Part 8 (1/2)
So the rugs and cus.h.i.+ons were spread out on the sandy floor of the cave. A candle was lighted as it grew dark, and the four sleepy children looked at one another. Timmy, as usual, was with George.
”Good-night,” said George. ”I can't keep awake another minute. ”Good-night, ev ... ery ... body ... good ... night!”
Chapter Thirteen.
A DAY ON THE ISLAND.
THE children hardly knew where they were the next day when they woke up. The sun was pouring into the cave entrance, and fell first of all on George's sleeping face. It awoke her and she lay half-dozing, wondering why her bed felt rather less soft than usual.
”But I'm not in my bed-I'm on Kirrin Island, of course!” she thought suddenly to herself. She sat up and gave Anne a punch. ”Wake up, sleepy-head! We're on the island!”
Soon they were all awake rubbing the sleep from their eyes. ”I think I'm going to get heather today for my bed, after all,” said Anne. ”The sand feels soft at first, but it gets hard after a bit.”
The others agreed that they would all get heather for their beds, set on the sand, with rugs for covering. Then they would have really fine beds.
”It's fun to live in a cave,” said d.i.c.k. ”Fancy having a fine cave like this on our island, as well as a castle and dungeons! We arc really very lucky.”
”I feel sticky and dirty,” said Julian. ”Let's go and have a bathe before we have breakfast. Then cold ham, bread, pickles and marmalade for me!”
”We shall be cold after our bathe,” said George. ”We'd better light my little stove and put the kettle on to boil while we're bathing. Then we can make some hot cocoa when we come back s.h.i.+vering!”
”Oh yes,” said Anne, who had never boiled anything on such a tiny stove before. ”Do let's. I'll fill the kettle with water from one of the containers. What shall we do for milk?”
”There's a tin of milk somewhere in the pile,” said Julian. ”We can open that. Where's the tin-opener?”
It was not to be found which was most exasperating. But at last Julian discovered it in his pocket, so all was well.
The little stove was filled with methylated spirit, and lighted. The kettle was filled and set on top. Then the children went off to bathe.
”Look! There's a simply marvellous pool in the middle of those rocks over there!” called Julian, pointing. ”We've never spotted it before. Golly, it's like a small swimming-pool, made specially for us!”
”Kirrin Swimming Pool, five pence a dip!” said d.i.c.k. ”Free to the owners, though! Come on-it looks gorgeous! And see how the waves keep was.h.i.+ng over the top of the rocks and splas.h.i.+ng into the pool. Couldn't be better!”
It really was a lovely rock-pool, deep, clear and not too cold. The children enjoyed themselves thoroughly, splas.h.i.+ng about and swimming and floating. George tried a dive off one of the rocks, and went in beautifully.
”George can do anything in the water,” said Anne, admiringly. ”I wish I could dive and swim like George. But I never shall.*
”We can see the old wreck nicely from here,” said Julian, coming out of the water. ”Blow! We didn't bring any towels.”
”We'll use one of the rugs, turn and turn about,” said d.i.c.k. ”I'll go and fetch the thinnest one. I say-do you remember that trunk we saw in the wreck yesterday? Odd, wasn't it?”
”Yes, very odd,” said Julian. ”I don't understand it. We'll have to keep a watch on the wreck and see who comes to collect the trunk.”
”I suppose the smugglers-if they are smugglers-will come slinking round this side of the island and quietly send off a boat to the wreck,” said George, drying herself vigorously. ”Well, we'd better keep a strict look-out, and see if anything appears on the sea out there in the way of a small steamer, boat or s.h.i.+p.”
”Yes. We don't want them to spot us,” said d.i.c.k. ”We shan't find out anything if they see us and are warned. They'd at once give up coming to the island. I vote we each of us take turns at keeping a look-out, so that we can spot anything at once and get under cover.”
”Good idea!” said Julian. ”Well, I'm dry, but not very warm. Let's race to the cave, and get that hot drink. And breakfast - golly, I-could eat a whole chicken and probably a duck as well, to say nothing of a turkey.”
The others laughed. They all felt the same. They raced off to the cave, running over the sand and climbing over a few rocks, then down to the cave-beach and into the big entrance, still splashed with suns.h.i.+ne. .
The kettle .was boiling away merrily, sending a cloud of steam up from its tin spout. ”Get the ham out and a loaf of bread, and that jar of pickles we brought,” ordered Julian. ”I'll open the tin of milk. George, you take the tin of cocoa and that jug, and make enough for all of us.”
”I'm so terribly happy,” said Anne, as she sat at the entrance to the cave, eating her breakfast. ”It's a lovely feeling. It's simply gorgeous being on our island like this, all by ourselves, able to do what we like.”
They all felt the same. It was such a lovely day too, and the sky and sea were so blue. They sat eating and drinking, gazing out to sea, watching the waves break into spray over the rocks beyond the old wreck. It certainly was a very rocky coast.
”Let's arrange everything very nicely in the cave,” said Anne, who was the tidiest of the four, and always liked to play at ”houses” if she could. ”This shall be our house, our home. We'll make four proper beds. And we'll each have our own place to sit in. And we'll arrange everything tidily on that big stone shelf there. It might have been made for us!”
”We'll leave Anne to play ”houses” by herself,” said George, who was longing to stretch her legs again. ”We'll go and get some heather for beds. And oh!-what about one of us keeping a watch on the old wreck, to see who comes there?”
”Yes-that's important,” said Julian at once. ”I'll take first watch. The best place would be up on the cliff just above this cave. I can find a gorse bush that will hide me all right from anyone out at sea. You others get the heather. We will take two-hourly watches. We can read if we like, so long as we keep on looking up.”
d.i.c.k and George went to get the heather. Julian climbed up the knotted rope that still hung down through the hole, tied firmly to the great old root of an enormous gorse bush. He pulled himself out on the cliff and lay on the heather panting.
He could see nothing but to sea at all except for some big steamer miles out on the sky-line. He lay down in the sun, enjoying the warmth that poured into every inch of his body. This look-out job was going to be very nice!
He could hear Anne singing down in the cave as she tidied up her ”house'. Her voice came up through the cave-roof hole, rather m.u.f.fled. Julian smiled. He knew Anne was enjoying herself thoroughly.
So she was. She had washed the few bits of crockery they had used for breakfast, in a most convenient little rain-pool outside the cave. Timmy used it for drinking-water too, but he didn't seem to mind Anne using it for was.h.i.+ng-up water, though she apologised to him for doing so.
”I'm sorry if I spoil your drinking water, Timmy darling,” she said, ”but you are such a sensible dog that I know if it suddenly tastes nasty to you, you will go off and find another rain-pool.”
”Woof!” said Timmy, and ran off to meet George, who was just arriving back with d.i.c.k, armed with ma.s.ses of soft, sweet-smelling heather for beds.
”Put the heather outside the cave, please George,” said Anne. ”I'll make the beds inside when I'm ready.”
”Right!” said George. ”We'll go and get some more. Aren't we having fun?”
”Julian's gone up the rope to the top of the cliff,” said Anne. ”He'll yell if he sees anything unusual. I hope he does, don't you?”
”It would be exciting,” agreed d.i.c.k, putting down his heather on top of Timmy, and nearly burying him. ”Oh sorry Timmy-are you there? Bad luck!”
Anne had a very happy morning. She arranged everything beautifully on the shelf- crockery and knives and forks and spoons in one place -saucepan and kettle in another - tins of meat next, tins of soup together, tins of fruit neatly piled on top of one another. It really was a splendid larder and dresser!
She wrapped all the bread up in an old tablecloth they had brought, and put it at the back of the cave in the coolest place she could find. The containers of water went there too, and so did all the bottles of drinks.