Part 56 (1/2)

”Yes,” said Bevis; ”she must be at New Formosa on the equator and at home in the harbour. It's a very difficult thing.”

”Awfully difficult,” said Mark. ”But you can do it. Try! Think!

Shall I tickle you?”

”It wants magic,” said Bevis. ”I ought to have studied magic more; only there are no magic books now.”

”But you can think, I know. Now, think hard--_hard_.”

”First,” said Bevis slowly, tracing out the proceedings in his imagination; ”first we must bring all our things--the gun and powder, and provisions, and great-coats, and the astrolabe, and spears, and leave them all here.”

”Pan ought to come,” said Mark, ”to watch the hut.”

”So he did; he shall come, and besides, if we shoot a wild duck he can swim out and fetch it.”

”Now go on,” said Mark. ”First, we bring everything and Pan.”

”Tie him up,” said Bevis, ”and row home in the boat. Then the thing is, how are we to get to the island?”

”Swim,” said Mark.

”Too far.”

”But we needn't swim all up the New Sea. Couldn't we swim from where we landed that night after the battle?”

”Ever so much better. Let's go and look,” said Bevis.

Away they went to the sh.o.r.e on that side of the island, but they saw in a moment that it was too far. It was two hundred yards to the sedges on the bank where they had landed that night. They could not trust themselves to swim more than fifty or sixty yards; there was, too, the risk of weeds, in which they might get entangled.

”I know!” said Bevis, ”I know! You stop on the island with Pan. I'll sail the Pinta into harbour, then I'll paddle back on the catamaran.”

”There!” said Mark, ”I knew you could do it if you thought hard. We could bring the catamaran up in the boat, and leave it in the sedges there ready.”

”I can leave half my clothes on the island,” said Bevis, ”and tie the rest on my back, and paddle here from the sedges in ten minutes. That will be just like the savages do.”

”I shall come too,” said Mark. ”I shan't stop here. Let Pan be tied up, and I'll paddle as well.”

”The catamaran won't bear two.”

”Get another. There's lots of planks. I will come--it's much jollier paddling than sitting here and doing nothing.”

”Capital,” said Bevis. ”We'll have two catamarans, and paddle here together.”

”First-rate. Let's be quick and get the things on the island.”

”There will be such a lot,” said Bevis. ”The matchlock, and the powder, and the flour, and--”

”Salt,” said Mark. ”Don't you remember the moorhen. Things are not nice without salt.”

”Yes, salt and matches, and pots for cooking, and a lantern, and--”