it did not seem as if anyone went in and out of it.

      Mike arrived with the hens just then, and Jack gave him a hand. Mike squeezed himself into the little tiny cave that led by the low passage to the inner cave, for it had been arranged that only Jack and the cow should use the other entrance for fear that much use of it should show too plainly that people went in and out.

      Jack passed him the sack of hens, and Mike crawled on hands and knees through the low passage and into the big inner cave where Daisy was. The hens did not like being pulled through the tiny passage and squawked dismally. But when Mike shook them out of the sack, and scattered grain for them to eat, they were quite happy again. Jack had lighted the lantern in the inner cave, and it cast its dim light down. Mike thought he had better stay in the cave, in case the hens found their way out again.

      So he sat down, his heart thumping, and waited for the others. One by one they came, carrying odds and ends. Each child had done his or her job, and with scarlet cheeks and beating hearts they sat down together in the cave and looked at one another.

      “They’re not at the island yet,” said Jack. “I took a look just now. They’ve got another quarter-mile to go. Now, is there anything we can possibly have forgotten?”

      The children thought hard. The boat was sunk. The cow and the hens were in. The fire was out and well scattered. The hen-yard was covered with sand and heather. The yard-fence was taken up and stored in Willow House. The seed-patches were hidden.

      The milk-pail was taken from the spring.

      “We’ve done everything!” said Peggy.

      And then Mike jumped up in a fright. “My hat!” he said. “Where is it? I haven’t got it on! I must have left it somewhere!”

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