"Well, we"ve only heard one so far," said Tom. "It doesn"t seem as if they"re very busy, if there are lots over there."
"No-you"re right, Tom," said Andy. "Well, what about going to see what we can find? I don"t quite know how we"ll get to the third island-have to swim. I think. I don"t believe the girls could swim so far, though."
"I don"t think I could," said Jill, remembering the long stretch of sea between the second and third islands. "You boys would have to go without us. Mary and I will stay behind and be as patient as we can."
"Shall we go to-morrow?" asked Tom eagerly. "We could cross to the second island at low tide in the morning and swim across to the third island. We could carry a little food with us, wrapped up in your oilskin."
"Yes-we"lldo mat," said Andy. A great feeling of excitement came over the children-a feeling as if some big unknown secret was going to be theirs. Jill shivered a little-it was almost too exciting.
"There"s one thing I"m worried about" said Andy. "Just suppose we are discovered, by any chance-we must find some hiding-place."
"Well, there simply isn"t any on this island," said Tom. "So we must hope we won"t be discovered."
Nothing more happened that day. No seaplane came to the calm harbour in the waters of the second island. No sound but the sea-gulls came through the air. It was a lovely day and the children enjoyed themselves bathing and sunning their brown bodies.
Thanks to the store of food they had discovered on the second island they had plenty to eat. Andy caught some nice little fish, and Jill fried them in tine tinned b.u.t.ter. They were delicious. Now that they had tinned mule-powder they could make a milk-mixture and use it with their tea or cocoa, and could also sweeten their drinks with the sugar they had brought.
"We are really very well off now!" said Tom, who as usual was thoroughly enjoying his meal. "we"lltake another exciting lot of tins away from the Round Cave next time-I saw some baked beans in tomato sauce. I should like those."
The children took turns at keeping watch on the second island from the rocky ledge. But nothing was to be seen at all. They went to bed early because the boys would have rather a hard and long day the next day.
"We shall have to clamber over that line of rocks first," said Andy. "And then we must cross the island and swim to the third one. We shall have to be back on the second island in time to clamber over the rocks at the next low tide. You girls mustn"t worry about us. We shall be back all right."
"I do wish we were going too," said Jill. "Don"t you think Mary and I could climb over the rocks to the second island and wait for you there? It would be more fun for us to play about there than on this bare island. There are lots of bilberries there we could pick-they are lovely and sweet now."
"All right," said Andy. "But just keep a watch for any seaplane arriving. Lie down fiat under a bush or something if you hear one. You mustn"t be seen."
"All right," said Mary. "You can trust us to do that."
So the next morning the four children once again climbed over the line of sKppery rocks at low tide. The boys had on only their bathing-suits. Andy had tied his oilskin packet safely to his shoulders, and in it was plenty of food for the day. The girls could get what they wanted from the cave.
All four went across the second island, over the heather and bracken to where they could see the third island. It lay in the sea before them, like a long blue and brown snake. Beyond they could see one or two more islands.
"Do you really think you can swan so far, Tom?" asked Mary doubtfully, as she looked at the wide spread of water between the second island and the third.
"Of course," said Tom, who wasn"t going to give up this adventure for anything. All the same, the distance was further than he had ever swum before.
"Well-good-bye for the present," said Andy to the girls. "We"ll get down to the sh.o.r.e here, wade out as far as we can, and then swim. Have you got Tom"? field-gla.s.ses, Jill? Good-you can watch us through them all the way to the third island!"
The boys went down to the sh.o.r.e, waded into the water, and then, when they were out of their depth, began to swim. Andy was by far the stronger swimmer-but he kept close to Tom, just in case the younger boy got into difficulties.
On and on they swam, using the breast-stroke because Andy said it was the least tiring. When Tom began to pant a little, half-way across, Andy spoke to him.
"Let"s do a spot of floating, Tom. That will rest us a little. It"s a long way."
The two boys lay on their backs in the water. It was a little rough and choppy, but quite warm. They floated like logs of wood, spread out flat on the water. It was a fine rest for Tom.
Then once more they swam on-but it began to seem as if Tom would not reach the sh.o.r.e of the third island. His arms felt so tired. His legs seemed to have no push in them. He gasped and panted, and Andy began to feel alarmed.
"Tread water a bit," he called to Tom. "Do you think you"ll be able to swim the rest of the way?"
"I don"t know," said poor Tom, dreadfully ashamed of himself. But he could not seem to make his arms work properly. He was really tired out.
Andy was not in the least tired. He was as strong as a horse, and he trod water beside Tom, wondering what to do.
"Try again, Tom," he said. "It"s no use going back! We are more than half-way across."
Tom looked at the cliff of the third island. It seemed a long, long way away still. He tried again, striking out bravely with his tired arms. But after about six strokes he could not swim any more. He turned on his back and floated again.
Andy was really alarmed. "Tom, you can"t do any more," he said. "I"D have to help you. I"ll swim on my baek and you must lie on your front and put your hands on my shoulders. I can drag you along in the water that way, but it will be rather slow."
"Thanks, Andy," said Tom, very angry with his poor swimming, but quite unable to do anything else. He took hold of Andy"s shoulders, and Andy, lying on his back with his head towards the third island, began to strike out valiantly with his brown legs.
It was very slow indeed. And now Andy began to get tired! Taking two people wasn"t nearly so easy as only one, and he began to gasp. Now wftat were they to do? If they both got into difficulties it would be a very serious matter.
It wasn"t long before neither Tom nor Andy had any strength left-and goodness knows what would have happened if Andy, striking out desperately with his legs, had not fdt something hard beneath him. It was a rock! He felt about with his feet and at last discovered a rock below the water. They had come to a kind of rocky reef rather like the one they had climbed over from their own island to the second one-but this line of rocks was not uncovered by the tide.
"Tom! Tom! Put your feet down and feel where the rocks are!" gasped Andy. "We can stand there-and maybe feel our way along a bit till we come to tne sandy bottom."
Tom soon found foothold on the rocks under the vwater. He felt better at once. He and Andy held hands iSarf together made their way very cautiously over tins i sunken rocks, bruising their poor feet, but getting gradually nearer to the sh.o.r.e. And at last they felt the rocks stop, and there was sand beneath their feet! Good, "Golly! I didn"t enjoy that very much," said Tom. "Sorry I was so feeble, Andy."
"It"s all right," said Andy. "You did your best. We"re all right now."
But in his own mind Andy didn"t think they were at all all right! How in the world was he going to get Tom over that stretch of water back to the second island gain? He would never, never do it! Andy was very worried indeed.
But he didn"t show it. He grinned at Tom, his blue eyes shining in his wet brown face. "We"re here at last!" he said. "And maybe we shall get a few surprises!"
They lay on the sandy sh.o.r.e in the sun for a while, drying themselves. Tom felt very much better alter a meal out of the oilskin packet. He almost felt as if he could swim back home again! It was wonderful what food did to Tom.
"I feel a new man now," he said, leaping to his feet. "Come on, Andy, old chap. Let"s go up to the cliff-top and go across to the other side of this island, to see if we can spy anything."
Andy got up too. The two boys climbed up the rough cliff and sat on the top to get back their breath. The island seemed to be about the same as the other two-covered with heather, bracken and gra.s.s, and with white gulls soaring over it.
They crossed the narrow width of the island and at last came to the cliff on the other side.
"Wriggle along on the ground now, just in case there"s anyone about," said Andy. So both boys wriggled along on their fronts, and came at last to a lace where they could see down to the water far below.
And what they saw there filled them with such astonishment and alarm that for at least five minutes neither boy could say a word!
CHAPTER 11.
The Secret of the Islands
THE sight that the two boys looked down upon was hardly to be believed. There was a very fine natural harbour of extremely deep water on the north-eastern ide of the third island-and lying in this water were at least seven or eight submarines!
Submarines! A submarine base in those deserted islands! No wonder so many of our ships had been sent to the bottom in the waters around these islands!
"It"s a real nest of submarines," whispered Andy at last. "Enemy submarines I I can"t believe it. My word, Tom, we"ve stumbled on an amazing secret."
The boys lay looking down on the water. Some of the submarines lay like great grey crocodiles, humped out of the water. One or two were moving out of the harbour, their periscopes showing. It was a curiously silent place, considering that so many of these underwater ships were there. There was no noise of shouting-no noise of machinery-just a dull throbbing every now and again.
"They get fuel and food here," whispered Andy. They are the small submarines-this harbour can easily take a dozen or more. It"s a perfect place for submarines. Do you see how they haven"t built any jetties or piers-not a thing that anyone could see, if one of our own planes came over? All they would have to do then would be to sink under the water-and then there would be nothing to see. They store everything in the caves-golly, it"s amazing."
For a very long time the two boys lay watching the Strange sight below. Two submarines slipped silently out of the harbour entrance-a way between two reefs of high rocks. A third submarine came in, and lay peacefully with the others, the men coming out on the deck and looking around.
At first Tom had been so full of surprise and alarm, go swept with excitement, that he could think of nothing but the sight of the queer vessels. Then another thought came into his head and he turned to Andy.
"Andy," he said. "We"ve got to get home and tell what we"ve seen."
"I know," said Andy. "I"m thinking that too, Tom. And we"ve got to get the girls off these islands. We are all in danger. If the enemy knew we were spying on them like this I don"t know what would happen to us."
"I don"t care how much danger we"re in," said Tom, and he didn"t. "All I know is that we"ve got to go and tell our people at home about this submarine base. It"s got to be cleared away. Andy, it"s serious."
Andy nodded. Both boys seemed to become men at that moment. They looked gravely into each other"s eyes and what they saw there pleased them both. Each boy knew that the other would do his best and even more than his best.
"Do you think we shall be believed if we go home with a story like this?" said Tom. "Grown-ups have some funny ideas sometimes. They might think we had made it all up-or been mistaken."
"We"ll get your camera and take a few photographs," said Andy. "n.o.body can disbelieve photographs. And another thing we must do is to try to do something with our boat. We must get it off the rocks somehow and try to patch it up. It"s our only way of getting back home."
They watched the harbour for a little while longer, and then wriggled along the top of the cliff till they came to some bushes. They went down by these and ran along till they came to the end of the harbour. Beyond lay a cove, and in it, drawn up to the sand, were a number of small boats. No one seemed to be about.
The sight of the little boats excited Andy. If only he could get hold of one! Then he and Tom could row round the third island, and get back to the second one safely. Andy knew perfectly well that Tom could not swim back-and he did not mean to leave the boy alone on this submarine island.
"Tom," he said, "see those boats? Well, what about waiting tffl night-time-and then stealing down to the cove and taking a boat? We could easily row it back to the second island. It would save us having to swim-and we might even fill it with food and water and try our luck at going home. I could fix up the sail somehow."
"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-gla.s.ses 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 gla.s.ses 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 gla.s.ses 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 sh.o.r.e. 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"llturn 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 sh.o.r.e, 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 pa.s.sing 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 sh.o.r.e 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 tben Jill, looking through the gla.s.ses 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