enough the children and Timothy set off over the rocks to the wreck. They clambered up and stood on the slanting, slippery deck. They looked towards the locker where the little trunk had stood. The door of the locker was shut this time.
Julian slid down towards it and tried to pull it open. Someone had stuffed a piece of wood in to keep the locker from swinging open. Julian pulled it out. Then the door opened easily.
"Anything else in there?" said George, stepping carefully over the slimy deck to Julian.
"Yes," said Julian. "Look! Tins of food! And cups and plates and things—just as if someone was going to come and live on the island too! Isn't it funny? The trunk is still here too, locked as before. And here are some candles
- and a. little lamp—and a bundle of rags. Whatever are they here for?"
It really was a puzzle. Julian frowned for a few minutes, trying to think it out.
"It looks as if someone is going to come and stay on the island for a bit—probably to wait there and take in whatever goods are going to be smuggled. Well—we shall be on the look-out for them, day or night!"
They left the wreck, feeling excited. They had a fine hiding-place in their cave—no one could possibly find them there. And, from their hiding-place they could watch anyone coming to and from the wreck, and, from the wreck, to the island.
"What about our cove, where we put our boat?" said George, suddenly. "They might use that cove, you know—if they came in a boat. It's rather dangerous to reach the island from the wreck, if anyone tried to get to the rocky beach near-by."
"Well—if anyone came to our cove, they'd see our boat," said Dick, in alarm. "We'd better hide it, hadn't we?"
"How?" said Anne, thinking that it would be a difficult thing to hide a boat as big as theirs.
"Don't know," said Julian. "We'll go and have a look."
All four and Timmy went off to the cove into which they had rowed their boat. The boat was pulled high up, out of reach of the waves. George explored the cove well, and then had an idea. "Do you think we could pull the boat round this big rock? It would just about hide it, though anyone going round the rock would see it at once."
The others thought it would be worth while trying,
anyway. So, with much panting and puffing, they hauled the boat round the rock, which almost completely hid her. "
"Good!" said George, going down into the cove to see if very much of the boat showed.
"A bit of her does show still. Let's drape it with seaweed!"
So they draped the prow of the boat with all the seaweed they could find at hand, and after that, unless anyone went deliberately round the big rock, the boat really was not noticeable at all.
"Good!" said Julian, looking at his watch. "I say—it's long past tea-time — and, you know, while we've been doing all this with the boat, we quite forgot to have someone on the look-out post on the cliff-top. What idiots we are!"
"Well, I don't expect anything has happened since we've been away from the cave,"
said Dick, putting a fine big bit of seaweed on the prow of the boat, as a last touch.
"I bet the smugglers will only come at night."
"I dare say you're right," said Julian. "I think we'd better keep a look-out at night, too. The look-out could take rugs up to the cliff-top and curl up there."
"Timmy could be with whoever is keeping watch," said Anne, "Then if the look-out goes to sleep by mistake, Timmy would growl and wake them up if he saw anything."
"You mean, when you go to sleep," said Dick, grinning. "Come on—let's get back to the cave and have some tea."
And then Timothy suddenly began to growl again!
Chapter Fifteen
WHO IS ON THE ISLAND?
"Sh!" said Julian, at once. "Get down behind this bush, quick, everyone!"
They had left the cove and were walking towards the castle when Timmy growled.
Now they all crouched behind a mass of brambles, their hearts beating fast.
"Don't growl, Timmy," said George, in Timothy's nearest ear. He stopped at
Julian slid down towards it and tried to pull it open. Someone had stuffed a piece of wood in to keep the locker from swinging open. Julian pulled it out. Then the door opened easily.
"Anything else in there?" said George, stepping carefully over the slimy deck to Julian.
"Yes," said Julian. "Look! Tins of food! And cups and plates and things—just as if someone was going to come and live on the island too! Isn't it funny? The trunk is still here too, locked as before. And here are some candles
- and a. little lamp—and a bundle of rags. Whatever are they here for?"
It really was a puzzle. Julian frowned for a few minutes, trying to think it out.
"It looks as if someone is going to come and stay on the island for a bit—probably to wait there and take in whatever goods are going to be smuggled. Well—we shall be on the look-out for them, day or night!"
They left the wreck, feeling excited. They had a fine hiding-place in their cave—no one could possibly find them there. And, from their hiding-place they could watch anyone coming to and from the wreck, and, from the wreck, to the island.
"What about our cove, where we put our boat?" said George, suddenly. "They might use that cove, you know—if they came in a boat. It's rather dangerous to reach the island from the wreck, if anyone tried to get to the rocky beach near-by."
"Well—if anyone came to our cove, they'd see our boat," said Dick, in alarm. "We'd better hide it, hadn't we?"
"How?" said Anne, thinking that it would be a difficult thing to hide a boat as big as theirs.
"Don't know," said Julian. "We'll go and have a look."
All four and Timmy went off to the cove into which they had rowed their boat. The boat was pulled high up, out of reach of the waves. George explored the cove well, and then had an idea. "Do you think we could pull the boat round this big rock? It would just about hide it, though anyone going round the rock would see it at once."
The others thought it would be worth while trying,
anyway. So, with much panting and puffing, they hauled the boat round the rock, which almost completely hid her. "
"Good!" said George, going down into the cove to see if very much of the boat showed.
"A bit of her does show still. Let's drape it with seaweed!"
So they draped the prow of the boat with all the seaweed they could find at hand, and after that, unless anyone went deliberately round the big rock, the boat really was not noticeable at all.
"Good!" said Julian, looking at his watch. "I say—it's long past tea-time — and, you know, while we've been doing all this with the boat, we quite forgot to have someone on the look-out post on the cliff-top. What idiots we are!"
"Well, I don't expect anything has happened since we've been away from the cave,"
said Dick, putting a fine big bit of seaweed on the prow of the boat, as a last touch.
"I bet the smugglers will only come at night."
"I dare say you're right," said Julian. "I think we'd better keep a look-out at night, too. The look-out could take rugs up to the cliff-top and curl up there."
"Timmy could be with whoever is keeping watch," said Anne, "Then if the look-out goes to sleep by mistake, Timmy would growl and wake them up if he saw anything."
"You mean, when you go to sleep," said Dick, grinning. "Come on—let's get back to the cave and have some tea."
And then Timothy suddenly began to growl again!
Chapter Fifteen
WHO IS ON THE ISLAND?
"Sh!" said Julian, at once. "Get down behind this bush, quick, everyone!"
They had left the cove and were walking towards the castle when Timmy growled.
Now they all crouched behind a mass of brambles, their hearts beating fast.
"Don't growl, Timmy," said George, in Timothy's nearest ear. He stopped at
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