Part 9 (1/2)

”Perhaps it's the smugglers come in the night,” whispered George, and a funny p.r.i.c.kly feeling ran down her back. Somehow smugglers in the day time were rather exciting and quite welcome-but at night they seemed different. George didn't at all want to meet any just then!

”I'm going out to see if I can spy anything,” said Julian, getting off his bed quietly, so as not to wake d.i.c.k. I'll go up the rope to the top of the cliff. I can see better from there.”

”Take my torch,” said George. But Julian didn't want it.

”No, thanks. I can feel the way up that knotted rope quite well, whether I can see or not,” he said.

He went up the rope in the dark, his body twisting round as the rope turned. He climbed up on to the cliff and looked out to sea. It was a very dark night, and he could see no s.h.i.+p at all, not even the wreck. It was far too dark.

”Pity there's no moon,” thought Julian. ”I might be able to see something then.”

He watched for a few minutes, and then George's voice came through the hole in the roof, coming out queerly at his feet.

”Julian! Is there anything to see? Shall I come up?”

”Nothing at all,” said Julian. ”Is Timmy still growling?”

”Yes, when I take my hand off his collar,” said George. ”I can't imagine what's upset him.”

Suddenly Julian caught sight of something. It was a light, a good way beyond the line of rocks. He watched in excitement. That would be just about where the wreck was! Yes-it must be someone on the ”wreck with a lantern!

”George! Come up!” he said, putting his head inside the hole.

George came up, hand over hand, like a monkey, leaving Timothy growling below. She sat by Julian on the cliff-top. ”See the wreck-look, over there!” said Julian. ”At least, you can't see the wreck itself, it's too dark-but you can see a lantern that someone has put there.”

”Yes-that's someone on our wreck, with a lantern!” said George, feeling excited. ”Oh, I wonder if it's the smugglers-coming to bring more things.”

”Or somebody fetching that trunk,” said Julian. ”Well, we'll know tomorrow, for we'll go and see. Look!-whoever is there is moving off now-the light of the lantern is going lower-they must be getting into a boat by the side of the wreck. And now the light's gone out.”

The children strained their ears to hear if they could discover the splash of oars or the sound of voices over the water. They both thought they could hear voices.

”The boat must have gone off to join a s.h.i.+p or something,” said Julian. ”I believe I can see a faint light right out there-out to sea, look! Maybe the boat is going to it.”

There was nothing more to see or hear, and soon the two of them slid down the knotted rope back to the cave. They didn't wake the others, who were still sleeping peacefully. Timothy leapt up and-licked Julian and George, whining joyfully. He did not growl any more.

”You're a good dog, aren't you?” said Julian, patting him. ”Nothing ever escapes your sharp ears, does it?”

Timothy settled down on George's feet again. It was plain that whatever it was that had disturbed him had gone. It must have been the presence of the stranger or strangers on the old wreck. Well, they would go there in the morning and see if they could discover what had been taken away or brought there in the night.

Anne and d.i.c.k were most indignant the next morning when they heard Julian's tale. ”You might have waked us!” said d.i.c.k, crossly.

”We would have if there had been anything much to see,” said George. ”But there was only just the light from a lantern, and nothing else except that we thought we heard the sound of voices.”

When the tide was low 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 d.i.c.k, 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 d.i.c.k, 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 d.i.c.k, 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?

”s.h.!.+” said Julian, at once. ”Get down behind this bush, quick, everyone!”