Enid Blyton - The Island of Adventure

8/18/2019 Enid Blyton - The Island of Adventure

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Enid BlytonThe Island of Adventure

Chapter 1THE BEGINNING OF THINGS

IT was really most extraordinary.There was hili! "annerin#$ doin# his %est to !u&&le out al#e%ra !ro%lems$ lyin#

full'len#th under a tree with no%ody near him at all(and yet he )ould hear a voi)e

s!ea*in# to him most distin)tly. +,an-t you shut the door$ idiot/ said the voi)e$ in a most im!atient tone. +And

how many times have I told you to wi!e your feet/ hili! sat u! strai#ht and too* a #ood loo* round for the third time(%ut the

hillside stret)hed a%ove and %elow him$ )om!letely em!ty of any %oy$ #irl$ man orwoman.

+It-s so silly$/ said hili! to himself. +Be)ause there is no door to shut$ and no matto wi!e my feet on. 0hoever is s!ea*in# must %e !erfe)tly mad. Anyway$ I don-t li*e

it. A voi)e without a %ody is too 1ueer for anythin#./

A small %rown nose !o*ed u! out of hili!-s 2ersey )ollar. It %elon#ed to a little%rown mouse$ one of the %oy-s many !ets. hili! !ut u! a #entle hand and ru%%edthe tiny )reature-s head. Its nose twit)hed in deli#ht.

+Shut the door$ idiot3/ roared the voi)e from nowhere. +And don-t sniff. 0here-syour hand*er)hief/

This was too mu)h for hili!. He roared %a)*. +Shut u!3 I-m not sniffin#. 0ho are you$ anyway/

There was no answer. hili! felt very !u&&led. It was un)anny and !e)uliar. 0heredid that extraordinary voi)e with its rude )ommands )ome from$ on this %ri#ht$

sunny %ut )om!letely em!ty hillside He shouted a#ain. +I-m wor*in#. If you want to tal*$ )ome out and show yourself./

+All ri#ht$ 4n)le$/ said the voi)e$ s!ea*in# unex!e)tedly in a very different tone$

a!olo#eti) and 1uiet. +Gosh3/ said hili!. +I )an-t stand this. I-ll have to solve the mystery. If I )an find

out where the voi)e )omes from$ I may find its owner./ He shouted a#ain. +0here areyou ,ome out and let me see you./

+If I-ve told you on)e I-ve told you a do&en times not to whistle$/ answered thevoi)e fier)ely. hili! was silent with astonishment. He hadn-t %een whistlin#.

Evidently the owner of the voi)e must %e )om!letely mad. hili! suddenly felt that he

didn-t want to meet this stran#e !erson. He would rather #o home without seein#him.

He loo*ed )arefully round. He had no idea at all where the voi)e )ame from$ %uthe rather thou#ht it must %e somewhere to the left of him. All ri#ht$ he would #o

1uietly down the hill to the ri#ht$ *ee!in# to the trees if he )ould$ so that they mi#hthide him a little.

He !i)*ed u! his %oo*s$ !ut his !en)il into his !o)*et and stood u! )autiously. Healmost 2um!ed out of his s*in as the voi)e %ro*e out into )a)*les of lau#hter. hili!

for#ot to %e )autious and darted down the hillside to the shelter of a )lum! of trees.The lau#hter sto!!ed suddenly.

hili! stood under a %i# tree and listened. His heart %eat fast. He wished he was%a)* at the house with the others. Then$ 2ust a%ove his head$ the voi)e s!o*e a#ain.

+How many times have I told you to wi!e your feet/ Then there )ame a most unearthly s)ree)h that made !oor hili! dro! his %oo*s in

terror. He loo*ed u! into the tree near%y$ and saw a %eautiful !arrot$ s)arlet and



#rey$ with a %i# )rest on its head that it wor*ed u! and down. It #a&ed at hili! with%ri#ht %la)* eyes$ its head on one side$ its )urved %ea* ma*in# a #ratin# noise.

hili! stared at the !arrot and the !arrot stared %a)*. Then the %ird lifted u! a)lawed foot and s)rat)hed its head very thou#htfully$ still raisin# and lowerin# its

)rest. Then it s!o*e. +5on-t sniff$/ it said$ in a )onversational tone. +,an-t you shut the door$ idiot

0here are your manners/ +Golly3/ said hili!$ in ama&ement. +So it was you tal*in# and shoutin# and

lau#hin#3 0ell(you #ave me an awful fri#ht./

The !arrot #ave a most realisti) snee&e. +0here-s your hand*er)hief/ it said.

hili! lau#hed. +6ou really are a most extraordinary %ird$/ he said. +The )leverest Iever saw. 0here have you es)a!ed from/

+0i!e your feet$/ answered the !arrot sternly. hili! lau#hed a#ain. Then he heardthe sound of a %oy-s voi)e$ )allin# loudly from the %ottom of the hill.

+7i*i$ 7i*i$ 7i*i3 0here have you #ot to/ The !arrot s!read out its win#s$ #ave a hideous s)ree)h$ and sailed away down

the hillside towards a house set at the foot. hili! wat)hed it #o. +That was a %oy )allin# it$/ he thou#ht. +And he was in the #arden of Hillfoot

House$ where I-m stayin#. I wonder if he-s )ome there to %e )rammed too. I 2olly

well ho!e he has. It would %e fine to have a !arrot li*e that livin# with us. It-s dullenou#h havin# to do lessons in the hols(a !arrot would liven thin#s u! a %it./

hili! had had s)arlet fever the term %efore$ and measles immediately afterwards$

so that he had missed most of his s)hool'wor*. His headmaster had written to hisun)le and aunt su##estin# that he should #o and stay at the home of one of the

tea)hers for a few wee*s$ to ma*e u! a little of what he had missed. And$ mu)h tohili!-s dis#ust$ his un)le had at on)e a#reed(so there was hili!$ in the summer

holidays$ havin# to wor* at al#e%ra and #eo#ra!hy and history$ instead of havin# afine time with his sister 5inah at his home$ ,ra##y'To!s$ %y the sea.

He li*ed the master$ "r. 8oy$ %ut he was %ored with the two other %oys there$who$ also owin# to illness$ were %ein# )rammed or )oa)hed %y "r. 8oy. One was

mu)h older than hili!$ and the other was a !oor whinin# )reature who was sim!ly

terrified of the various inse)ts and animals that hili! always seemed to %e )olle)tin#or res)uin#. The %oy was intensely fond of all )reatures and had an ama&in# *na)* of

ma*in# them trust him.Now he hurried down the hillside$ ea#er to see if another !u!il had 2oined the little

holiday )olle)tion of %oys to %e )oa)hed. If the new %oy owned the !arrot$ he would%e some%ody interestin#(more interestin# than that %i# lout of a Sam$ and %etter

fun than !oor whinin# Oliver.

He o!ened the #arden #ate and then stared in sur!rise. A #irl was in the #arden$not a very %i# #irl(!erha!s a%out eleven. She had red hair$ rather )urly$ and #reen

eyes$ a fair s*in and hundreds of fre)*les. She stared at hili!. +Hallo$/ said hili!$ rather li*in# the loo* of the #irl$ who was dressed in shorts and

a 2ersey. +Have you )ome here/ +9oo*s li*e it$/ said the #irl$ with a #rin. +But I haven-t )ome to wor*. Only to %e

with :a)*./ +0ho-s :a)*/ as*ed hili!.

+"y %rother$/ said the #irl. +He-s #ot to %e )oa)hed. 6ou should have seen hisre!ort last term. He was %ottom in everythin#. He-s very )lever really$ %ut he 2ust

doesn-t %other. He says he-s #oin# to %e an ornitholo#ist$ so what-s the #ood of learnin# dates and )a!es and !oems and thin#s/

+0hat-s an(an(whatever it was you said/ said hili!$ wonderin# how anyone)ould !ossi%ly have so many fre)*les on her nose as this #irl had.

+Ornitholo#ist Oh$ it-s someone who loves and studies %irds$/ said the #irl. +5idn-t



you *now that :a)*-s mad on %irds./ +He ou#ht to )ome and live where I live then$/ said hili! at on)e. +I live on a very

wild$ lonely !art of the sea')oast$ and there are hea!s of rare sea'%irds there. I li*e%irds too$ %ut I don-t *now mu)h a%out them. I say(does that !arrot %elon# to

:a)*/ +6es$/ said the #irl. +He-s had her for four years. Her name is 7i*i./

+5id he tea)h it to say all those thin#s/ said hili!$ thin*in# that thou#h :a)*mi#ht %e %ottom in all s)hool su%2e)ts he would )ertainly #et to! mar*s for tea)hin#!arrots to tal*3

+Oh no$/ said the #irl$ smilin#$ so that her #reen eyes twin*led and )rin*led. +7i*i

2ust !i)*ed u! those sayin#s of hers(!i)*ed them u! from our old un)le$ who is the)rossest old man in the world$ I should thin*. Our mother and father are dead$ so

4n)le Geoffrey has us in the hols$ and doesn-t he 2ust hate it3 His house*ee!er hatesus too$ so we don-t have mu)h of a time$ %ut so lon# as I have :a)*$ and so lon# as

:a)* has his %eloved %irds$ we are ha!!y enou#h./ +I su!!ose :a)* #ot sent here to learn a few thin#s$ li*e me$/ said hili!. +6ou-ll %e

lu)*y(you-ll %e a%le to !lay$ #o for wal*s$ do what you li*e$ whilst we are stewin# inlessons./

+No$ I shan-t$/ said the #irl. +I shall %e with :a)*. I don-t have him in the s)hool

term$ so I-m 2olly well #oin# to have him in the hols. I thin* he-s marvellous./ +0ell$ that-s more than my sister$ 5inah$ thin*s of me$/ said hili!. +0e-re always

1uarrellin#. Hallo(is this :a)*/

A %oy )ame u! the !ath towards hili!. On his left shoulder sat the !arrot$ 7i*i$ru%%in# her %ea* softly a#ainst :a)*-s ear$ and sayin# somethin# in a low voi)e. The

%oy s)rat)hed the !arrot-s head and #a&ed at hili! with the same #reen eyes as hissister had. His hair was even redder$ and his fa)e +so fre)*led that it would have

%een im!ossi%le to find a )lear s!a)e anywhere$ for there seemed to %e fre)*les onto! of fre)*les.

+Hallo$ Fre)*les$/ said hili!$ and #rinned. +Hallo$ Tufty$/ said :a)*$ and #rinned too. hili! !ut u! his hand and felt his front

%it of hair$ whi)h always rose u! in a sort of tuft. No amount of water and %rushin#

would ma*e it lie down for lon#. +0i!e your feet$/ said 7i*i severely.

+I-m #lad you found 7i*i all ri#ht$/ said the #irl. +She didn-t li*e )omin# to astran#e !la)e$ and that-s why she flew off$ I ex!e)t./

+She wasn-t far away$ 9u)y'Ann$/ said :a)*. +I %et old Tufty here #ot a fri#ht if heheard her u! on the hillside./

+I did$/ said hili!$ and %e#an tellin# the two what had ha!!ened. They lau#hed

loudly$ and 7i*i 2oined in$ )a)*lin# in a most human manner. +Golly$ I-m #lad you and 9u)y'Ann have )ome here$/ said hili!$ feelin# mu)h

ha!!ier than he had felt for some days. He li*ed the loo* of the red'haired$ #reen'eyed %rother and sister very mu)h. They would %e friends. He would show them the

animals he had as !ets. They )ould #o for wal*s to#ether. :a)* was some years olderthan 9u)y'Ann$ a%out fourteen$ hili! thou#ht$ 2ust a little older than he himself was.

It was a !ity 5inah wasn-t there too$ then there would %e four of them. 5inah wastwelve. She would fit in ni)ely(only$ !erha!s$ with her 1ui)* im!atien)e and

1uarrelsome nature$ she mi#ht u!set thin#s a %it. +How different 9u)y'Ann and :a)* are from me and 5inah$/ thou#ht hili!. It was

1uite !lain that 9u)y'Ann adored :a)*$ and hili! )ould not ima#ine 5inah han#in# onto his words$ ea#er to do his %iddin#$ fet)hin# and )arryin# for him$ as 9u)y'Ann did

for :a)*. +Oh$ well(!eo!le are different$/ thou#ht the %oy. +5inah-s a #ood sort$ even if we

do 1uarrel and fi#ht. She must %e havin# a !retty awful time at ,ra##y'To!s without



me. I %et Aunt olly is wor*in# her hard./ It was !leasant at tea'time that day to sit and wat)h :a)*-s !arrot on his shoulder$

ma*in# remar*s from time to time. It was #ood to see the #lint in 9u)y'Ann-s #reeneyes as she teased %i#$ slow Sam$ and ti)*ed off the smaller$ !eevish Oliver. Thin#s

would liven u! a %it now.They )ertainly did. Holiday )oa)hin# was much more fun with :a)* and 9u)y'Ann

there too.

Chapter 2

"A7ING F8IEN5S

"8. 8O6$ the holiday master$ wor*ed the )hildren hard$ %e)ause that was his 2o%. He)oa)hed them the whole of the mornin#$ #oin# over and over everythin# !atiently$

ma*in# sure it was understood$ demandin#$ and usually #ettin#$ )lose attention.At least he #ot it from everyone ex)e!t :a)*. :a)* #ave )lose attention to nothin#

unless it had feathers. +If you studied your #eometry as )losely as you study that %oo* on %irds$ you-d %e

to! of any )lass$/ )om!lained "r. 8oy. +6ou exas!erate me$ :a)* Trent. 6ou

exas!erate me more than I )an say./ +4se your hand*er)hief$/ said the !arrot im!ertinently."r. 8oy made a )li)*in# noise of annoyan)e with his ton#ue. +I shall wrin# that

%ird-s ne)* one day. 0hat with you sayin# you )an-t wor* unless 7i*i is on yourshoulder$ and hili! har%ourin# all *inds of un!leasant )reatures a%out his !erson$

this holiday )lass is ra!idly #ettin# un%eara%le. The only one that a!!ears to do anywor* at all is 9u)y'Ann$ and she hasn-t )ome here to wor*./

9u)y'Ann li*ed wor*. She en2oyed sittin# %eside :a)*$ tryin# to do the same wor*as he had %een set. :a)* mooned over it$ thin*in# of #annets and )ormorants$ whi)h

he had 2ust %een readin# a%out$ whilst 9u)y'Ann tried her hand at solvin# the!ro%lems set out in his too*. She li*ed$ too$ wat)hin# hili!$ %e)ause she never *new

what animal or )reature would wal* out of his sleeve or )ollar or !o)*et. The day

%efore$ a very lar#e and !e)uliarly )oloured )ater!illar had )rawled from his sleeve$to "r. 8oy-s intense annoyan)e. And that mornin# a youn# rat had left hili!-s sleeve

on a 2ourney of ex!loration and had #one u! "r. 8oy-s trouser'le# in a mostdetermined manner.

This had u!set the whole )lass for ten minutes whilst "r. 8oy had tried to dislod#ethe rat. It was no wonder he was in a %ad tem!er. He was usually a !atient and

amia%le man$ %ut two %oys li*e :a)* and hili! were distur%in# to any )lass.

The mornin#s were always !assed in hard wor*. The afternoons were #iven to!re!aration for the next day$ and to the writin#'out of answers on the mornin#-s

wor*. The evenin#s were )om!letely free. As there were only four %oys to )oa)h$ "r.8oy )ould #ive them ea)h individual attention$ and try to fill in the #a!s in their

*nowled#e. 4sually he was a most su))essful )oa)h$ %ut these holidays were notshowin# as mu)h #ood wor* as he had ho!ed.

Sam$ the %i# %oy$ was stu!id and slow. Oliver was !eevish$ sorry for himself$ andresented havin# to wor* at all. :a)* was im!ossi%le$ so inattentive at times that it

seemed waste of time to try and tea)h him. He seemed to thin* of nothin# %ut %irds. +If I #rew feathers$ he would !ro%a%ly do everythin# I told him$/ thou#ht "r. 8oy. +I

never *new anyone so mad on %irds %efore. I %elieve he *nows the e##s of every%ird in the world. He-s #ot #ood %rains$ %ut he won-t use them for anythin# that he-s

not really interested in./ hili! was the only %oy who showed mu)h im!rovement$ thou#h he was a trial

too$ with his different and !e)uliar !ets. That rat3 "r. 8oy shuddered when he



thou#ht of how it had felt$ )lim%in# u! his le#.8eally$ 9u)y'Ann was the only one who wor*ed !ro!erly$ and she didn-t need to.

She had only )ome %e)ause she would not %e se!arated from her 1ueer %rother$:a)*.

:a)*$ hili! and 9u)y'Ann soon %e)ame firm friends. The love for all livin# thin#sthat %oth :a)* and hili! had drew them to#ether. :a)* had never had a %oy for a

friend %efore$ and he en2oyed hili!-s 2o*es and teasin#. 9u)y'Ann li*ed hili! too$thou#h she was sometimes 2ealous when :a)* showed his li*in# for him. 7i*i lovedhili!$ and made funny )roonin# noises when the %oy s)rat)hed her head.

7i*i had %een a #reat annoyan)e to "r. 8oy at first. She had interru!ted the

mornin#s )onstantly with her remar*s. It was unfortunate that the master had asniff$ %e)ause 7i*i s!o*e a%out it whenever he sniffed.

+5on-t sniff3/ the !arrot would say in a re!rovin# tone$ and the five )hildren would%e#in to #i##le. So "r. 8oy for%ade 7i*i to %e %rou#ht into the )lassroom.

But matters only %e)ame worse$ %e)ause 7i*i$ furious at %ein# shut away outsidein the #arden$ una%le to sit on her %eloved master-s shoulder$ sat in a %ush outside

the half'o!en window$ and made loud and !ier)in# remar*s that seemed to %edire)ted at !oor "r. 8oy.

+5on-t tal* nonsense$/ said the !arrot$ when "r. 8oy was in the middle of

ex!lainin# some fa)t of history."r. 8oy sniffed in exas!eration. +0here-s your hand*er)hief/ as*ed 7i*i at on)e.

"r. 8oy went to the window and shouted and waved at 7i*i to fri#hten her away.

+Nau#hty %oy$/ said 7i*i$ not %ud#in# an in)h. +I-ll send you to %ed. 6ou-re anau#hty %oy./

6ou )ouldn-t do anythin# with a %ird li*e that. So "r. 8oy #ave it u! and allowedthe !arrot to sit on :a)*-s shoulder on)e more. :a)* wor*ed %etter with the %ird near

him$ and 7i*i was not so distur%in# indoors as out'of'doors. All the same$ "r. 8oy felthe would %e very #lad when the little holiday s)hool )ame to an end$ and the four

%oys and one #irl went home$ to#ether with the !arrot and the various other)reatures owned %y hili!.

hili!$ :a)* and 9u)y'Ann left the %i# slow'witted Sam and the !eevish little Oliver

to %e )om!any for one another ea)h day after tea$ and went off on their ownto#ether. The %oys tal*ed of all the %irds and animals they had *nown$ and 9u)y'Ann

listened$ stum%lin# to *ee! u! with them as they wal*ed. No matter how far theywal*ed$ or what stee! hills they )lim%ed$ the little #irl followed. She did not mean to

let her %eloved %rother out of her si#ht.hili! felt im!atient with 9u)y'Ann sometimes. +Golly$ I-m #lad 5inah doesn-t ta#

after me li*e 9u)y'Ann ta#s after :a)*$/ he thou#ht. +I wonder :a)* !uts u! with it./

But :a)* did. Althou#h he often did not a!!ear to noti)e 9u)y'Ann and did noteven s!ea* to her for some time$ he was never im!atient with her$ never irrita%le or

)ross. Next to his %irds$ he )ared for 9u)y'Ann$ thou#ht hili!. 0ell$ it was a #oodthin# some%ody )ared for her. She didn-t seem to have mu)h of a life.

The three )hildren had ex)han#ed news a%out themselves. +Our mother andfather are %oth dead$/ :a)* said. +0e don-t remem%er them. They were *illed in an

aero!lane )rash. 0e were sent to live with our only relation$ 4n)le Geoffrey. He-s oldand )ross$ always na##in# at us. His house*ee!er$ "rs. "i##les$ hates us to #o home

for the holidays(and you )an tell what our life is li*e %y listenin# to old 7i*i. 0i!eyour feet3 5on-t sniff3 ,han#e your shoes at on)e3 0here-s your hand*er)hief How

many times have I told you not to whistle ,an-t you shut the door$ idiot/ hili! lau#hed. +0ell$ if 7i*i e)hoes what she hears in your home$ you must have a

!retty mouldy time$/ he said. +0e don-t have too #rand a time either(%ut it-s %etterthan you and 9u)y'Ann have./

+Are your father and mother dead too/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann$ her #reen eyes starin# at



hili! as un%lin*in#ly as a )at-s. +Our father-s dead(and he left no money$/ said hili!. +But we-ve #ot a mother.

She doesn-t live with us$ thou#h./ +0hy not/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann in sur!rise.

+0ell$ she has a 2o%$/ said hili!. +She ma*es enou#h money at her 2o% for ours)hoolin# and our *ee! in the hols. She runs an art a#en)y(you *now$ ta*es orders

for !osters and !i)tures and thin#s$ #ets artists to do them for her$ and then ta*es a)ommission on the sales. She-s a very #ood %usiness woman(%ut we don-t see mu)hof her./

+Is she ni)e/ as*ed :a)*. Never havin# had a mother that he )ould remem%er$ he

was always interested in other !eo!le-s. hili! nodded. +She-s fine$/ he said$ thin*in# of his *een'eyed$ !retty mother$ feelin# !roud of her

)leverness$ %ut se)retly sad when he remem%ered how tired she had seemedsometimes when she had !aid them a flyin# visit. One day$ thou#ht hili!$ one day

he would %e the )lever one(earn the money$ *ee! thin#s #oin#$ and ma*e thin#seasy for his hard'wor*in# mother.

+And you live with an un)le$ li*e we do/ said 9u)y'Ann$ stro*in# a tiny #reys1uirrel that had suddenly !o!!ed its head out of one of hili!-s !o)*ets.

+6es. 5inah and I s!end all our hols with 4n)le :o)elyn and Aunt olly$/ said hili!.

+4n)le :o)elyn is 1uite im!ossi%le. He-s always %uyin# old !a!ers and %oo*s anddo)uments$ studyin# them and filin# them. He-s ma*in# it his life'wor* to wor* outthe history of the !art of the )oast where we live(there were %attles there in the old

days$ and %urnin#s and *illin#s(all most ex)itin#. He-s writin# a whole history(%utas it seems to ta*e him a year to ma*e )ertain of a fa)t or two$ he-ll have to live to

%e four or five hundred years old %efore he #ets a 1uarter of the %oo* done$ it seemsto me./

The others lau#hed. They !i)tured a )ross and learned old man !orin# overyellow$ musty !a!ers. 0hat a waste of time$ thou#ht 9u)y'Ann. She wondered what

Aunt olly was li*e. +0hat-s your aunt li*e/ she as*ed. hili! s)rewed u! his nose.

+A %it sour$/ he said. +Not too %ad$ really. Too hard'wor*ed$ no money$ no hel! in

the old house ex)e!t for old :o':o$ the sort of handyman servant we-ve #ot. Shema*es !oor 5inah slave(I won-t$ so she-s #iven me u!$ %ut 5inah-s afraid of her and

does what she is told more than I do./ +0hat-s your home li*e/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann.

+A funny old !la)e$ hundreds of years old$ half in ruins$ awfully %i# and drau#hty$set half'way u! a stee! )liff$ and almost drowned in s!ray in a storm$/ said hili!.

+But I love it. It-s wild and lonely and 1ueer$ and there-s the )ry of the sea'%irds

always round it. 6ou-d love it$ Fre)*les./ :a)* thou#ht he would. It sounded ex)itin# to him. His home was ordinary$ a

house in a row in a small'si&ed town. But hili!-s house sounded really ex)itin#. Thewind and the waves and the sea'%irds(he felt as if he )ould almost hear them

)lamourin# to#ether$ when he shut his eyes. +0a*e u!$ wa*e u!$ slee!y'head$/ said 7i*i$ !e)*in# #ently at :a)*-s ear. He

o!ened his eyes and lau#hed. The !arrot had an extraordinary way of sayin# theri#ht thin# sometimes.

+I wish I )ould see that home of yours(,ra##y'To!s$/ he said to hili!. +It soundsas if thin#s )ould ha!!en there(real$ live$ ex)itin# thin#s$ thrillin# adventures.

Nothin# ever ha!!ens in 9i!!inton$ where we live./ +0ell$ nothin# mu)h ha!!ens at ,ra##y'To!s either$/ said hili!$ !uttin# the little

s1uirrel %a)* into his !o)*et$ and ta*in# a hed#eho# out of another !o)*et. It was a%a%y one$ whose !ri)*les were not yet hardened and set. It seemed 1uite ha!!y to

live in hili!-s !o)*et$ alon# with a very lar#e snail$ who was )areful to *ee! inside



his shell. +I wish we were all #oin# home to#ether$/ said :a)*. +I-d li*e to see your sister

5inah$ thou#h she does sound a %it of a wild')at to me. And I-d love to see all thoserare %irds on the )oast. I-d li*e to see your old half'ruined house too. Fan)y livin# in

a house so old that it-s almost a ruin. 6ou don-t *now how lu)*y you are./ +Not so lu)*y when you have to )arry hot water for miles to the only %ath in the

house$/ said hili!$ #ettin# u! from the #rass where he had %een sittin# with theothers. +,ome on(it-s time to #et %a)*. 6ou-re never li*ely to see ,ra##y'To!s$ andyou wouldn-t li*e it if you did(so what-s the #ood of tal*in# a%out it/

Chapter 3

T0O 9ETTE8S(AN5 A 9AN

THE next day hili! had a letter from 5inah. He showed it to the others. +Old 5inah-s havin# a rou#h time$/ he said. +It-s a #ood thin# I leave here soon.

It-s %etter for her when I-m there./

5EA8 HI9 ;said 5inah in her letter<$

Aren-t you ever )omin# %a)* Not that you-re mu)h #ood for anythin# ex)e!t1uarrellin# with$ %ut still it-s !retty lonely here with no%ody %ut 4n)le and Aunt and:o':o$ who-s even more stu!id than %efore. He told me yesterday not to #o out at

ni#ht down the )liff$ %e)ause there are +thin#s/ wanderin# a%out. He-s 1uite mad.The only +thin#s/ wanderin# a%out %esides me are the sea'%irds. There are

thousands of them here this year.5on-t$ for #oodness- sa*e$ %rin# any )reatures home these holidays. 6ou *now

how I hate them. I shall die if you %rin# a %at a#ain$ and if you dare to try and trainearwi#s li*e you did last year$ I-ll throw a )hair at your head3

Aunt olly is ma*in# me wor* awfully hard. 0e wash and s)ru% and )lean all day$#oodness *nows$ what for$ %e)ause no%ody ever )omes. I shall %e #lad when it-s time

to #o off to s)hool a#ain. 0hen do you )ome %a)* I wish we )ould earn some

money somehow. Aunt olly is worryin# herself to death %e)ause she )an-t !ay some%ill or other$ and 4n)le swears he hasn-t #ot the money$ and wouldn-t #ive it to her if

he had. I su!!ose "other would send more money if we as*ed her$ %ut it-s !rettyawful to have her slavin# away as she does$ anyhow. Tell me more a%out Fre)*les

and 9u)y'Ann. I li*e the sound of them.6our lovin# sister$

5INAH.

5inah sounded rather fine$ :a)* thou#ht$ as he read the letter and #ave it %a)* to

hili!. +Here you are$ Tufty$/ he said. +5inah sounds lonely. Hallo(there-s "r. 8oy%e)*onin# me. I-ll see what he wants. "ore wor*$ I su!!ose./

By the same !ost had )ome a letter for "r. 8oy$ from the house*ee!er who loo*edafter :a)*-s 4n)le Geoffrey. It was short and to the !oint.

"r. 8oy had read it with dismay$ and then )alled :a)* in to show him the letter.:a)* read it$ also filled with dismay.

5EA8 "8. 8O6 ;said the letter<$

"r. Trent has %ro*en his le#$ and he doesn-t want the )hildren %a)* theseholidays. He wants to *now if you will *ee! them with you$ and he sends a )he1ue to

)over the rest of the time. They )an )ome %a)* two days %efore s)hool %e#ins$ tohel! me to sort out their )lothes.

6ours faithfully$



E9SETH "IGG9ES.

+Oh$ "r. 8oy3/ #roaned :a)*$ who$ mu)h as he disli*ed his home$ disli*ed thethou#ht of stayin# on with "r. 8oy$ and with the !eevish Oliver$ who was also stayin#

on$ even more than the thou#ht of returnin# to his irrita%le un)le. +I don-t see why9u)y'Ann and I )an-t #o %a)*(we shan-t #o near 4n)le./

"r. 8oy did not want :a)* to stay on any more than the %oy himself did. Thethou#ht of havin# that !arrot for one day lon#er than he needed to filled him withhorror. He had never in his life disli*ed anythin# so mu)h as he disli*ed 7i*i. 8ude

%oys he )ould deal with$ and did(%ut rude !arrots were %eyond him.

+0ell$/ said "r. 8oy$ !ursin# u! his li!s and loo*in# at 7i*i with disli*e$ +well(I-msure I don-t want to *ee! you any lon#er$ %e)ause it-s !ure waste of your time to %e

here(you haven-t learnt a thin#(%ut I don-t see what else to do. It-s 1uite !lain thatyour un)le doesn-t want you %a)*(you )an see he has sent 1uite a #enerous )he1ue

to )over the rest of your stay here(%ut I had other !lans. 0ith Oliver here$ Iintended to do a little visitin#. 8eally$ I wish we )ould find some !la)e for you to #o

to$ you and 9u)y'Ann./ :a)* went %a)* to his sister and to hili!$ loo*in# so dismayed that 9u)y'Ann

sli!!ed her arm into his at on)e.

+0hat is it 0hat-s the matter/ +4n)le doesn-t want us %a)*$/ said :a)*$ and ex!lained a%out the letter. +And "r.

8oy doesn-t want us here(so it loo*s as if no%ody loves us at the moment$ 9u)y'

Ann./ The three )hildren loo*ed at one another. And then hili! had his %rain'wave. He

)lut)hed at :a)*$ almost *no)*in# 7i*i off her %alan)e. +:a)*3 ,ome %a)* home with me3 6ou and 9u)y'Ann )an )ome to ,ra##y'To!s3

5inah would %e thrilled. 6ou )ould have a fine time with the sea'%irds. 0hat a%outit/

:a)* and 9u)y'Ann stared in ex)itement and deli#ht. Go to ,ra##y'To!s 9ive in anold half'ruined house$ with a learned un)le$ an im!atient aunt$ a half'mad servant

and the sound of the sea all the time Now that really would %e thrillin#3

:a)* si#hed and shoo* his head. He *new that the !lans of )hildren seldom )ameto anythin# when #rown'u!s had to %e )onsulted a%out them.

+It-s no #ood$/ he said. +4n)le Geoffrey would !ro%a%ly say no(and "r. 8oy wouldanyway(and your un)le and aunt would 2ust hate to have extra )hildren on their

hands./ +They wouldn-t$/ said hili!. +6ou )ould #ive them the )he1ue that your 4n)le

Geoffrey sent to "r. 8oy$ and I %et my aunt would %e thrilled. It would !ay that %ill

5inah tal*ed a%out in her letter./ +Oh$ hili!(oh$ :a)*(do let-s #o to ,ra##y'To!s3/ %e##ed 9u)y'Ann$ her #reen

eyes shinin#. +I-d li*e it more than anythin# in the world. 0e-ll %e in the way here$:a)*$ if we stay on$ you *now we will(and I-m sure "r. 8oy will *ill 7i*i one day if

she says any more rude thin#s to him./ 7i*i #ave a hideous s)ree)h and stu)* her head hard into :a)*-s ne)*. +It-s all

ri#ht$ 7i*i$/ said :a)*. +I won-t let anyone hurt you. 9u)y'Ann$ honestly it-s no #oodas*in# "r. 8oy to see if we )an #o to ,ra##y'To!s. He thin*s it-s his duty to have us

here$ and we-ll have to stay./ +0ell$ let-s #o without as*in# him$ then$/ said 9u)y'Ann re)*lessly.

The %oys stared at her without s!ea*in#. That was an idea. Go without as*in#30ell(why not

+It would %e all ri#ht if we all turned u! at ,ra##y'To!s to#ether$ really it would$/ said hili!$ thou#h he was %y no means )ertain that it would %e all ri#ht at all. +6ou

see$ on)e you were there$ my un)le and aunt )ouldn-t very well turn you out$ and I



)ould #et Aunt olly to tele!hone to "r. 8oy and ex!lain thin#s to him$ and #et himto send her the )he1ue your 4n)le Geoffrey sent for you./

+"r. 8oy would %e #lad to thin* we had #one$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ thin*in# what fun itwould %e to *now 5inah. +4n)le Geoff wouldn-t )are anyhow. So let-s$ :a)*$ do let-s./

+All ri#ht$/ said :a)*$ #ivin# way suddenly. +0e-ll all #o off to#ether. 0hen is yourtrain$ Tufty 0e-ll #o down to the station sayin# that we-ll see you off(and we-ll ho!

into the )arria#e at the last minute and #o with you./ +Oooh3/ said 9u)y'Ann$ thrilled. +0here-s your hand*er)hief/ said 7i*i$ sensin# the ex)itement and ro)*in#

herself to and fro on :a)*-s shoulder. No%ody too* any noti)e of her. +oor old 7i*i$/

said the !arrot sorrowfully. +oor old 7i*i./ :a)* !ut u! a hand and fondled the !arrot$ thin*in# out ways and means of

es)a!e. +0e )ould wheel my trun* and 9u)y'Ann-s down to the station the ni#ht%efore$ when we ta*e yours$/ he said. +No%ody would noti)e ours was #one out of

the loft. 0e )ould %uy our ti)*ets then$ too. Has anyone any money/ The three of them !ut their money to#ether. It would !ro%a%ly 2ust %uy the

ti)*ets. They sim!ly must #o off to#ether3 Now that they had made u! their minds$ itwas 1uite unthin*a%le that anythin# should %e allowed to !revent it.

So they made their !lans. The day %efore hili! was due to leave$ his trun* was

ta*en from the loft$ and :a)* mana#ed to #et his down uno%served too. He !ushed itinto a %i# )u!%oard in his room$ and 9u)y'Ann !a)*ed it when no'one was a%out.

+I-ll wheel my trun* down to the station on the %arrow$ sir$/ said hili! to "r. 8oy.

It was the )ustom to do this$ and the master nodded$ not ta*in# mu)h noti)e. Hewished :a)* and that !arrot were #oin# too.

The %oys mana#ed to #et %oth trun*s on to the %arrow without %ein# seen$ andset off to the station in #reat s!irits. Es)a!e seemed 1uite easy$ after all. Sam and

Oliver did not seem to noti)e anythin#. Sam was too ex)ited at leavin# for homehimself$ and Oliver too misera%le at the idea of %ein# left %ehind to %other a%out

anyone else.The next mornin# hili! said a !olite #ood'%ye to "r. 8oy. +Than* you for all your

hel! and )oa)hin#$ sir$/ he said. +I thin* I shall #et on well next term now. Good'%ye$

sir./ +Good'%ye$ hili!. 6ou-ve not done %adly$/ said "r. 8oy.

hili! shoo* hands with "r. 8oy$ who drew %a)* a little as a mouse ran out of the%oy-s sleeve. hili! tu)*ed it %a)* a#ain.

+How )an you have those )reatures runnin# a%out you li*e that/ said "r. 8oy$ andsniffed loudly.

+0here-s your hand*er)hief/ said the !arrot at on)e$ and "r. 8oy #lared at it. As

usual it was on :a)*-s shoulder. +,ould I #o down to the station with 9u)y'Ann and see hili! off/ as*ed :a)*. 7i*i

#ave a s1uaw* of lau#hter$ and :a)* #ave her a little sla!. +Be 1uiet3 There-s nothin#to lau#h at./

+Nau#hty %oy3/ said 7i*i$ 2ust as if she *new what mis)hief was in :a)*-s mind. +6es$ you )an #o down and see hili! off$/ said "r. 8oy$ thin*in# that it would %e

ni)e to #et rid of the !arrot for a little while. So the three )hildren went off to#ether$#rinnin# se)retly at ea)h other. 7i*i had the last word with "r. 8oy.

+,an-t you shut the door/ she %awled. "r. 8oy #ave an exas!erated )li)*$ and%an#ed the door. He heard the !arrot-s )a)*le of lau#hter as the )hildren went down

the road. +If only I need never see that %ird a#ain$/ he thou#ht to himself$ little *nowin#

that his wish was a%out to )ome true.:a)*$ 9u)y'Ann and hili! arrived at the station in !lenty of time. They found their

lu##a#e and #ave it to the !orter to !ut on the train. 0hen the en#ine steamed in



they found an em!ty )arria#e and #ot in. No'one sto!!ed them. No'one #uessedthat two of the )hildren were runnin# away. They all felt thrilled and rather nervous.

+I do ho!e your un)le and aunt won-t send us %a)*$/ said :a)*$ stro*in# 7i*i to1uieten her. She did not li*e the noise of the trains$ and had already told one to sto!

whistlin#. An old lady loo*ed as if she were a%out to #et into their )arria#e$ %ut when7i*i #ave one of her a!!allin# s)ree)hes$ she thou#ht a#ain and hurried a #ood way

u! the train.At last the train moved off$ with many snorts that )aused the ex)ited !arrot to tell

it to use its hand*er)hief$ mu)h to the )hildren-s amusement. It steamed out of the

station$ and$ in the distan)e$ the )hildren saw the house where they had lived for the

!ast few wee*s$ sittin# at the %ottom of the hill. +0ell(we-re off$/ said hili!$ !leased. +And it was !erfe)tly easy for you to es)a!e$

wasn-t it Golly$ what fun it will %e to have you and 9u)y'Ann at ,ra##y'To!s3 5inahwill %e thrilled to %its when we arrive./

+Off to ,ra##y'To!s3/ san# 9u)y'Ann. +Off to the sea and the wind and the waves3Off to ,ra##y'To!s3/

6es(off to ,ra##y'To!s(and to a wild and astonishin# time that not one of the)hildren )ould !ossi%ly have ima#ined. Off to ,ra##y'To!s(and off to Adventure.

Chapter 4,8AGG6'TOS

THE train s!ed on throu#h the )ountryside$ !assin# many stations$ and sto!!in# at

very few. On towards the )oast it went$ throu#h hi#h mountains that towered u!$over silver rivers$ throu#h %i#$ stra##lin# towns.

And then it )ame to wilder )ountry. The sea'wind )ame in at the window. +I )ansmell the sea already$/ said :a)*$ who had only on)e %efore %een to the sea$ and

s)ar)ely remem%ered it.The train sto!!ed at last at a lonely little station. +Here we are$/ said hili!.

+Tum%le out. Hi$ :o':o3 Here I am. Have you #ot the old )ar handy/

:a)* and 9u)y'Ann saw a )oloured man )omin# towards them. His s*in was %la)*$his teeth were very white$ and he rolled his eyes in a !e)uliar way. 8unnin# %ehind

him was a #irl a little older than 9u)y'Ann$ %ut tall for her a#e. She had the same%rown$ wavy hair that hili! had$ and the same tuft in front.

+Another Tufty$/ thou#ht :a)*$ +%ut a fier)er one. It must %e 5inah./ It was 5inah. She had )ome with :o':o to meet hili!$ in the ramsha)*le old )ar.

She sto!!ed short in the #reatest sur!rise when she saw 9u)y'Ann and :a)*. :a)*

#rinned$ %ut 9u)y'Ann$ suddenly feelin# shy of this stra!!in#$ )onfident'loo*in# #irl$hid %ehind her %rother. 5inah stared in even #reater ama&ement at 7i*i$ who was

tellin# :o':o to wi!e his feet at on)e. +6ou mind your manners$/ said :o':o rou#hly$ tal*in# to the %ird as if it was a

human %ein#. 7i*i !ut u! her )rest and #rowled an#rily$ li*e a do#. :o':o loo*edstartled.

+That a %ird/ he en1uired of hili!. +6es$/ said hili!. +:o':o$ !ut that trun* in the )ar too. It %elon#s to my two

friends./ +They )omin# to ,ra##y'To!s/ said :o':o in the #reatest sur!rise. +"iss olly$ she

didn-t say nothin# a%out any friends$ no$ she didn-t./ +hili!$ who are they/ as*ed 5inah$ )omin# u! and 2oinin# the little #rou!.

+Two friends from "r. 8oy-s$/ said hili!. +I-ll tell you all a%out it afterwards./ Hewin*ed at 5inah to ma*e her understand that he would ex!lain when :o':o was not

there. +This is Fre)*les(I told you a%out him$ you *now(and 9u)y'Ann too./



The three )hildren solemnly shoo* hands. Then they all #ot into the 2er*y$ 2um!yold )ar$ with the two trun*s at the %a)*$ and :o':o drove off in a manner that seemed

most dan#erous to 9u)y'Ann. She )lut)hed the side of the )ar$ half fri#htened.They drove throu#h wild hills$ ro)*y and %are. Soon they saw the sea in the

distan)e. Hi#h )liffs %ounded it ex)e!t for %rea*s here and there. It )ertainly was awild and desolate )oast. They !assed ruined mansions and )otta#es on their way.

+They were %urnt in the %attles I told you a%out$/ said hili!. +And no'one hasre%uilt them. ,ra##y'To!s more or less es)a!ed./

+That-s the )liff %ehind whi)h ,ra##y'To!s is %uilt$/ said 5inah$ !ointin#. The

others saw a hi#h$ ro)*y )liff$ and 2ust 2uttin# u! they )ould see a small round tower$

whi)h they ima#ined was !art of ,ra##y'To!s. +,ra##y'To!s is %uilt out of rea)h of the waves$/ said hili!$ +%ut on stormy ni#hts

the s!ray dashes a#ainst the window almost as stron#ly as the waves !ound theshore./

9u)y'Ann and :a)* thou#ht it all sounded very thrillin#. It would %e fun to stay ina house that had s!ray dashed a#ainst its windows. They did ho!e there would %e a

terrifi) storm whilst they were there. +Is "iss olly ex!e)tin# you all/ as*ed :o':o suddenly. He was !lainly !u&&led %y

the two extra )hildren. +She didn-t say nothin# to me a%out them./

+5idn-t she How stran#e3/ said hili!. 7i*i s)ree)hed with lau#hter$ and :o':owrin*led u! his %la)* nose in disli*e of the noise. He was not #oin# to fall in love with7i*i$ that was )ertain. :a)* didn-t li*e the way the %la)* fellow loo*ed at his !et %ird.

5inah suddenly #ave a shrie* and !ushed hili! away from her. +Oh3 6ou-ve #ot amouse down your ne)*3 I saw its nose !ee!in# out. Ta*e it away$ hili!= you *now I

)an-t %ear mi)e./ +Oh$ shut u! and don-t %e an idiot$/ said hili! )rossly. 5inah at on)e flew into one

of her tem!ers. She )lut)hed hili!-s )ollar and shoo* him$ tryin# to dislod#e themouse and fri#hten it away. hili! #ave 5inah a !ush$ and she %an#ed her head

a#ainst the side of the )ar. She at on)e sla!!ed him hard. :a)* and 9u)y'Ann staredin sur!rise.

+Beast3/ said 5inah. +I wish you hadn-t )ome %a)*. Ta*e your two horrid friends

and #o off a#ain to "r. 8oy./ +They-re not horrid$/ said hili!$ in a mild tone. +They-re fun./ He !ut his mouth to

5inah-s ear$ after seein# that :o':o was !ayin# no attention$ and whis!ered> +They-vees)a!ed from "r. 8oy. I as*ed them to. Their un)le will !ay Aunt olly for them to

stay with us$ and she )an !ay that %ill you told me a%out. See/ 5inah for#ot her tem!er as 1ui)*ly as it had )ome. She stared with interest at the

%rother and sister$ ru%%in# her %ruised head as she did so. 0hat would Aunt olly

say 0here would they slee! This was #oin# to %e ex)itin#.:o':o drove headlon# over the %um!y$ stony road. :a)* wondered that any )ar

)ould stand su)h drivin#. They drove u! the )liff$ then down a hidden way that slo!edround to ,ra##y'To!s.

And there$ suddenly$ was the roarin# sea and ,ra##y'To!s standin# sullenly a%oveit$ %uilt half'way down the )liff. The )ar sto!!ed$ and the )hildren #ot out. :a)* #a&ed

at the stran#e house. It was a 1ueer !la)e. On)e it had two towers$ %ut one hadfallen in. The other still stood. The house was %uilt of #reat #rey stones$ and was

massive and u#ly$ %ut somehow rather #rand. It fa)ed the sea with a !roud andan#ry loo*$ as if defyin# the stron# #ale and the restless o)ean. :a)* loo*ed down at

the water. On it$ and )ir)lin# a%ove it$ were hundreds of wild sea'%irds of all *inds. Itwas a !erfe)t !aradise of %irds. The %oy-s heart san# for 2oy. Birds %y the hundred$

%irds %y the thousand. He would %e a%le to study them to his heart-s )ontent$ findtheir nests$ !hoto#ra!h them at his leisure. 0hat a time he would have3

A woman )ame to the door$ and loo*ed down at the four )hildren in sur!rise. She



was thin$ and her hair was sandy')oloured and wis!y. She loo*ed tired and faded. +Hallo$ Aunt olly3/ )ried hili!$ runnin# u! the stone ste!s. +I-m %a)*3/

+So I see$/ said his aunt$ #ivin# him a !e)* of a *iss on his )hee*. +But who arethese/

+Aunt olly$ they-re friends of mine$/ said hili! earnestly. +They )ouldn-t #o home%e)ause their un)le %ro*e his le#. So I %rou#ht them here. Their un)le will !ay you

for havin# them./ +hili!3 How )an you do a thin# li*e this S!rin#in# !eo!le on me without tellin#

me3/ said Aunt olly shar!ly. +0here will they slee! 6ou *now we-ve no room./

+They )an slee! in the tower'room$/ said hili!. The tower'room3 How lovely3 :a)*

and 9u)y'Ann were thrilled. +There-s no %eds there$/ said Aunt olly$ in a disa#reea%le tone. +They-ll have to #o

%a)*. They )an stay the ni#ht and then #o %a)*./ 9u)y'Ann loo*ed ready to )ry. There was a harshness in Aunt olly-s tone that she

)ould not %ear. She felt unwel)ome and misera%le. :a)* !ut his arm round her and#ave her a s1uee&e.

He was determined that he would not #o %a)*. The si#ht of those #lidin#$ )ir)lin#$soarin# %irds had filled his heart with 2oy. Oh$ to lie on the )liff and wat)h them3 He

would not #o %a)*3

They all went in$ :o':o )arryin# the trun*s. Aunt olly loo*ed with mu)h disfavouron 7i*i.

+A !arrot too3/ she said. +Nasty$ s1uaw*in#$ s)ree)hin# %ird3 I never li*ed !arrots.

It-s %ad enou#h to have all the )reatures you )olle)t$ hili!$ without a !arrot )omin#too./

+oor olly$ !oor old olly$/ said 7i*i unex!e)tedly. Aunt olly loo*ed at the %ird$startled.

+How does it *now my name/ she as*ed in astonishment.7i*i didn-t. It was a name she herself was often )alled$ and she often said +oor

old olly3/ or +oor old 7i*i3/ She saw that she had made an im!ression on thisshar!'voi)ed woman$ and she re!eated the words softly$ as if she was a%out to %urst

into tears.

+oor olly3 5ear olly3 oor$ dear old olly3/ +0ell I never3/ said Aunt olly$ and loo*ed at the !arrot more *indly. Aunt olly felt

ill$ tired and harassed$ %ut no'one ever said they were sorry$ or seemed to noti)e it.Now here was a %ird !ityin# her and s!ea*in# to her more *indly than anyone had

for years3 Aunt olly felt stran#e a%out it$ %ut 1uite !leased. +6ou )an ta*e a mattress u! to the tower'room$ and slee! there toni#ht with the

%oy(what-s his name/ said Aunt olly to hili!. +The #irl )an slee! toni#ht with

5inah. It-s a small %ed$ %ut I )an-t hel! that. If you %rin# !eo!le here without tellin#me$ I )an-t !re!are for them./

The )hildren sat down to a #ood meal. Aunt olly was a #ood )oo*. It was amixture of tea and su!!er$ and the )hildren tu)*ed into it well. All they had had that

day$ sin)e their %rea*fast$ were the sandwi)hes that "r. 8oy had !a)*ed for hili!(and one !a)*et of sandwi)hes did not #o far %etween three hun#ry )hildren.

5inah #ave a snee&e$ and the !arrot s!o*e to her sternly. +0here-s yourhand*er)hief/

Aunt olly loo*ed at the %ird in sur!rised admiration. +0ell$ I-m always sayin# thatto 5inah$/ she said. +That %ird seems to %e a most sensi%le )reature./

7i*i was !leased at Aunt olly-s admiration. +oor olly$ !oor dear olly$/ she said$her head )oyly on one side$ her %ri#ht eye #lintin# at Aunt olly.

+Aunt olly li*es your !arrot %etter than she li*es you,” whis!ered hili! to :a)*$with a #rin.

After the meal$ Aunt olly too* hili! to his un)le-s study. He *no)*ed and went in.



His 4n)le :o)elyn was %ent over a sheaf of yellow !a!ers$ examinin# them with ama#nifyin#'#lass. He #runted at hili!.

+So you-re %a)* a#ain. Behave yourself and *ee! out of my way. I shall %e very%usy these holidays./

+:o)elyn$ hili! has %rou#ht two )hildren %a)* with him(and a !arrot$/ said Auntolly.

+A !arrot/ said 4n)le :o)elyn. +0hy a !arrot/ +:o)elyn$ that !arrot %elon#s to one of the )hildren that hili! %rou#ht home$/ said

Aunt olly. +hili! wants these )hildren to stay here./

+,an-t have them. 5on-t mind the !arrot$/ said 4n)le :o)elyn. +7ee! the !arrot if

you want it. Send it away if you don-t. I-m %usy./ He %ent over his !a!ers a#ain. Aunt olly #ave a si#h and shut the door. +He-s so

interested in the !ast that he for#ets all a%out the !resent$/ she said$ half to herself. +0ell(I su!!ose I must rin# u! "r. 8oy myself. He-ll %e wonderin# a%out those

)hildren./ She went to the tele!hone. hili! followed )lose %ehind her$ lon#in# to *now what

"r. 8oy would say. 5inah !ee!ed out from the sittin#'room and hili! noddedtowards the tele!hone. If only "r. 8oy was )ross and said he would not have :a)*

and 9u)y'Ann %a)*3 If only Aunt olly would thin* the )he1ue was %i# enou#h to

ma*e it worth while lettin# them stay3

Chapter 5 SETT9ING IN AT ,8AGG6'TOS

IT seemed a#es %efore Aunt olly #ot throu#h to "r. 8oy. The master was worried

and !u&&led. :a)* and 9u)y'Ann had not returned$ of )ourse$ and at first he hadthou#ht they had #one off for one of their wal*s$ and that :a)* had found some

unusual %ird and had for#otten all a%out time.But as the hours went %y and still the )hildren had not )ome %a)*$ he %e)ame

seriously worried. It did not o))ur to him that they mi#ht have #one with hili!$ or he

would have tele!honed to the %oy-s aunt at on)e.He was most relieved to hear "rs. Sullivan$ hili!-s aunt$ s!ea*in#$ #ivin# him the

news that the )hildren were safe. +They arrived here with hili!$/ she said$ with some shar!ness. +I )annot thin*

how it was that they were allowed to do this. I )annot !ossi%ly *ee! them./ "r. 8oy-s heart san*. He had ho!ed for one wild moment that his !ro%lem

)on)ernin# :a)* and 9u)y'Ann$ and that tiresome !arrot$ was solved. Now it seemed

as if it wasn-t. +0ell$ "rs. Sullivan$/ said "r. 8oy !olitely$ thou#h he did not feel at all )ivil$ +I-m

sorry a%out it. The )hildren went down to see hili! off$ and I su!!ose the %oy!ersuaded them to #o with him. It-s a !ity you )ould not *ee! them for the rest of

the holidays$ as they would !ro%a%ly %e ha!!ier with you and hili!. No dou%t theyhave told you that their un)le )annot have them %a)* these holidays. He sent me a

)he1ue for a lar#e sum of money$ ho!in# I )ould have them. But I should %e !leasedto hand this over to you if you felt that you )ould ta*e )har#e of them$ and we )ould

#et "r. Trent-s )onsent to it./ There was a !ause. +How mu)h was the )he1ue/ as*ed "rs. Sullivan.

There was another !ause after "r. 8oy told her the sum of money that had %eensent. It )ertainly was a very #enerous amount. "rs. Sullivan thou#ht 1ui)*ly. The

)hildren would not )ost mu)h to *ee!. She would see that they *e!t out of :o)elyn-sway. That #irl 9u)y'Ann )ould hel! 5inah with the house'wor*. And she would %e

a%le to !ay off a few %ills$ whi)h would %e a #reat relief to her.



"r. 8oy waited ho!efully at the other end of the wire. He )ould not %ear thethou#ht of havin# the !arrot %a)* a#ain. :a)* was %eara%le$ 9u)y'Ann was ni)e(%ut

7i*i was im!ossi%le. +0ell$/ said "rs. Sullivan$ in the sort of voi)e that meant she was !re!ared to #ive

in$ +well(let me thin* now. It-s #oin# to %e diffi)ult(%e)ause we-ve so little roomhere. I mean$ thou#h the house is enormous$ half of it is in ruins and most of it too

drau#hty to live in. But !erha!s we )ould mana#e. If I use the tower'rooma#ain. . . .

hili! and the others$ who )ould hear everythin# that was %ein# said %y "rs.

Sullivan$ loo*ed at one another in deli#ht. +Aunt olly-s #ivin# in3/ whis!ered hili!.

+And oh$ :a)*(I %et we-ll have the old tower'room for our own. I-ve always wantedto slee! there and have it for my room$ %ut Aunt olly would never let me./

+"rs. Sullivan$ you would %e doin# me a #reat *indness if you )ould mana#e tota*e the )hildren off my hands$/ said "r. 8oy earnestly. +I will tele!hone at on)e to

"r. Trent. 9eave it all to me. I will send you the )he1ue at on)e. And if you shouldneed any more money$ let me *now. I really )annot tell you how o%li#ed I should %e

to you if you )ould mana#e this for me. The )hildren are 1uite easy to mana#e. 9u)y'Ann is sweet. It-s only that awful !arrot(so rude(%ut you )ould #et a )a#e for it$

!erha!s./

+Oh$ I don-t mind the !arrot$/ said "rs. Sullivan$ whi)h sur!rised "r. 8oy verymu)h. 7i*i #ave a loud s1uaw*$ whi)h "r. 8oy heard down the tele!hone. 0ell("rs.Sullivan must %e a remar*a%le woman if she li*ed 7i*i3

Not mu)h more was said. "rs. Sullivan said she would write to "r. Trent$ after shehad heard a#ain from "r. 8oy. In the meantime she undertoo* to loo* after the

)hildren for the rest of the holidays.The re)eiver )li)*ed as she !ut it down. The )hildren heaved a si#h of relief. hili!

went u! to his aunt. +Oh$ than*s$ Aunt olly$/ he said. +It will %e fine for me and 5inah to have friends

with us. 0e-ll try and *ee! out of 4n)le-s way$ and hel! you all we )an./ +5ear olly$/ said 7i*i affe)tionately$ and a)tually left :a)*-s shoulder to ho! on to

Aunt olly-s3 The )hildren stared in astonishment. Good old 7i*i3 She was !layin# u!

to Aunt olly !ro!erly. +Silly %ird3/ said Aunt olly$ hardly li*in# to show how !leased she was.

+God save the 7in#$/ said 7i*i unex!e)tedly$ and everyone lau#hed. +hili!$ you and :a)* must have the tower'room for your own$/ said Aunt olly.

+,ome with me$ and I-ll see what )an he arran#ed. 5inah$ #o to your room and see if you would rather share it with 9u)y'Ann$ or whether she would rather have hili!-s

old room. They o!en out of one another$ so !erha!s you would li*e to have the two

rooms./ 5inah went off ha!!ily with 9u)y'Ann to loo* at the room. 9u)y'Ann wished she

was slee!in# nearer to :a)*. The tower'room was a #ood way from where she herself would slee!. :a)* too* 7i*i and went to a hi#h window$ settlin# on the window'seat

to wat)h the sea'%irds in their restless soarin# and #lidin# outside.hili! went to the tower'room with his aunt. He felt very ha!!y. He had %e)ome

very fond of :a)* and 9u)y'Ann$ and it was almost too #ood to %e true to thin* theyhad )ome to stay with him for some wee*s.

The two of them went down a )old stone !assa#e. They )ame to a narrow$windin# stone stairway$ and )lim%ed u! the stee! ste!s. The stairway wound round

and round$ and at last )ame out into the tower'room. This was a !erfe)tly roundroom whose walls were very thi)*. It had three narrow windows$ one fa)in# the sea.

There was no #lass in at all$ and the room was drau#hty$ and full of the sound of the)ryin# of %irds$ and the roarin# of the waves %elow.

+I-m afraid this room will %e too )old for you two %oys$/ said Aunt olly$ %ut hili!



shoo* his head at on)e. +0e shan-t mind that. 0e should have the windows wide o!en if there was any

#lass$ Aunt olly. 0e-ll %e all ri#ht. 0e shall love it u! here. 9oo*(there-s an old oa*)hest to !ut our thin#s in(and a wooden stool(and we )an %rin# a ru# u! from

downstairs. 0e only need a mattress./ +0ell(we )an-t !ossi%ly #et a %ed u! those narrow stairs$/ said Aunt olly. +So

you will have to have a mattress to slee! on. I-ve #ot an old dou%le one that must dofor you. I will send 5inah u! with a %room and a )loth to )lean the room a %it./

+Aunt olly$ than*s awfully a#ain for arran#in# all this$/ said hili!$ half shyly$ for

he was afraid of his hard'wor*in# aunt$ and althou#h he s!ent all his holidays with

her$ he felt that he did not really *now her very well. +I ho!e "r. Trent-s )he1ue will)over all your ex!enses(%ut I-m sure :a)* and 9u)y'Ann won-t )ost mu)h./

+0ell$ hili!$/ said Aunt olly$ shuttin# the lid of the old )hest and turnin# to the%oy with a trou%led fa)e$ +well$ my %oy$ you mustn-t thin* I am ma*in# too mu)h

fuss(%ut the fa)t is$ your mother hasn-t %een at all well$ and hasn-t %een a%le tosend nearly as mu)h money for you as usual(and$ you see$ your s)hool fees are

rather hi#h(and I-ve %een a %it worried to *now what to do. 6ou are old enou#h nowto realise that dear old 4n)le :o)elyn is not mu)h use in %earin# res!onsi%ility for a

household(and the %it of money I have soon #oes./

hili! listened in alarm. His mother was ill3 Aunt olly hadn-t %een #ettin# themoney as usual(it all sounded very worryin# to him.

+0hat-s the matter with "other/ he as*ed.

+0ell(she-s very thin and run'down$ and she-s #ot a dreadful )ou#h$ she says$/ answered Aunt olly. +The do)tors say she must have a lon# rest(%y the sea if

!ossi%le(%ut how )an she #ive u! her 2o%/ +I shan-t #o %a)* to s)hool$/ said hili! at on)e. +I shall find a 2o% myself

somehow. I )an-t have "other wor*in# herself to death for us./ +6ou )an-t do that$/ said Aunt olly. +0hy$ you ar) not even fourteen yet. No(now

that I have a little money )omin# in from "r. Trent for these two )hildren$ it will easethin#s a #ood deal./

+This house is too %i# for you$/ said hili!$ suddenly noti)in# how tired his aunt

loo*ed. +Aunt olly$ why do we have to live here 0hy )an-t we leave and ta*e a ni)elittle house somewhere$ where you wouldn-t have to wor* so hard$ and whi)h

wouldn-t %e so lonely/ +I-d li*e to$/ said Aunt olly$ with a si#h$ +%ut who would %uy a !la)e li*e this$ half

ruined and in su)h a wind'swe!t$ desolate s!ot And I should never %e a%le to #etyour un)le to move. He loves this !la)e$ he loves this whole )oast$ and *nows more

a%out it than anyone else in the world. 0ell$ well(it-s no #ood wishin# this and that.

0e must 2ust #o on until you and 5inah are old enou#h to earn your livin#./ +Then I shall ma*e a home for "other$ and she and 5inah and I will live to#ether

ha!!ily$/ thou#ht hili!$ as he followed his aunt downstairs to fet)h the old mattress.He )alled to :a)*$ and the two %oys$ with mu)h !uffin# and !antin#$ #ot the aw*ward

mattress u! the narrow stairway. 7i*i en)oura#ed them with shrie*s and s1uaw*s.:o':o$ the %la)* man$ frowned at the noise. He seemed to thin* 7i*i was dire)tin# her

s)ree)hes at him$ and$ when she found that her noises annoyed him$ she did her%est to ma*e him 2um! %y unex!e)ted s1uaw*s in his ear.

:o':o was ta*in# u! a small ta%le and :a)*-s trun*. He set them down in thetower'room and loo*ed out of the window. He seemed very %ad'tem!ered$ hili!

thou#ht. Not that he was #ood'tem!ered at any time(%ut he loo*ed even sul*ierthan usual.

+0hat-s u!$ :o':o/ said hili!$ who was not in the least afraid of the sullenservant. +Seein# thin#s/

The )hildren had lau#hed over :o':o-s idea that there were +thin#s/ wanderin#



a%out at ni#ht. :o':o frowned. +"iss olly shouldn-t use this room$/ he said. +No$ that she shouldn-t$ and I-ve

telled her so. It-s a %ad room. And you )an see the Isle of Gloom from it too$ whenthe mists lift(and it-s %ad to loo* on the Isle of Gloom./

+5on-t %e silly$ :o':o$/ said hili!$ lau#hin#. +5on-t %e silly$ :o':o$/ re!eated 7i*i$ in an exa)t imitation of hili!-s voi)e. :o':o

s)owled at %oth %oy and %ird. +0ell$ you ta*e my word$ "aster hili!$ and don-t you #o loo*in# at the Isle of

Gloom more than you )an hel!. This is the only room you )an see it from$ and that-s

why it-s a %ad room. No #ood ever )ame from the Isle of Gloom. Bad men lived

there$ and %ad deeds were done there$ and wi)*edness )ame from that isle as lon#as anyone remem%ers./

0ith this very weird warnin# the %la)* man de!arted down the stairs$ his eyesrollin#$ as he #a&ed %a)* at the two %oys with a s)owl.

+leasant fellow$ isn-t he/ said hili!$ as he and :a)* unrolled the mattress. +Half mad$ I thin*. Anyway$ he must %e daft to stay on here and do the wor* he does. He

)ould #et mu)h more money anywhere else./ +0hat-s this Isle of Gloom he tal*s a%out/ said :a)*$ #oin# to the window. +0hat

a 1ueer name3 I )an-t see any island$ Tufty./

+6ou hardly ever )an see it$/ said hili!. +It lies ri#ht out there$ to the west$ andthere is a reef of ro)*s round it over whi)h waves )ontinually %rea*$ flin#in# u!s!ray. It seems always to have a mist han#in# over it. No'one lives there$ thou#h

!eo!le used to$ years and years a#o./ +I-d li*e to #o there$/ said :a)*. +There must %e hundreds of %irds on that island(

1uite tame and friendly. It would %e marvellous to see them./ +Tame and friendly. 0hat do you mean$ Fre)*les/ said hili!$ in sur!rise. +9oo* at

the %irds here(afraid even of 7i*i3/ +Ah$ %ut the %irds on the Isle of Gloom would not have *nown man at all$/ said

:a)*. +They would not have learnt to %e wary or )autious. I )ould #et some sim!lymarvellous !hoto#ra!hs. Gosh$ I-d li*e to #o there3/

+0ell$ you )an-t$/ said hili!. +I-ve never %een myself$ and no'one has$ as far as I

*now. 9oo*(will this %e the %est !la)e for the mattress 0e don-t want it too nearthe windows %e)ause the rain would wet it(and it often rains here./

+ut it where you li*e$/ said :a)*$ lost in dreams a%out the misty island and itsun*nown %irds. He mi#ht see %irds there that he had never seen at all(he mi#ht find

rare nests and e##s. He mi#ht ta*e the most wonderful %ird'!hoto#ra!hs in theworld. :a)* was 1uite determined to #o to the Isle of Gloom if he )ould$ in s!ite of all

:o':o-s fri#htenin# tales.

+,ome on down to the others$/ said hili! at last$ !uttin# the last of their )lothesinto the )hest. +I )an-t say you-ve %een mu)h hel!$ :a)*. ,ome on$ 7i*i./

They went down the narrow$ windin# stair to find the others. It was #ood to thin*of the wee*s ahead$ with no wor*$ no lessons(2ust %athin#$ )lim%in#$ rowin#. They

)ertainly would have fun3

Chapter 6

THE 5A6S GO B6

THE #irls had de)ided to have the two rooms. They were su)h small rooms$ and itwould %e easier to *ee! two rooms tidier than one$ if two !eo!le were to have them.

+There would never %e room for anythin# if we tried to *ee! all our thin#s in oneroom$/ said 5inah$ and 9u)y'Ann a#reed. She had %een u! to see the tower'room

and li*ed it very mu)h. She would have li*ed a room without #lass !anes too. It was



almost as #ood as slee!in# out'of'doors$ thou#ht the little #irl$ as she leaned out of one of the windows$ and felt the sea'%ree&e streamin# throu#h her hair.

The #irls- two rooms loo*ed out over the sea$ %ut in a different dire)tion from the%oys-. The Isle of Gloom )ould never %e seen from there. :a)* told 9u)y'Ann what :o'

:o had said$ and 9u)y'Ann loo*ed rather alarmed. +6ou needn-t worry. :o':o-s full of 1ueer %eliefs and stories$/ said hili! with a

lau#h. +There-s nothin# in his stories$ really(I %elieve he 2ust li*es fri#htenin#!eo!le./

It was 1ueer to slee! for the first time at ,ra##y'To!s. 9u)y'Ann lay awa*e for a

lon# time$ listenin# to the muffled roar of the waves %rea*in# on the ro)*s %elow.

She heard the wind whistlin#$ too$ and li*ed it. How different it all was from the 1uietlittle town 4n)le Geoffrey lived in3 There everythin# seemed half dead(%ut here

there was noise and movement$ the taste of salt on her li!s$ the feel of the windthrou#h her hair. It was ex)itin#. Anythin# mi#ht ha!!en at lonely ,ra##y'To!s.

:a)* lay awa*e in the tower'room too. hili! was aslee! on the mattress %esidehim. :a)* #ot u! and went to the window. The room was full of the wind$ swee!in# in

at the sea'windows. :a)* !ut his head out$ and loo*ed down.There was a little moon rushin# throu#h the )louds. 5own %elow was the swirlin#

water$ for the tide was in$ %eatin# over the %la)* ro)*s. S!ray flew u! on the wind$

and :a)* felt sure he )ould feel a little on his )hee*$ hi#h thou#h his room was. Heli)*ed his li!s. They tasted deli)iously salt.

A %ird )ried in the ni#ht. It sounded sad and mournful$ %ut :a)* li*ed it. 0hat %ird

was it One he didn-t *now The sea !ounded away %elow and the wind swe!t u! in#usts. :a)* shivered. It was summer'time$ %ut ,ra##y'To!s was %uilt in su)h a wind'

driven s!ot that there were always drau#hts %lowin# around.Then he 2um!ed violently$ for somethin# tou)hed his shoulder. His heart thum!ed$

and then he lau#hed. It was only 7i*i.7i*i always sle!t with :a)*$ wherever he was. 4sually she sat on the rail at the

head of his %ed$ her %i# head tu)*ed under her win#$ %ut there was no rail this time$only a flat mattress laid on the floor.

So 7i*i had found an un)omforta%le !er)h on the ed#e of the )hest(%ut when she

heard :a)* at the window she had flown to her usual !er)h$ on his shoulder$ ma*in#him 2um! violently. She nestled a#ainst him.

+Go to %ed$ nau#hty %oy$/ she said. +Go to %ed./ :a)* #rinned. It was funny when 7i*i %y )han)e hit on the ri#ht senten)es. He

s)rat)hed her !oll$ tal*in# in a low voi)e to her$ so as not to wa*e hili!. +I-ll ri# you u! a !er)h of some sort tomorrow$ 7i*i$/ he said. +6ou )an-t slee!

!ro!erly on the ed#e of that )hest$ I *now. Now I-m #oin# to %ed. It-s a wild ni#ht$

isn-t it But I li*e it./ He went %a)* to %ed$ )old and shiverin#. But he soon #ot warm$ )uddled u!

a#ainst hili!-s %a)*$ and fell aslee!$ to dream of thousands of sea'%irds wal*in#tamely u! to %e !hoto#ra!hed.

9ife at ,ra##y'To!s was stran#e to :a)* and 9u)y'Ann at first$ after all the yearsthey had s!ent in an ordinary little house in an ordinary little town.

There was no ele)tri) li#ht. There was no hot or )old water )omin# out of ta!s.There were no sho!s round the )orner. There was no #arden.

There were oil'lam!s to )lean and trim ea)h day$ and )andles to %e !ut into)andle'sti)*s. There was water to %e !um!ed u! from a dee!$ dee! well. :a)* was

interested in the well.There was a small yard %ehind the house$ %a)*in# on to the ro)*y )liff$ and in it

was the well that #ave the household their water. :a)* and 9u)y'Ann were sur!risedthat the water was not salt.

+No$ it-s !ure drin*in#'water all ri#ht$/ said 5inah$ liftin# a heavy %u)*et from the



)hain. +The well #oes ri#ht down in the ro)*s$ far %elow the sea'%ed$ to !ure water$)rystal )lear and i)y )old. Taste it./

It was #ood to drin*(as #ood as any i)ed water the )hildren had drun* on hotsummer days. :a)* !eered down the dar*$ dee! well.

+I-d li*e to #o down in that %u)*et and find out how dee! the well'%ottom is$/ hesaid.

+6ou-d feel funny if you #ot stu)* and )ouldn-t #et u! a#ain$/ said 5inah$ with a#i##le. +,ome on$ hel! me$ :a)*. 5on-t stand dreamin# there. 6ou-re alwaysdreamin#./

+And you-re always so 1ui)* and im!atient$/ said hili!$ near %y. 5inah #ave him

an an#ry loo*. She flared u! very 1ui)*ly$ and it was easy to !rovo*e her. +0ell$ if you had to do as mu)h as 9u)y'Ann and I have %een told to do$ you-d %e

a %it 1ui)*er too$/ she sna!!ed %a)*. +,ome on$ 9u)y'Ann. 9et-s leave the %oys to#et on with their 2o%s. Boys aren-t mu)h #ood$ anyway./

+6es$ you-d %etter #o$ %efore I sla! you$/ yelled hili! after her$ and then dartedaway %efore the an#ry 5inah )ould )ome after him. 9u)y'Ann was !u&&led and rather

sho)*ed at their )ontinual 1uarrels$ %ut she soon saw that they were over as 1ui)*lyas they arose$ and #ot used to them.

Sho!!in# was 1uite a %usiness. It meant that :o':o had to #et out the old )ar$ and

#o off with a lon# list to the nearest villa#e twi)e a wee*. If anythin# was for#otten$it had to %e done without till the next visit. ?e#eta%les were #ot from a smallallotment that :o':o wor*ed at himself$ in a sheltered di! of the )liff away %ehind the

house. +9et-s #o with :o':o and have a ride in the )ar$/ su##ested 9u)y'Ann one mornin#.

But hili! shoo* his head. +No #ood$/ he said. +0e-ve as*ed :o':o hea!s of times$ %ut he won-t ta*e us. He

2ust refuses$ and says he-ll !ush us out of the )ar if we #et in it to #o with him. I did#et in on)e$ and he *e!t his word and !ushed me out./

+The old %east3/ said :a)*$ astonished. +I wonder you !ut u! with him./ +0ell$ who else would )ome here and wor* for us in this desolate !la)e/ said

5inah. +No%ody else. :o':o wouldn-t either if he wasn-t half mad./

Still$ 9u)y'Ann did as* :o':o if she )ould #o with him when he went sho!!in#. +No$/ said the %la)* man$ and s)owled.

+lease$ :o':o$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ loo*in# at him !leadin#ly. 4sually she #ot her ownway when she %adly wanted it(%ut not with :o':o.

+I said NO$/ re!eated the %la)* man$ and wal*ed off$ his !owerful arms swin#in#%y his sides. 9u)y'Ann stared after him. How horrid he was3 0hy wouldn-t he ta*e

any of them in the )ar when he went sho!!in# :ust %ad tem!er$ she su!!osed.

It was fun %ein# at ,ra##y'To!s$ in s!ite of so many thin#s %ein# diffi)ult. Hot%aths$ for instan)e$ )ould only %e had on)e a wee*. At least$ they could %e ta*en

every day$ if someone li#hted the )o!!er fire$ and was willin# to )arry !ails of hotwater down miles of stone !assa#es to the one and only %ath$ set in a small room

)alled the %athroom.After doin# this on)e$ :a)* de)ided that he didn-t really )are whether he had any

more hot %aths or not whilst he was at ,ra##y'To!s. He-d %athe in the sea two orthree times a day$ and ma*e that do instead.

The #irls were #iven household tas*s to do$ and did them as %est they )ould. Auntolly did the )oo*in#. 4n)le :o)elyn did not a!!ear even for meals. Aunt olly too*

them to him in his study$ and the )hildren hardly remem%ered he was in the house.The %oys had to #et in the water from the well$ %rin# the wood in for the *it)hen

fire$ and fill the %urners in the oil'stove with oil. They too* it in turns with the #irls to)lean and trim the lam!s. No%ody li*ed doin# that$ it was su)h a messy 2o%.

:o':o loo*ed after the )ar and the allotment$ did rou#h s)ru%%in#$ )leaned the



windows when they %e)ame )lo##ed u! with salty s!ray$ and did all *inds of other 2o%s. He had a %oat of his own$ a sound and #ood one with a small sail.

+0ould he let us use it/ as*ed :a)*. +Of )ourse not$/ said hili! s)ornfully. +And you-d %etter not try to$ without

!ermission. He-d %eat you if you did. That %oat is the a!!le of his eye. 0e are notallowed even to set foot in it./

:a)* went to have a loo* at it. It was a very #ood %oat indeed$ and must have)ost a lot of money. It had re)ently %een !ainted and was in first')lass order. Therewere oars$ mast and sail$ and a #ood deal of fishin# ta)*le. :a)* would dearly have

loved to #o out in it.

But even as he stood loo*in# at it$ wonderin# if he dared to !ut his foot into it andfeel the %oat ro)*in# #ently %eneath him$ the %la)* man a!!eared$ his usual s)owl

even %la)*er. +0hat you doin#/ he demanded$ his dar* eyes rollin#$ and the whites showin#

!lainly. +That-s my %oat./ +All ri#ht$ all ri#ht$/ said :a)* im!atiently. +,an-t I loo* at it/

+No$/ said :o':o$ and s)owled a#ain. +Nau#hty %oy$/ said 7i*i$ and s)ree)hed at :o':o$ who loo*ed as if he would li*e to

wrin# the %ird-s ne)*.

+0ell$ you )ertainly are a !leasant fellow$/ said :a)*$ ste!!in# away from the %oat$feelin# suddenly afraid of the sullen %la)* man. +But let me tell you this(I-m #oin#out in a %oat$ somehow$ and you )an-t sto! me./

:o':o loo*ed after :a)* with his eyes half )losed and his mouth turned in an#rily.That interferin# %oy3 :o':o would )ertainly sto! him doin# anythin# if he )ould3

Chapter 7 A @4EE8 5IS,O?E86

IF it had not %een for :o':o$ life at ,ra##y'To!s$ on)e the )hildren had settled down

to their daily tas*s$ would have %een very !leasant. There seemed so mu)h to do

that was fun(swimmin# in the sheltered )ove$ where the water was )alm$ wassim!ly lovely. Ex!lorin# the dam! dar* )aves in the )liffs was fun. Fishin# from the

ro)*s with a line was also very ex)itin#$ %e)ause 1uite %i# fish )ould %e )au#ht thatway.

But :o':o seemed to s!oil everythin#$ with his s)owls and )ontinual interferen)e.He always seemed to a!!ear wherever the )hildren were. If they %athed$ his %la)*

fa)e a!!eared round the ro)*s. If they fished$ he )ame s)owlin# out on the ro)*s and

told them they were wastin# their time. +Oh$ leave us alone$ :o':o$/ said hili! im!atiently. +6ou a)t as if you were our

*ee!er3 For #oodness- sa*e #o and #et on with your own wor*$ and leave us to dowhat we want to do. 0e-re not doin# any harm./

+"iss olly said to me to *ee! an eye on you all$/ said :o':o sul*ily. +She said tome not to let you #et into dan#er$ see./

+No$ I don-t see$/ said hili! )rossly. +All I )an see is that you *ee! on !o!!in# u!wherever we are and s!oilin# thin#s for us. 5on-t *ee! !ryin# on us. 0e don-t li*e it./

9u)y'Ann #i##led. She thou#ht it was %rave of hili! to tal* to the %i# %la)* manli*e that. He )ertainly was a nuisan)e. 0hat fun they would have had if he had %een

2olly and #ood'tem!ered3 They )ould have #one fishin# and sailin# in his %oat. They)ould have fished !ro!erly with him. They )ould have #one out in the )ar and

!i)ni)*ed. +But all %e)ause he-s so daft and %ad'tem!ered we )an-t do any of those thin#s$/

said 9u)y'Ann. +0hy$ we mi#ht even have tried to sail out to the Isle of Gloom to see



if there were many %irds there$ as :a)* so %adly wants to do$ if only :o':o had %eenni)e./

+0ell$ he-s not ni)e$ and we-ll never #o to Gloom$ and if we did #et there$ I %etthere wouldn-t %e any %irds on su)h a desolate !la)e$/ said hili!. +,ome on(let-s

ex!lore that %i# )ave we found yesterday./ It really was fun ex!lorin# the )aves on the shore. Some of them ran very far

%a)* into the )liff. Others had 1ueer holes in their roofs$ that led to u!!er )aves.hili! said that in olden times men had used the )aves for hidin# in$ or for storin#smu##led #oods. But there was nothin# to %e seen in them now ex)e!t seaweed and

em!ty shells.

+I wish we had a #ood tor)h$/ said :a)*$ as his )andle was %lown out for the sixthtime that mornin#. +I shall soon have no )andles left. If only there was a sho! round

the )orner where we )ould sli! alon# and %uy a tor)h3 I as*ed :o':o yesterday to #etme one when he went sho!!in# in the )ar$ %ut he wouldn-t./

+Oooh(here-s a most enormous starfish3/ said hili!$ holdin# his )andle down tothe floor of the dam! )ave. +5o loo*(it-s a #iant one$ I-m sure./

5inah #ave a shrie*. She hated )ree!y')rawly thin#s as mu)h as hili! li*ed them. +5on-t tou)h it. And don-t %rin# it near me./

But hili! was a tease$ and he !i)*ed u! the #reat starfish$ with its five lon#

fin#ers$ and wal*ed over to 5inah with it. She flew into a furious ra#e. +6ou %east3 I told you not to %rin# it near me. I-ll *ill it if you do./ +6ou )an-t *ill starfish$/ said hili!. +If you )ut one in half it #rows new fin#ers$

and$ hey !resto$ it is two starfishes instead of one. So there3 Have a loo* at it$ 5inah(smell it(feel it./

hili! !ushed the #reat )lammy thin# near to his sister-s fa)e. 8eally alarmed$5inah hit out$ and #ave hili! su)h a !ush that he reeled$ over%alan)ed and fell

headlon# to the floor of the )ave. His )andle went out. There was a shout from hili!$then a )urious slitherin# noise(and silen)e.

+Hi$ Tufty3 Are you all ri#ht/ )alled :a)*$ and held his )andle hi#h. To hisenormous astonishment$ hili! had )om!letely disa!!eared. There was the starfish

on the seaweedy #round(%ut no hili! was %eside it.

The three )hildren stared in the #reatest ama&ement at the )lum!s of seaweedhan#in# from the walls of the )ave$ s!readin# over the #round. 0herever had hili!

#one5inah was s)ared. She had )ertainly meant to #ive hili! a hard %low(%ut she

hadn-t meant him to disa!!ear off the fa)e of the earth. She #ave a yell. +hili!3 Are you hidin# ,ome out$ idiot3/

A muffled voi)e )ame from somewhere. +Hi3(where am I/

+That-s Tufty-s voi)e$/ said :a)*. +But where is he He-s nowhere in this )ave./ The )hildren !ut their three )andles to#ether and loo*ed round the small$ low'

roofed$ seaweedy )ave. It smelt very dan* and musty. hili!-s voi)e )ame a#ain fromsomewhere$ soundin# rather fri#htened.

+I say3 0here am I/ :a)* advan)ed )autiously over the sli!!ery seaweed to where hili! had fallen

when 5inah had stru)* him. Then suddenly he seemed to lose his footin#$ and$ tothe sur!rise of the wat)hin# #irls$ he too disa!!eared$ seemin# to sin* down into the

floor of the seaweedy )ave.By the waverin# li#ht of their two )andles the #irls tried to see what had ha!!ened

to :a)*. Then they saw the ex!lanation of the mystery. The fronds of seaweed hid ano!enin# in the floor of the )ave$ and when the %oys had !ut their wei#ht on to the

seaweed )overin# the hole$ they had sli!!ed %etween the fronds down into some)ave %elow. How 1ueer3

+That-s where they went$/ said 5inah$ !ointin# to a dar* s!a)e %etween the





and followin# him. +Better #o and tell :o':o and #et him to )ome and hel!$/ said 5inah. +He-d %etter

%rin# a ro!e$ I should thin*. The %oys would never %e a%le to )lim% u! throu#h thehole %a)* into this )ave$ without hel!./

+No$ don-t let-s tell :o':o$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ who disli*ed the %la)* man thorou#hly$and was afraid of him. +0e-ll wait a %it lon#er. "ay%e the !assa#e was a very lon#

one./ It was(far lon#er than the %oys ex!e)ted. It twisted and turned as it went

throu#h the )liff$ #oin# u!wards all the time. It was !it)h'dar*$ and the )andle did

not seem to li#ht it very mu)h. The %oys %um!ed their heads a#ainst the roof every

now and a#ain$ for it was sometimes only shoulder'hi#h.It #rew drier as it went u!. Soon there was no seaweedy smell at all$ %ut the air

felt stale and musty. It was rather diffi)ult to %reathe. +I %elieve the air is %ad here$/ !anted hili!$ as they went on. +I )an hardly

%reathe. On)e or twi)e I thou#ht our )andle was #oin# out$ Fre)*les. That wouldmean the air was very %ad. Surely we shall )ome to the end of this !assa#e soon./

As he s!o*e$ the !assa#e went stee!ly u!wards and was )ut into rou#h ste!s. Itended a%ru!tly in a ro)*y wall. The %oys were !u&&led.

+It-s not a real !assa#e$ then$/ said hili!$ disa!!ointed. +:ust a )ra)* in the )liff

ro)*s$ as you said. But these do really loo* li*e rou#h ste!s$ don-t they/ The li#ht of the )andle shone down on to the ste!s. 6es(someone had hewn out

those ste!s at one time(%ut why

:a)* held the )andle a%ove his head(and #ave a shout. +9oo*3 Isn-t that a tra!'door a%ove our heads That-s where the !assa#e led to(

that tra!'door3 I say(let-s #et it o!en if we )an./ Sure enou#h$ there was an old wooden tra!'door$ )losin# the exit of the !assa#e$

a%ove their heads. If only they )ould lift it3 0herever would they find themselves

Chapter 8

IN THE ,E99A8S

+9ET- S !ush at it to#ether$/ said hili!$ in ex)itement$ +I-ll !ut the )andle down on this

led#e./ He stu)* the )andle firmly into a )ra)* on the led#e. Then he and :a)* !ushed

hard at the tra!'door 2ust a%ove their heads. A shower of dust fell down$ and hili!%lin*ed his eyes$ half %linded. :a)* had )losed his.

+Blow3/ said hili!$ ru%%in# his eyes. +,ome on$ let-s try a#ain. I felt it move./

They tried a#ain$ and this time the tra!'door suddenly #ave way. It lifted a fewin)hes$ and then fell %a)* a#ain$ settin# free another )loud of dust.

+Get a ro)* or %i# stone and we-ll stand on it$/ said :a)*$ red with ex)itement. +A%it more of a !ush and we-ll #et the thin# ri#ht o!en./

They found three or four flattish stones$ !ut them in a stout !ile$ and stood onthem. They !ushed a#ainst the tra!'door$ and to their deli#ht it lifted ri#ht u!$ and

fell %a)*wards with a thud on the floor a%ove$ leavin# a s1uare o!enin# a%ove theheads of the %oys.

+Give me a heave u!$ :a)*$/ said hili!. He #ot su)h a shove that he shot outthrou#h the tra!'door o!enin# and landed on a ro)*y floor a%ove. It was dar* there

and he )ould see nothin#. +Hand u! the )andle$ Fre)*les$ and then I-ll haul you u!$/ said hili!. The )andle

was handed u!$ %ut went out suddenly. +Blow3/ said hili!. +Oh #lory$ what-s that/

+7i*i$ I ex!e)t$/ said :a)*. +She-s flown u!./



7i*i had not made a sound or said a word all throu#h the se)ret !assa#e. She had%een alarmed at the dar* stran#e !la)e$ and had )lun# hard to :a)* all the way.

hili! hauled :a)* u!$ and then #ro!ed in his !o)*et for mat)hes to li#ht the)andle a#ain. +0here do you su!!ose we are/ he said. +I sim!ly )an-t ima#ine./

+Feels li*e the other end of the world$/ said :a)*. +Ah(that-s %etter. Now we )ansee./

He held u! the li#hted )andle and the two %oys loo*ed round.“I *now where we are$/ said hili! suddenly. +In one of the )ellars at ,ra##y'To!s.

9oo*(there are %oxes of stores over there. Tins of food and stuff./

+So there are$/ said :a)*. +"y word$ what a fine store your aunt *ee!s down here3

Golly$ this is 1uite an adventure. 5o you su!!ose your aunt and un)le *now a%outthe se)ret !assa#e/

+I shouldn-t thin* so$/ said hili!. +Aunt olly would %e sure to have mentioned itto us$ I should thin*. I don-t seem to *now this !art of the )ellars very well. 9et me

see(where is the )ellar door now/ The %oys wandered down the )ellar$ tryin# to find the way out. They )ame to a

stout wooden door$ %ut$ to their sur!rise$ it was lo)*ed. +Blow3/ said hili!$ annoyed. +Now we shall have to )ree! all the way %a)* down

that !assa#e a#ain. I don-t feel li*e doin# that$ somehow. Anyway$ this isn-t the door

that leads out of the )ellars into the *it)hen. 6ou have to #o u! ste!s to that one.This must %e a door that shuts off one !art of the )ellars from the other. I don-tremem%er seein# it %efore./

+9isten(isn-t that some%ody )omin#/ said :a)* suddenly$ his shar! ears hearin#footste!s.

+6es(it-s :o':o$/ said hili!$ hearin# the familiar )ou#h he *new so well. +9et-shide. I-m not #oin# to tell :o':o a%out that !assa#e. 0e-ll *ee! it to ourselves. Shut

the tra!'door down 1ui)*ly$ :a)*$ and then we-ll hide %ehind this ar)hway here. 0e)ould sli! out 1uietly when :o':o o!ens the door. Blow out the )andle./

They shut the tra!'door 1uietly and then$ in the !it)h dar*ness$ hid %ehind thestone ar)hway near the door. They heard :o':o !uttin# a *ey into the lo)*. The door

swun# o!en$ and the %la)* man a!!eared$ loo*in# hu#e in the fli)*erin# li#ht of his

lantern. He left the door o!en$ and went towards the %a)* of the )ellar$ where thestores lay.

The %oys had on ru%%er shoes$ and )ould have sli!!ed out without :o':o *nowin#anythin# at all(%ut 7i*i )hose that moment to imitate :o':o-s hollow )ou#h. It filled

the )ellar with mournful e)hoes$ and :o':o dro!!ed his lantern with a )rash. The#lass s!lintered and the li#ht went out. :o':o #ave a howl of terror and fled out of the

door at on)e$ not even !ausin# to lo)* it. He %rushed a#ainst the two %oys as he

went$ and #ave another s)ree)h of fri#ht$ feelin# their warm %odies as he !assed.7i*i$ thrilled at the result of her )ou#hin# imitation$ #ave an unearthly s)ree)h

that sent :o':o headlon# throu#h the other !art of the )ellars$ u! the ste!s andthrou#h the )ellar door. He almost fell as he a!!eared in the *it)hen$ and Aunt olly

2um!ed in astonishment. +0hat-s the matter 0hat has ha!!ened/

+There-s thin#s down there3/ !anted :o':o$ his %la)* fa)e loo*in# as !ale as it ever)ould loo*.

+Thin#s3 0hat do you mean/ said Aunt olly severely. +Thin#s that s)ree)h and yell and )lut)h at me$/ said :o':o$ sin*in# into a )hair$

and rollin# his eyes till nothin# %ut the da&&lin# whites )ould %e seen. +Nonsense3/ said Aunt olly$ stirrin# a sau)e!an vi#orously. +I don-t *now why you

wanted to #o down there anyway. 0e don-t need anythin# from the )ellars thismornin#. I-ve !lenty of !otatoes u! here. ull yourself to#ether$ :o':o. 6ou-ll fri#hten

the )hildren if you %ehave li*e this./



The two %oys had )olla!sed into hel!less lau#hter when they had seen !oor :o':orunnin# in alarm from the )ellar$ yellin# for all he was worth. They )lut)hed ea)h

other and lau#hed till they a)hed. +0ell$ :o':o is always tryin# to fri#hten us %y talesof !e)uliar thin#s- that wander a%out at ni#ht$/ said :a)*$ +and now he-s %een )au#ht

%y his own silly stories(and %een almost fri#htened out of his wits./ +I say(he-s left the *ey in the door$/ said hili!$ who had now li#hted his )andle

a#ain. +9et-s ta*e it. Then$ if ever we want to use that !assa#e a#ain$ we )an always#et out this way if we want to$ %y unlo)*in# the door./

He !ut the %i# *ey into his !o)*et$ #rinnin#. "ay%e the %la)* man would thin* it

was one of the +thin#s/ he was always tal*in# a%out that had #one off with his *ey.

The %oys went into the !art of the )ellar they *new. hili! loo*ed with interest atthe door throu#h whi)h they had )ome.

+I never *new there was another )ellar %eyond this first one$/ he said$ loo*in#round the vast under#round room. +How did I never noti)e that door %efore$ I

wonder/ +Those %oxes must have %een !iled in front of it to hide it$/ said :a)*. There were

em!ty %oxes %y the door$ and now that he thou#ht of it$ hili! remem%ered seein#them in a %i# !ile every time he had #one into the )ellar. They had %een neatly !iled

in front of that door. A tri)* of :o':o-s$ no dou%t$ to sto! the )hildren #oin# into the

se)ond )ellar$ where all those stores were *e!t. How silly and )hildish3 0ell$ :o':o)ouldn-t sto! them #oin# there now.

+0e )an #o there throu#h the se)ret !assa#e$ or we )ould #o there throu#h the

door$ %e)ause I-ve #ot the *ey now$/ thou#ht hili!$ !leased at the idea of %ein# a%leto outwit the %la)* man if he wanted to.

+I su!!ose those ste!s lead u! to the *it)hen$ don-t they/ said :a)*$ !ointin# tothem. +Is it safe to #o u!$ do you thin* 0e don-t want anyone to see us$ or they-d

as* aw*ward 1uestions./ +I-ll sli! u! to the to!$ o!en the door a )ra)*$ and listen to see if anyone is a%out$/

said hili!. So u! he went. But :o':o had #one out and his aunt was no lon#er there$so the %i# *it)hen was em!ty and silent. The %oys were a%le to sli! out$ #o to the

outer door$ and run down the )liff !ath without anyone seein# them at all.

+The #irls will wonder whatever has %e)ome of us$/ said :a)*$ suddenlyremem%erin# 5inah and 9u)y'Ann$ waitin# !atiently for them in the )ave where the

hole was that led into the !assa#e. +,ome on(let-s #ive them an awful fri#ht$ shallwe They-ll %e ex!e)tin# us to )ome %a)* throu#h the se)ret !assa#e(they-ll never

ex!e)t us to )ome %a)* this way./ They made their way down to the ro)*y shore. They went to the )aves they had

ex!lored that mornin# and found the one that had the hole. The two #irls were

sittin# %y the hole$ anxiously dis)ussin# what they ou#ht to do. +0e really must #o and #et hel! now$/ said 9u)y'Ann. +I-m sure somethin# has

ha!!ened to the %oys. 8eally I am./ hili! suddenly s!otted the #iant starfish a#ain$ the one that had )aused all the

trou%le. ?ery silently he !i)*ed it u!. 0ithout ma*in# a sound$ he )re!t over theseaweedy )ave floor to !oor 5inah. He !la)ed the starfish on her %are arm$ where it

slithered down in a horri%le manner.5inah lea!t u! with a shrie* that was even worse than 7i*i-s +loudest one. +Oh(

oh(hili!-s %a)* a#ain$ the %east3 0ait till I #et hold of you$ hili!3 I-ll !ull all yourhair out of your head3 6ou hateful %oy3/

In one of her furious ra#es 5inah lea!t at hili!$ who ran out of the )aves and onto the sandy shore in #lee. 9u)y'Ann threw her arms round :a)*. She had %een very

anxious a%out him. +:a)*3 Oh$ :a)*$ what ha!!ened to you I waited so lon#. How did you )ome %a)*

this way 0here did the !assa#e lead to/



Shrie*s and yells and shouts from 5inah and hili! made it im!ossi%le for :a)* toanswer$ es!e)ially as 7i*i now 2oined in the row$ s)ree)hin# li*e an ex!ress train in a

tunnel.There was a fine fi#ht #oin# on %etween hili! and 5inah. The an#ry #irl had

)au#ht her %rother$ and was hittin# out at him for all she was worth. +I-ll tea)h you to throw starfish at me. 6ou mean !i#3 6ou *now I hate those

thin#s. I-ll !ull all your hair out./ hili! #ot free and ran off$ leavin# a few of his hairs in 5inah-s fin#ers. 5inah

turned a furious fa)e to the others.

+He-s a %east. I shan-t tal* to him for days. I wish he wasn-t my %rother./

+It was only a %it of fun$/ %e#an :a)*$ %ut this made matters worse. 5inah flewinto a tem!er with him too$ and loo*ed so fier)e that 9u)y'Ann was 1uite alarmed$

and thou#ht she would have to defend :a)* if 5inah rushed to sla! him. +I won-t have anythin# to do with any of you$/ stormed 5inah$ and wal*ed off

an#rily. +Now she won-t hear all we-ve found this mornin#$/ said :a)*. +0hat a s!itfire she

is3 0ell$ we-ll have to tell you$ 9u)y'Ann. 0e-ve had a real adventure./ 5inah$ wal*in# off in a fury$ suddenly remem%ered that she had not heard the

story of the se)ret !assa#e and where it )ame out. For#ettin# her ra#e$ she turned

%a)* at on)e.She saw 9u)y'Ann and the two %oys to#ether. hili! turned his %a)* on her as she

)ame u!. But 5inah )ould %e as sudden in her #ood tem!ers as she was in her %ad

ones. She !ut her arm on hili!-s. +Sorry$ hili!$/ she said. +0hat ha!!ened to you and :a)* in that se)ret !assa#e

I-m lon#in# to *now./ So !ea)e was restored a#ain$ and soon the two #irls were listenin# in the #reatest

ex)itement to all that the %oys had to tell. +It was an adventure$ I )an tell you$/ said :a)*. So it was(and there were more to

)ome3

Chapter A ST8ANGE BOAT

THE #irls would not #o u! the se)ret !assa#e$ no matter how mu)h the %oys ur#ed

them to. They shuddered to thin* of the dar*$ narrow$ windin# tunnel$ and althou#hthey a#reed that it was very ex)itin#$ they did not want to feel the thrill of )ree!in#

alon# it themselves.

+I su!!ose 5inah-s afraid of #iant starfish 2um!in# out at her$ or somethin#$/ saidhili! in dis#ust. +And 9u)y'Ann is 2ust a %a%y./

But even teasin# would not ma*e the #irls try the !assa#e$ thou#h they nevertired of hearin# a%out it. The %oys sli!!ed down into the )ellar the next day$ and

found that :o':o had on)e a#ain !iled u! the %oxes in front of the se)ond door$ sothat it was 1uite hidden. It was !u&&lin#$ %ut he often did silly s!iteful thin#s.

Anyway$ they had the *ey of the door. That was somethin#.The weather %e)ame fine and hot. The sun shone down out of a )loudless s*y and

the )hildren went a%out in %athin#'suits. They were soon %urnt as %rown as #y!sies.hili!$ 5inah and 9u)y'Ann s!ent more time than :a)* in the water. The %oy was

1uite mad over the wild %irds that infested the )oast in su)h num%ers. He was forever identifyin# terns and s*uas$ )ormorants$ #ulls and others. He did not want 9u)y'

Ann with him$ mu)h to her dismay. +The %irds are learnin# to *now me$/ he ex!lained to his sister. +But they don-t

*now you$ 9u)y'Ann. 6ou *ee! with the others$ there-s a #ood #irl. Anyway$ we )an-t



%oth leave Tufty and 5inah$ it would %e rude./ So for on)e 9u)y'Ann was not :a)*-s shadow$ and s!ent most of her time with the

others. But she usually *new where :a)* was$ and$ when it was a%out time for him toreturn$ she would always wat)h for him.

5inah thou#ht she was silly. She would never have dreamt of wat)hin# for hili!. +I-m only too #lad when he #ets out of the way$/ she said to 9u)y'Ann. +Horrid tease3

He nearly made me #o mad last year when he !ut earwi#s under my !illow$ and theyall )rawled out in the middle of the ni#ht./

Even 9u)y'Ann thou#ht that sounded horrid. But %y now she was used to hili!

and his !e)uliar ways. Even when he was only wearin# %athin#'drawers he seemed

a%le to se)rete some *ind of )reature a%out his %ody. 6esterday it had %een a )ou!leof friendly )ra%s. But when he had a))identally sat down on one$ and it had ni!!ed

him$ he had )ome to the )on)lusion that )ra%s were %etter in the sea than out of it. +Anyway$ I-m #lad Fre)*les ta*es 7i*i with him when he #oes %ird'wat)hin#$/ said

5inah. +I 1uite li*e 7i*i$ %ut now that she has ta*en to imitatin# all the %irds aroundhere$ it is rather si)*enin#. I-m sur!rised Aunt. olly !uts u! with her as well as she

does./ Aunt olly had %e)ome fond of the !arrot. It was an artful %ird and *new that it

had only to murmur +oor dear olly/ to #et anythin# it li*ed out of Aunt olly. :o':o

had %een well and truly ti)*ed off %y Aunt olly the day he had #one sho!!in# in the)ar and had for#otten the !arrot-s sunflower seeds. The )hildren had %een deli#htedto hear the sullen %la)* man so well s)olded.

4n)le :o)elyn-s ex!erien)e of 7i*i was definitely not #ood. One hot afternoon the!arrot had flown silently in at the o!en window of the study$ where 4n)le :o)elyn sat$

as usual$ %ent dou%le over his old !a!ers and %oo*s. 7i*i flew to the %oo*'shelf and!er)hed there$ loo*in# round her with interest.

+How many times have I told you not to whistle/ she said in a stern voi)e.4n)le :o)elyn$ lost in his %oo*s$ )ame out of them with a start. He had never even

seen the !arrot and had for#otten that one had )ome to the house. He sat !u&&lin#his head to *now where su)h an extraordinary s!ee)h )ame from.

7i*i said nothin# more for a time. 4n)le :o)elyn )ame to the )on)lusion that he

had %een mista*en$ and he dro!!ed his head to study his !a!ers on)e more. +0here-s your hand*er)hief/ as*ed 7i*i sternly.

4n)le :o)elyn felt sure that his wife was somewhere in the room$ for 7i*i imitatedAunt olly-s voi)e very well. He #ro!ed in his !o)*et for a hand*er)hief.

+Good %oy$/ said the !arrot. +5on-t for#et to wi!e your feet now./ +They-re not dirty$ olly$/ said 4n)le :o)elyn in sur!rise$ thin*in# that he was

s!ea*in# to his wife. He was !u&&led and annoyed. Aunt olly did not usually )ome

and distur% him li*e this %y #ivin# him unne)essary orders. He turned round to tellher to #o$ %ut )ould not see her.

7i*i #ave a hollow )ou#h$ exa)tly li*e :o':o-s. 4n)le :o)elyn$ now )ertain that the%la)* man was also in the room$ felt most irrita%le. 0hy must everyone wal* in and

distur% him today 8eally$ it was un%eara%le. +Get out$/ he said$ thin*in# that he was s!ea*in# to :o':o. +I-m %usy./

+Oh$ you nau#hty %oy$/ said the !arrot$ in a re!rovin# tone. Then it )ou#heda#ain$ and #ave a realisti) snee&e. Then$ for a while$ there was )om!lete silen)e.

4n)le :o)elyn settled down a#ain$ for#ettin# all a%out the interru!tion at on)e.7i*i did not li*e %ein# i#nored li*e that. She flew from the %oo*'shelf on to 4n)le

:o)elyn-s #rey head$ #ivin# one of her railway'en#ine s)reams as she did so.oor 4n)le :o)elyn lea!t to his feet$ )lut)hed at his head$ dislod#ed 7i*i$ and #ave

a yell that %rou#ht Aunt olly into the room at on)e. 7i*i sailed out of the window$ma*in# a )a)*lin# sound that sounded 2ust li*e lau#hter.

+0hat-s the matter$ :o)elyn/ as*ed Aunt olly alarmed.



4n)le :o)elyn was in a ra#e. +eo!le have %een in and out of this room all themornin#$ tellin# me to wi!e my feet and not to whistle$ and some%ody threw

somethin# at my head$/ he fumed. +Oh(that was only 7i*i$/ said Aunt olly$ %e#innin# to smile.

+Only 7i*i3 And who on earth is 7i*i/ shouted 4n)le :o)elyn$ furious at seein# hiswife smile at his trou%les instead of sym!athisin# with them.

+The !arrot$/ said Aunt olly. +The %oy-s !arrot$ you *now./ 4n)le :o)elyn had for#otten all a%out :a)* and 9u)y'Ann. He stared at his wife as

if she had #one mad.

+0hat %oy(and what !arrot/ he demanded. +Have you #one )ra&y$ olly/

+Oh dear$/ si#hed Aunt olly. +How you do for#et thin#s$ :o)elyn3/ She remindedhim of the two )hildren who had )ome for the holidays$ and ex!lained a%out 7i*i.

+She-s the )leverest !arrot you ever saw$/ said Aunt olly$ who had now )om!letelylost her heart to 7i*i.

+0ell$/ said 4n)le :o)elyn #rimly$ +all I )an say is that$ if that !arrot is as )lever asyou thin* it is$ it will *ee! out of my way(%e)ause I shall throw all my !a!erwei#hts

at it if it )omes in here a#ain./ Aunt olly$ thin*in# of her hus%and-s very %ad aim whenever he threw anythin#$

#ave a #lan)e at the window. She thou#ht she had %etter *ee! it )losed$ or she

mi#ht find everythin# in the room smashed %y !a!er'wei#hts one day. 5ear$ dear$what annoyin# thin#s did ha!!en$ to %e sure3 If it wasn-t )hildren )lamourin# formore to eat$ it was :o':o worryin# her= and if it wasn-t :o':o$ it was the !arrot= and if

it wasn-t the !arrot$ it was 4n)le :o)elyn threatenin# to throw his !a!er'wei#htsa%out. Aunt olly )losed the window firmly$ went out of the room$ and shut the door

shar!ly. +5on-t slam the door$/ )ame 7i*i-s voi)e from the !assa#e. +And how many times

have I . . ./ But for on)e Aunt olly had no *ind word for 7i*i. +6ou-re a %ad %ird$/ she said

sternly to the !arrot. +A ?ery %ad %ird./ 7i*i sailed down the !assa#e with an indi#nant s)ree)h. She would find :a)*. :a)*

was always #ood and *ind to her. 0here was :a)*

:a)* was not with the others. He had #one with his field'#lasses to the to! of the)liff$ and was lyin# on his %a)*$ loo*in# with !leasure at the %irds soarin# a%ove his

head. 7i*i landed on his middle and made him 2um!. +Oh(it-s you$ 7i*i. Be )areful with your )laws$ for #oodness- sa*e. I-ve only #ot

my %athin#'suit on. Now *ee! 1uiet$ or you-ll fri#hten away the %irds. I-ve alreadyseen five different *inds of #ulls today./

:a)* #ot tired of lyin# on his %a)* at last. He sat u!$ !ushed 7i*i off his middle$

and %lin*ed round. He !ut his field'#lasses to his eyes a#ain$ and loo*ed out over thesea in the dire)tion of the Isle of Gloom. He had not seen it !ro!erly yet.

But today$ thou#h most of the distant hills %ehind him were lost in the heat'ha&e$for some reason or other the island )ould %e 1uite !lainly seen$ 2uttin# u! from the

sea to the west. +Gosh3/ said :a)*$ in sur!rise. +There-s that mystery island that :o':o says is a %ad island. How )learly it )an %e seen today3 I )an see hills 2uttin# u!(

and I )an even see the waves dashin# s!ray over the ro)*s that #o round it3/ :a)* )ould not see any %irds on the island$ for his #lasses were not stron# enou#h

to show him anythin# more than the island itself and its hills. But the %oy felt )ertainthat it was full of %irds.

+8are %irds$/ he said to himself. +Birds that !eo!le don-t *now any more. Birdsthat mi#ht nest there undistur%ed year after year$ and %e as tame as )ats. Golly$ I

wish I )ould #o there. 0hat a tiresome nuisan)e :o':o is not to let us use his %oat30e )ould #et to the island in it 1uite easily if the sea was as )alm as it is today. Blow

:o':o3/



The %oy swe!t his #lasses around the 2a##ed )oast$ and then stared hard insur!rise at somethin#. It )ouldn-t %e some%ody rowin# a %oat alon# the )oast$ a%out

a mile or so away. Surely it )ouldn-t. :o':o had said that no%ody %ut himself had a%oat for miles and miles(and Aunt olly had said that no%ody lived anywhere near

,ra##y'To!s at all(not nearer than six or seven miles$ anyway. +And yet there-s someone in a %oat out there on the sea to the west of this )liff$/

said :a)*$ !u&&led. +0ho is it I su!!ose it must %e :o':o./ The man in the %oat was too far away to ma*e out. It mi#ht %e :o':o and it mi#ht

not. :a)* )ame to the )on)lusion that it must %e. He #lan)ed at the sun. It was

!retty hi#h$ so it must %e dinner'time. He-d #o %a)*$ and on the way he would loo*

and see if :o':o-s %oat was tied u! at the usual !la)e. If it was #one$ then the man inthe %oat must %e :o':o.

But the %oat was not #one. It was in its usual !la)e$ firmly tied to its !ost$ ro)*in##ently in the little har%our near the house. And there was :o':o$ too$ )olle)tin#

driftwood from the %ea)h for the *it)hen fire. Then there must %e someone else notfar away who had a %oat of his own.

:a)* ran to tell the others. They were sur!rised and !leased. +0e-ll #o and find outwho he is$ and !al u! with him$ and may%e he-ll ta*e us out fishin# in the %oat$/ said

hili! at on)e. +Good for you$ Fre)*les. 6our old field'#lasses have found out

somethin# %esides %irds for you./ +0e-ll #o and see him tomorrow$/ said :a)*. +0hat I really want is a )han)e to #o

out to the Isle of Gloom and see if there are any rare %irds there. I 2ust feel I must

#o there3 I really have #ot a sort of hun)h a%out it./ +0e won-t tell :o':o we-ve seen someone else with a %oat$/ said 5inah. +He-d only

try to sto! us. He hates us doin# anythin# we li*e./ So nothin# was said to :o':o or to Aunt olly a%out the stran#er in the %oat. The

next day they would find him and tal* to him.But somethin# was to ha!!en %efore the next day )ame.

Chapter 1!

NIGHT A5?ENT48E

THAT ni#ht :a)* )ould not slee!. The moon was full and shone in at his window. Themoonli#ht fell on to his fa)e and he lay there$ starin# at the %i# silvery moon$

thin*in# of the #ulls he had seen #lidin# and )ir)lin# on the wind$ and the %i# %la)*)ormorants that stood on the ro)*s$ their %ea*s wide o!en as they di#ested the fish

they had )au#ht.

He remem%ered the Isle of Gloom$ as he had seen it that mornin#. It loo*edmysterious and ex)itin#(so far away$ and lonely and desolate. 6et !eo!le had lived

there on)e. 0hy did no'one live there now 0as it so desolate that no'one )ouldma*e a livin# there 0hat was it li*e

+I wonder if I )ould !ossi%ly see it toni#ht$ in the li#ht of the full moon$/ thou#ht:a)*. He sli!!ed off the mattress without wa*in# hili!$ and went to the window. He

stared out.The sea was silvery %ri#ht in the moonli#ht. 0here ro)*s )ast shadows$ dee!

%la)* !at)hes lay on the sea. The waters were )almer than usual$ and the wind haddro!!ed. Only a murmur )ame u! to :a)* as he stood at the window.

Then he stared in sur!rise. A sailin#'%oat was )omin# over the water. It was still a#ood way out$ %ut it was ma*in# for the shore. 0hose %oat was it :a)* strained his

eyes %ut )ould not ma*e out. A sailin#'%oat ma*in# for ,ra##y'To!s in the middle of the ni#ht3 It was 1ueer.

+I-ll wa*e Tufty$/ he thou#ht$ and went to the mattress. +Tufty3 hili!3 0a*e u! and



)ome to the window./ In half a minute hili! was wide awa*e$ leanin# out of the narrow window with

:a)*. He too saw the sailin#'%oat$ and #ave a low whistle that awo*e 7i*i and%rou#ht her to :a)*-s shoulder in sur!rise.

+Is it :o':o in the %oat/ wondered hili!. +I )an-t tell if it-s his %oat or not fromhere. Anyway$ let-s #et down to the shore and wat)h it )ome in$ Fre)*les. ,ome on.

I-m sur!rised that :o':o should %e out at ni#ht$ when he-s always tellin# us a%out thin#s- that wander around the )liff in the dar*(%ut !ro%a%ly it isn-t :o':o./

They !ut on shorts and 2erseys$ and their ru%%er shoes$ and made their way down

the s!iral stair. They were soon )lim%in# down the stee! )liff !ath. 4nder the moon

the sailin#'%oat )ame steadily in$ the ni#ht wind %ehind it. +It is :o':o-s %oat$/ said hili! at last. +0e )an see it !lainly now. And there-s :o':o

in it. He-s alone$ %ut he-s #ot a )ar#o of some sort./ +"ay%e he-s %een fishin#$/ said :a)*. +9et-s #ive him a fri#ht$ hili!./

The %oys )re!t u! to where the %oat was headin#. :o':o was furlin# the sail. Thenhe %e#an to row to the shore$ towards the little har%our where he always tied u! his

%oat. The %oys )rou)hed down %ehind a ro)*. :o':o %rou#ht the %i# %oat safely in$and then tied the ro!e to the !ost. He turned to !ull out whatever )ar#o he had(and

at that very moment the %oys 2um!ed out at him$ #ivin# 8ed Indian whoo!s and

ro)*in# the %oat violently.:o':o was ta*en unawares$ lost his %alan)e and fell into the water$ #oin#

over%oard with a terrifi) s!lash. He )ame u! at on)e$ his fa)e #leamin# in the

moonli#ht. The %oys did not li*e the ex!ression on it. :o':o )lim%ed out of the water$shoo* himself li*e a do#$ and !i)*ed u! a thi)* ro!e'end.

+Golly(he-s #oin# to li)* us$/ said :a)* to hili!. +,ome on(we must run for it./ But the way to the house was %arred %y the %i# !owerful %ody of the %la)* man$

swin#in# his ro!e'end. +Now I-ll show you what ha!!ens to %oys who )ome s!yin# around at ni#ht$/ he

said %etween his teeth. :a)* tried to dod#e %y$ %ut :o':o )au#ht hold of him. Heswun# the ro!e'end into the air and :a)* #ave a yell. At the same moment hili!

)har#ed :o':o full in the middle$ and the %la)* man #as!ed for %reath$ and let #o of

:a)*. The %oys s!ed off over the %ea)h at on)e$ headin# away from the stee! )liff !ath that led to the house. :o':o was after them immediately.

+The tide-s )omin# in$/ #as!ed :a)*$ as he felt water runnin# over his an*les. +0emust turn %a)*. 0e-ll %e )au#ht %y the tide and !ounded a#ainst the ro)*s./

+0e )an-t turn %a)*. 0e shall %e li)*ed %la)* and %lue %y :o':o$/ !anted hili!. +:a)*(ma*e for that )ave. 0e )an !erha!s )ree! u! that se)ret !assa#e. 0e sim!ly

must. I really don-t *now what :o':o mi#htn-t do if he was in a ra#e. He mi#ht even

*ill us./ @uite terrified now$ the %oys floundered into the )ave$ the waves runnin# round

their an*les. :o':o )ame s!lashin# %ehind them. Ah(he had #ot those %oys now30ait till he had done with them3 They wouldn-t leave their %eds a#ain at ni#ht3

The %oys found the hole in the floor of the )ave they were loo*in# for anddisa!!eared down it into the dar*ness of the se)ret !assa#e. They heard :o':o

%reathin# heavily outside in the u!!er )ave. They ho!ed and !rayed he would notsli! down the hole too.

He didn-t. He stood outside %y the entran)e$ waitin# for the %oys to )ome out. Hehad no idea there was a se)ret !assa#e there. He stood$ !antin# heavily$ the ro!e'

end in his hand. A %i# wave )overed his *nees. :o':o muttered somethin#. The tidewas )omin# in ra!idly. If those %oys didn-t )ome out immediately they would %e

tra!!ed there for the ni#ht.Another wave ran u!$ almost as hi#h as the %la)* man-s waist. It was su)h a

!owerful wave that :o':o at on)e left the )ave entran)e and tried to ma*e his way





to %elieve his eyes and ears. +0here else should we slee!/ said hili! im!udently. +On the Isle of Gloom/

:o':o turned away$ !u&&led and ta*en a%a)*. It )ouldn-t have %een these two %oyslast ni#ht. It was true he had not seen their fa)es )learly$ %ut he had felt )ertain they

were hili! and :a)*. But now that was !lainly im!ossi%le. No'one )ould have #ot outof those )aves at hi#h tide(and yet here were the %oys. It was distur%in# and

!u&&lin#. :o':o didn-t li*e it. +I-ll #o down to those )aves now and wat)h to see who )omes out$/ he thou#ht at

last. +Then I-ll *now who it was s!yin# on me last ni#ht./

So down he went(%ut thou#h he wat)hed for two hours$ no%ody )ame from the

)aves. 0hi)h was not very sur!risin#$ %e)ause there was no%ody there. +:o':o 2ust sim!ly )an-t understand it$/ said :a)*$ #rinnin#$ as he wat)hed the

%la)* man from the )liff !ath. +0hat a #ood thin# we didn-t tell anyone a%out these)ret !assa#e3 It )ame in mi#hty useful last ni#ht./

+He-ll thin* you and hili! were two of the thin#s- he-s always tryin# to fri#hten uswith$/ said 5inah. +Silly old :o':o3 He must thin* we are %a%ies to %e fri#htened of

anythin# he would say./ +0hat are we #oin# to do today when we-ve finished our 2o%s/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann$

!olishin# the lam! she had %een )leanin#. +It-s su)h a fine day. ,an-t we #o for a

!i)ni)(wal* over the )liff and alon# the )oast/ +Oh yes(and we-ll see if we )an find that man I saw in a %oat yesterday$/ said

:a)*$ remem%erin#. +That would %e fine. "ay%e he-ll let us #o in his %oat. 5inah$ as*

your Aunt olly if we )an ta*e our dinner with us./ Aunt olly said yes$ and in a%out half an hour they set off$ !assin# :o':o on the

way. He was now wor*in# in his allotment$ over the ed#e of the )liff$ %ehind thehouse.

+5id you have a #ood ni#ht$ :o':o/ yelled hili!. +5id you slee! all ni#ht lon#$ li*ea #ood %oy/

:o':o s)owled and made a threatenin# noise. 7i*i imitated him$ and he %ent downto !i)* u! a stone to throw at her.

+Nau#hty %oy3/ s)ree)hed 7i*i$ flyin# hi#h into the air. +Nau#hty$ nau#hty %oy3 Go

to %ed at on)e$ nau#hty %oy3/

Chapter 11

BI99 S"4GS

+0HE8EABO4TS did you see the stran#e %oat$ Fre)*les/ as*ed hili!$ as they went

over the )liffs. +Over there$ %eyond those ro)*s that 2ut out$/ said :a)*$ !ointin#. +@uite a %i#

%oat$ really. I wonder where it-s *e!t when it-s not in use. Some%ody must live fairlynear it(%ut I )ouldn-t see any houses./

+There aren-t any !ro!er houses near$/ said hili!. +eo!le used to live a%out herea#es a#o$ %ut there was fi#htin# and %urnin#$ and now there are only ruined !la)es.

But there mi#ht %e a tum%ledown sha)* of some sort$ all ri#ht for a man who wantsa lonely *ind of holiday./

They wal*ed on over the )liffs$ 7i*i sailin# u! into the air every now and a#ain to 2oin a sur!rised #ull$ and ma*in# noises exa)tly li*e the sea'%irds$ %ut more !ier)in#.

hili! )olle)ted a lar#e and unusual )ater!illar from a %ush$ mu)h to 5inah-sdismay$ and !ut a li&ard into his !o)*et. After that 5inah wal*ed a #ood distan)e

from him$ and even 9u)y'Ann was a %it wary. 9u)y'Ann did not mind live )reatures as5inah did$ %ut she wasn-t !arti)ularly anxious to %e as*ed to )arry li&ards or

)ater!illars$ as she mi#ht 1uite well %e re1uested to do if hili! de)ided to ta*e home



some other )reature that$ if !ut in his !o)*et$ mi#ht eat the )ater!illar or li&ardalready there3

They all wal*ed on ha!!ily$ en2oyin# the rou#h sea %ree&e$ the salty smell of thesea$ and the sound of the waves a#ainst the ro)*s %elow. The #rass was s!rin#y

%eneath their feet$ and the air was full of #lidin# %irds. This was a lovely holiday$lovely$ lovely3

They )ame to a 2uttin# !art of the )liff and wal*ed out almost to the ed#e. +I )an-tsee si#ns of any %oat on the water at all$/ said :a)*.

+6ou-re sure you didn-t ima#ine it/ said hili!. +It-s funny there-s not a thin# to %e

seen today(a %oat is not an easy thin# to hide./

+There-s a sort of )ove down there$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ !ointin# to where the )liff turned in a little$ and there was a small %ea)h of shinin# sand. +9et-s #o down and

!i)ni) there$ shall we 0e )an %athe first. It-s awfully windy u! here= I )an hardly #etmy %reath to tal*./

They %e#an to )lim% down the stee! and ro)*y )liff. The %oys went first and the#irls followed$ sli!!in# a little now and a#ain. But they were all #ood )lim%ers$ and

rea)hed the %ottom of the )liff in safety.Here it was sheltered from the rushin# wind and was warm and 1uiet. The )hildren

sli!!ed off their 2erseys and shorts and went into the water to %athe. hili!$ who was

a #ood swimmer$ swam ri#ht out to some %la)* ro)*s that stu)* out from the water$hi#h and for%iddin#. He rea)hed them$ and )lim%ed u! to rest for a while.

And then he suddenly saw a %oat$ on the other side of the ro)*s3 There was a flat

stret)h there$ and on it$ !ulled u! out of rea)h of the waves$ was the %oat that :a)*had seen on the sea the day %efore. No'one )ould !ossi%ly see the %oat unless he$

li*e hili!$ ha!!ened to %e on those !arti)ular ro)*s$ for$ from the shore$ the hi#hro)*s hid the flat stret)h fa)in# seawards$ where the %oat lay.

+0hew3/ whistled hili! in sur!rise. He #ot u! and went over to the %oat. It was afine %oat with a sail$ and was almost as %i# as :o':o-s. It was )alled "he #l$atross.

There were two !airs of oars in it. +0ell3/ said hili!$ sur!rised. +0hat a 1ueer !la)e to *ee! a %oat(ri#ht out here

on these ro)*s3 0hoever owns it would have to swim out whenever he wanted to #et

it. Funny3/ He shouted to the others. +The %oat-s here(on these ro)*s. ,ome and see it./

Soon all the )hildren were examinin# the %oat. +That-s the one I saw$/ said :a)*. +But where-s the owner There-s no si#n of him anywhere./

+0e-ll have our lun)h and then we-ll have a #ood loo*'see$/ said hili!. +,ome on$#irls(%a)* to the shore we-ll #o. Then we-ll se!arate after our !i)ni) and hunt round

!ro!erly for the man who owns this %oat./

They swam %a)* to the shore$ too* off their wet thin#s$ set them out to dry in thesun and !ut on their dry )lothes. Then they sat down to en2oy the sandwi)hes$

)ho)olate and fruit that Aunt olly had !re!ared for them. They lolled in the sun$tired with their swim$ hun#ry and thirsty$ en2oyin# the food immensely.

+Food-s #or#eous when you-re really hun#ry$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ ta*in# a hu#e %ite ather sandwi)h.

+I always am hun#ry$/ said :a)*. +Shut u!$ 7i*i(that-s the %est !art of my a!!leyou-ve !e)*ed. I-ve #ot some sunflower seeds for you in my !o)*et. ,an-t you wait/

+0hat a !ity$ what a !ity3/ said 7i*i$ imitatin# Aunt olly when somethin# wentwron#. +0hat a !ity$ what a !ity$ what a . . ./

+Oh$ sto! her$/ said 5inah$ who *new that the !arrot was 1uite )a!a%le of re!eatin# a %rand'new senten)e a hundred times without sto!!in#. +Here$ 7i*i(have

a %ite of my a!!le$ do./ That sto!!ed 7i*i$ and she ran her %ea* into the a!!le in deli#ht$ !e)*in# out a %it

that *e!t her %usy for some time.



A 1uarrel nearly %lew u! %etween 5inah and hili! over the lar#e )ater!illar whi)hmade its way out of the %oy-s !o)*et$ over the sand$ towards 5inah. She #ave a

shrie*$ and was a%out to hurl a lar#e shell at hili! when :a)* !i)*ed u! the)ater!illar and !ut it %a)* into hili!-s !o)*et.

+No harm done$ 5inah$/ he said. +7ee! your hair on3 5on-t let-s start a free fi#htnow. 9et-s have a !ea)eful day./

They finished u! every )rum% of the lun)h. +The #ulls won-t #et mu)h$/ said hili!la&ily$ sha*in# out the !a!ers$ then foldin# them u! and !uttin# them into his !o)*et. +9oo* at that youn# #ull(it-s as tame as anythin#./

+I wish I had my )amera here$/ said :a)* lon#in#ly$ wat)hin# the enormous youn#

#ull wal*in# very near. +I )ould #et a marvellous sna! of him. I haven-t ta*en any%ird !i)tures yet. I really must. I-ll find my )amera tomorrow./

+,ome on$/ said 5inah$ 2um!in# u!. +If we-re #oin# to do a s!ot of man'huntin#$we-d %etter %e#in. I %et I find the stran#e %oatman first./

They se!arated$ :a)* and hili! #oin# one way and the #irls #oin# the other. Theywal*ed on the sandy little %ea)h$ *ee!in# )lose to the ro)*y )liffs. The #irls found

that they )ould not #et very far$ %e)ause stee! ro)*s %arred their way after a %it$ andthey had to turn %a)*.

But the %oys mana#ed to #et !ast the !ie)e of )liff that 2utted out and sheltered

the little )ove they had %een !i)ni)*in# in. On the other side of the )liff was another)ove$ with no %ea)h at all$ merely flattish ro)*s that shelved u!wards to the )liff. The%oys )lam%ered over these ro)*s$ examinin# the )reatures in the !ools as they went.

hili! added a sea'snail to the )olle)tion in his !o)*et. +There-s a %rea* in the )liff 2ust over there$/ said :a)*. +9et-s ex!lore it./

They made their way towards the #a! in the )liff. It was mu)h wider than theyex!e)ted when they #ot there. A stream tri)*led over the ro)*s towards the sea$

runnin# down from somewhere half'way u! the )liff. +"ust %e s!rin#'water$/ said :a)*$ and tasted it. +6es$ it is. Hallo(loo*$ Tufty3/

hili! loo*ed to where :a)* !ointed$ and saw floatin# in a !ool a )i#arette'end$almost fallin# to !ie)es.

+Someone-s %een here$ and 1uite re)ently too$/ said :a)*$ +else the tide would

have )arried that )i#arette'end away. This is ex)itin#./ 0ith the )i#arette'end as a !roof of someone-s nearness$ the %oys went on more

ea#erly still. They )ame to the wide )ra)* in the )liff(and there$ a little way u!$ %uilt)lose a#ainst the ro)*y slo!e$ was a tum%ledown hut. The %a)* of it was made of the

)liff itself. The roof had %een rou#hly mended. The walls were fallin# to !ie)es hereand there$ and$ in winter$ it would have %een 1uite im!ossi%le to live in it. But

someone was )ertainly livin# there now$ for outside$ s!read over a stunted %ush$ was

a shirt set out to dry. +9oo*$/ said :a)*$ in a whis!er. +That-s where our %oatman lives. 0hat a lovely

hidie'hole he-s found3/ The %oys went 1uietly u! to the tum%ledown hut. It was very$ very old$ and had

!ro%a%ly on)e %elon#ed to a lonely fisherman. A whistlin# )ame from inside the hut. +5o we *no)* at the door/ said hili!$ with a nervous #i##le. But at that moment

someone )ame out of the o!en doorway and )au#ht si#ht of the %oys. He stood#a!in# in #reat sur!rise.

The %oys stared %a)* without a word. They rather li*ed the loo* of the stran#er.He wore shorts and a rou#h shirt$ o!en at the ne)*. He had a red$ 2olly fa)e$

twin*lin# eyes$ and a head that was %ald on the to!$ %ut had !lenty of hair round thesides. He was tall and stron#'loo*in#$ and his )hin 2utted out %elow his )lean'shaven

mouth. +Hallo$/ he said. +,omin# visitin# How ni)e3/

+I saw you out in your %oat yesterday$/ said :a)*. +So we )ame to see if we )ould



find you./ +?ery friendly of you$/ said the man. +And who are you/

+0e-re from ,ra##y'To!s$ the house a%out a mile and a half away$/ said hili!. +Idon-t ex!e)t you *now it./

+6es$ I do$/ said the man unex!e)tedly. +But I thou#ht only #rown'u!s lived there(a man and a woman(and a %la)* servant./

+0ell$ usually only #rown'u!s do live there$/ said hili!. +But in the hols my sisterand I )ome there too$ to stay with our Aunt olly and 4n)le :o)elyn. And these holstwo friends of ours )ame too. This is one of them(:a)* Trent. His sister 9u)y'Ann is

somewhere a%out. I-m hili! "annerin# and my sister is 5inah(she-s with 9u)y'

Ann./ +I-m Bill Smu#s$/ said the man$ smilin# at all this sudden information. +And I live

here alone./ +Have you 2ust suddenly )ome here/ as*ed :a)*$ in )uriosity.

+@uite suddenly$/ said the man. +:ust an idea of mine$ you *now./ +Not mu)h to )ome for here$/ said hili!. +0hy did you )ome/

The man hesitated for a moment. +0ell$/ he said$ +I-m a %ird'wat)her. Interestedin %irds$ you *now. And there are a #reat many unusual %irds here./

+Oh3/ )ried :a)*$ in the #reatest deli#ht. +5o you li*e %irds too I-m mad on them.

Always have %een. I-ve seen )rowds here that I-ve only seen in %oo*s %efore./ And then the %oy !lun#ed into a list of the unusual %irds he had seen$ ma*in#

hili! yawn. Bill Smu#s listened$ %ut did not say very mu)h. He seemed amused at

:a)*-s enthusiasm. +0hat !arti)ular %ird did you ho!e to see here$ "r. Smu#s/ as*ed :a)*$ sto!!in#

at last.Bill Smu#s seemed to )onsider. +0ell$/ he said$ +I rather ho!ed I mi#ht see a

Great Au*./ :a)* loo*ed at him in astonished silen)e that )han#ed to awe. +The Great Au*3/ he

said$ in a voi)e mixed with sur!rise and wonder. +But(%ut isn-t it extin)t Surelythere are no Great Au*s left now Golly(did you really thin* you mi#ht see one/

+6ou never *now$/ said Bill Smu#s. +There mi#ht %e one or two left somewhere(

and thin* what a s)oo! it would %e to dis)over them3/ :a)* went %ri)*'red with ex)itement. He loo*ed out over the sea towards the

west$ where the Isle of Gloom lay hidden in a ha&e. +I %et you thou#ht there mi#ht %e a )han)e of them on a desolate island li*e that$/

he said$ !ointin# to the west. +6ou *now(the Isle of Gloom. 6ou-ve heard a%out it$ Iex!e)t./

+6es$ I have$/ said Bill Smu#s. +I )ertainly have. I-d li*e to #o there. But it-s

im!ossi%le$ I %elieve./ +0ould you ta*e us out in your %oat sometimes/ as*ed hili!. +:o':o$ our %la)*

servant$ has a fine %oat$ %ut he won-t let us use it$ and we-d love to #o fishin#sometimes$ and sailin# too. 5o you thin* it-s awful )hee* to as* you But I ex!e)t

you find it a %it lonely here$ don-t you/ +Sometimes$/ said Bill Smu#s. +6es$ we-ll #o fishin# and sailin# to#ether(you and

your sisters too. It would %e fun. 0e-ll see how near we )an #o to the Isle of Gloomtoo$ shall we/

The two %oys were thrilled. At last they )ould sail a %oat. 0hat a sell for old :o':o3They went off to )all the #irls.

+Hi$ 5inah3 Hi$ 9u)y'Ann3/ yelled :a)*. +,ome and %e introdu)ed to our new friend(Bill Smu#s3/

Chapter 12



A T8EAT(AN5 A S488ISE FO8 :O':O

BI99 S"4GS !roved to %e a fine friend. He was a 2olly fellow$ always ready for a 2o*e$!atient with 7i*i$ and even more !atient with hili!-s ever')han#in# )olle)tion of

1ueer !ets. He did not even say anythin# when hili!-s latest !ossession$ an extra'lar#e s!ider$ ran u! the le# of his shorts. He merely !ut his hand u!$ too* hold of the

wri##lin# s!ider$ and de!osited it on hili!-s *nee.5inah$ of )ourse$ was nearly in hysteri)s$ %ut mer)ifully the s!ider de)ided that

)a!tivity was %orin#$ ran into a ro)* )revi)e and disa!!eared.

The )hildren visited Bill Smu#s nearly every day. They went fishin# in his %oat and

%rou#ht home marvellous )at)hes that made :o':o-s mouth fall o!en in ama&ement.Bill showed them how to sail the %oat too$ and soon the four )hildren )ould mana#e

it !erfe)tly well themselves. It was #reat fun sailin# a%out in a #ood stron# %ree&e. +Almost as fast as a motor'%oat$/ said hili! in #lee. +Bill$ I am #lad we found

you./ To :a)*-s disa!!ointment Bill Smu#s did not seem to want to tal* endlessly a%out

%irds$ nor did he want to #o off with :a)* and wat)h the %irds on the )liffs or on thesea. He was 1uite willin# to listen to :a)* ravin# a%out %irds$ thou#h$ and !rodu)ed

many fine new %ird %oo*s for him$ whi)h he said :a)* )ould *ee! for himself.

+But they-re new$/ !rotested :a)*. +9oo*$ the !a#es of this one haven-t even %een)ut(you-ve not read them yourself$ sir. 6ou read them first./

+No$ you )an have them$/ said Bill Smu#s$ li#htin# his )i#arette. +There-s a %it

a%out the Great Au* in one of them. I-m afraid we shall never find that %ird after all.No'one has seen it for a%out a hundred years./

+It mi%ht %e on the Isle of Gloom(or on some e1ually deserted$ desolate island$/ said :a)* ho!efully. +I do wish we )ould #o there and see. I %et there would %e

thousands of fri#htfully tame %irds there$ sir./ This eternal tal* a%out %irds always %ored 5inah. She )han#ed the su%2e)t.

+6ou should have seen :o':o-s fa)e when we %rou#ht in our )at)h of fishyesterday$/ she said$ with a #rin. +He said$ 6ou never )au#ht those from the ro)*s.

6ou-ve %een out in a %oat.- /

+6ou didn-t tell him you had/ said Bill Smu#s at on)e. 5inah shoo* her head. +No$/ she said. +He-d try to s!oil our !leasure if he *new we used your %oat./

+5o your un)le and aunt *now you-ve met me/ as*ed Bill. 5inah shoo* her heada#ain.

+0hy/ she as*ed. +5on-t you want them to *now 0hat does it matter whetherthey do or not/

+0ell$/ said Bill Smu#s$ s)rat)hin# the %ald to! of his head$ +I )ame here to %e

alone(and to wat)h the %irds(and I don-t want !eo!le )omin# round s!oilin# thin#sfor me. I don-t mind you )hildren$ of )ourse. 6ou-re fun./

Bill Smu#s lived all alone in the tum%ledown hut. He had a )omforta%le )ar$ whi)hhe *e!t under a tar!aulin at the to! of the )liff$ in as sheltered a !la)e as !ossi%le.

He went into the nearest town to do his sho!!in# whenever he wanted to. He had%rou#ht a mattress and other thin#s to the hut$ to ma*e it as )omforta%le as he

)ould.The )hildren were thrilled when they *new he. had a )ar as well as a %oat. They

%e##ed him to ta*e them out in it next time he went. +I want to %uy a tor)h$/ said :a)*. +6ou remem%er that 1ueer se)ret !assa#e we

told you a%out$ Bill 0ell$ it-s diffi)ult to #o u! it )arryin# a )andle(a tor)h would %emu)h handier. I )ould %uy one if you-d ta*e me in your )ar./

+I-d li*e one too$/ said hili!. +And$ :a)*(you said you wanted some )amera film$%e)ause you-d left yours %ehind at "r. 8oy-s. 6ou )an-t ta*e !hoto#ra!hs of %irds

unless we #et some. 6ou )ould #et that too./



The #irls wanted thin#s as well$ so Bill Smu#s a#reed to ta*e them the next day.They all )rowded into the )ar in ex)itement the followin# mornin#.

+:o':o-s #oin# into the town as well today$/ said 5inah$ with a #i##le. +It would %efunny if we saw him$ wouldn-t it He would #et a sur!rise./

Bill Smu#s- )ar was really a %eauty. The %oys$ who *new a%out )ars$ examined itin deli#ht.

+It-s new$/ said :a)*. +This year-s$ and a 2olly fast one. Bill$ are you very ri)h This)ar must have )ost a lot of money. 6ou must %e awfully well'off./

+Not very$/ said Bill$ with a #rin. +Now(off we #o./

And off they went$ )ruisin# very swiftly$ on)e they left the %ad )oast road %ehind.

The )ar was well's!run#$ and seemed to sur#e alon#. +Golly$ isn-t it different from Aunt olly-s old )ar that :o':o drives3/ said 5inah$

en2oyin# herself. +It won-t ta*e us any time to #et to the town./ They were very soon there. Bill Smu#s !ar*ed the )ar$ and then went off %y

himself$ after arran#in# with the )hildren to meet them for lun)h at a very #randhotel.

+I wonder where he-s #one$/ said :a)*$ starin# after him. +0e mi#ht 2ust as wellhave *e!t all to#ether. I wanted to #o to that stuffed'animal sho! with him$ and see

some of the stuffed %irds there./

+0ell$ you )ould see he didn-t want us$/ said 5inah$ who was disa!!ointed too.She was very fond of Bill Smu#s now and had saved u! some money to %uy him ani)e')ream. +I ex!e)t he has #ot %usiness of his own to do./

+0hat is his %usiness/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann. +He must do somethin# %esides %ird'wat)hin#$ I should thin*. Not that he does mu)h of that$ now that he *nows us./

+He never said what his wor* was$/ said :a)*. +Anyway$ why should he He-s notli*e us$ always wantin# to %lurt out everythin#. Grown'u!s are different. ,ome on(

let-s find a sho! that sells tor)hes./ They found one that had extremely ni)e !o)*et tor)hes$ small and neat. The %eam

was stron#$ and the %oys )ould well ima#ine how the dar* se)ret !assa#e would %eli#hted u!$ on)e they turned on their tor)hes. They ea)h %ou#ht a tor)h$ the #irls

too.

+Then we needn-t li#ht our %edroom )andles at ni#ht$/ said 5inah. +0e )an useour tor)hes-./

They went to %uy rolls of film to fit :a)*-s )amera. They %ou#ht sweets and%is)uits$ and a small %ottle of stron#'smellin# s)ent for Aunt olly.

+Now we-d %etter #et some sunflower seeds for 7i*i$/ said :a)*. 7i*i #ave as1uaw*. She was on :a)*-s shoulder as usual$ %ehavin# very well for on)e. Every

!asser%y stared at her in sur!rise$ of )ourse$ and the !arrot en2oyed this very mu)h.

But$ ex)e!t for sternly tellin# a sur!rised errand'%oy to sto! whistlin# at on)e$ 7i*ihardly said a word. She was !leased with the sunflower seeds$ whi)h she adored$

and #o%%led u! a few in the sho!.The )hildren loo*ed in the sho!s for a time$ waitin# for one o-)lo)* to )ome$ so

that they mi#ht 2oin Bill Smu#s at the hotel. And then$ 1uite suddenly$ they saw :o':o.

He was )omin# alon# the street in the old )ar$ hootin# at a woman )rossin# theroad. The )hildren )lut)hed one another$ wonderin# if he would see them$ half ho!in#

that he would.And he did. He )au#ht si#ht of hili! first$ then saw :a)* with 7i*i on his shoulder$

and then the two #irls %ehind. He was so over)ome with ama&ement that he let the)ar swerve a)ross the road$ almost *no)*in# down a !oli)eman.

+Here$ you3 0hat do you thin* you-re doin#/ yelled the !oli)eman an#rily. :o':omuttered an a!olo#y$ and then loo*ed for the )hildren a#ain.

+5on-t run away$/ said :a)* to the others. +He )an-t )hase us in the )ar. :ust wal*



alon# and ta*e no noti)e of him./ So they wal*ed down the street$ tal*in# to#ether$ !retendin# not to see :o':o and

ta*in# no noti)e at all of his shouts.:o':o sim!ly )ould not %elieve his eyes. How did the )hildren #et here There was

no %us$ no train$ no )oa)h they )ould ta*e. They had no %i)y)les. It was too far forthem to have wal*ed there in the time. Then how was it they were here

The %la)* man hurried to !ar* his )ar$ meanin# to #o after the )hildren and1uestion them. He !ar*ed it and 2um!ed out. He ran after the four )hildren$ %ut atthat moment they rea)hed the very #rand hotel where they had arran#ed to meet

Bill Smu#s$ and ran u! the ste!s.

:o':o did not dare to follow the )hildren into the #rand hotel. He stood at the%ottom of the %i# fli#ht of ste!s$ loo*in# after them in annoyed sur!rise. It was

astonishin# enou#h to find them in the town(%ut even more astonishin# to findthem disa!!earin# into the most ex!ensive hotel in the !la)e.

:o':o sat down at the %ottom of the ste!s. He meant to wait till they )ame out.Then he would !a)* them into his )ar and ta*e them home$ and tell "iss olly where

he-d found them. She wouldn-t %e %est !leased to hear they were wastin# hard'earned money at ex!ensive hotels$ when they )ould easily ta*e a !a)*et of

sandwi)hes with them.

The )hildren #i##led as they ran u! the ste!s. Bill Smu#s was waitin# for them inthe loun#e. He showed the #irls where to wash and do their hair. They all metto#ether a#ain in a few minutes and went into the restaurant to have lun)h.

It was a ma#nifi)ent lun)h. The )hildren ate everythin# !ut in front of them$ andfinished u! with the %i##est i)e')reams they had ever seen.

+Oh$ Bill$ that was #rand$/ said 5inah$ sin*in# %a)* into her )omforta%le )hair witha si#h. +Sim!ly marvellous. A real treat. Than*s awfully./

+I thin* you must %e a millionaire$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ wat)hin# Bill )ount out notes tothe waiter in !ayment of the %ill. +Golly$ I-ve eaten so mu)h that I feel I really )an-t

#et u! and wal*./ :a)* remem%ered :o':o$ and wondered if the %la)* man was wat)hin# for them.

He #ot u! to see.

He !ee!ed out of a window that loo*ed on to the hotel-s main entran)e. He saw:o':o sittin# !atiently down at the %ottom of the ste!s. :a)* went %a)* to the others$

#rinnin#. +Is there a %a)* entran)e to this hotel/ he as*ed Bill Smu#s. Bill loo*ed

sur!rised. +6es$/ he said. +0hy/

+Be)ause dear :o':o is sittin# outside the hotel entran)e waitin# for us$/ said :a)*.

Bill nodded$ understandin#. +0ell$ we-ll de!art 1uietly %y the %a)* entran)e$/ he said. +,ome on. It-s time we

went$ anyway. Got all you wanted from the sho!s/ +6es$/ said the )hildren$ and troo!ed out after him. He led them to the %a)* of the

hotel$ and out of a door there into a 1uiet street. He too* them to where he had!ar*ed his )ar$ and they all #ot in$ ha!!y at havin# had su)h a lovely day.

They s!ed %a)* to the )oast$ and #ot out of the )ar at the nearest !oint to,ra##y'To!s. They hurried over the )liff$ ea#er to #et %a)* %efore :o':o did.

:o':o did not arrive until a%out an hour later$ loo*in# dour and #rim. He !ut awaythe )ar and went to the house. The first thin# he saw was the #rou! of four )hildren

!layin# down on the ro)*s. He stood and stared in an#ry astonishment.There was a mystery somewhere. And :o':o meant to find out what it was. He

wasn-t #oin# to %e !u&&led and defeated %y four )hildren. Not he3



Chapter 13:O':O IS T8I,7E5 AGAIN

:O':O thou#ht a%out the mystery of the )hildren %ein# in the town$ with$ as far as he

*new$ no !ossi%le way of #ettin# there(ex)e!t %y wal*in#$ and this they had nothad time to do. He )ame to the )on)lusion that they must *now someone who #ave

them a lift there.So he set himself to wat)h the )hildren )losely. He mana#ed to find 2o%s that

always too* him near them. If they went down to the shore$ :o':o would %e there$

)olle)tin# driftwood. If they stayed in the house$ :o':o stayed too. If they went u! on

the )liff$ :o':o followed. It was most annoyin# for the )hildren. +He-ll follow us and find out a%out Bill Smu#s and his %oat and )ar$/ said 9u)y'Ann.

+0e haven-t %een a%le to #o and see him at all today(and if he #oes on li*e this weshan-t %e a%le to #o tomorrow either./

It was im!ossi%le to #ive :o':o the sli!. He was very )lever at *ee!in# a wat)h onthe )hildren$ and soon they #rew an#ry. The two #irls went u! into the tower'room

with the %oys that ni#ht and dis)ussed the matter to#ether.“I *now$/ said :a)* suddenly. +I *now how we )an #ive him the sli! !ro!erly$ and

!u&&le him terri%ly./

+How/ as*ed the others. +0hy$ we-ll all #o into the )aves$/ said :a)*. +And we-ll sli! down the hole into the

se)ret !assa#e$ and #o u! to ,ra##y'To!s )ellar$ sli! out of there whilst :o':o is

waitin# down on the %ea)h for us$ and #o over the )liffs to Bill./ +Oooh$ that is a #ood idea$/ said hili!. The #irls were dou%tful a%out it$ for they

neither of them li*ed the idea of the se)ret !assa#e very mu)h. Still(they all hadtor)hes now$ and it would %e a #ood )han)e to use them.

So next day$ with :o':o )lose on their heels$ the four )hildren and 7i*i went downto the %ea)h.

+:o':o$ for #oodness- sa*e leave us alone$/ said hili!. +0e-re #oin# into the )aves$and no harm )an )ome to us there. Go away3/

+"iss olly said I was to *ee! an eye on you$/ re!eated :o':o. He had told the

)hildren this times without num%er$ %ut they *new it wasn-t the real reason. :o':oen2oyed ma*in# himself a nuisan)e. He wanted to !o*e his nose into everythin# they

did.They went into the )aves. :o':o wandered outside$ !uttin# driftwood into his sa)*.

The )hildren all sli!!ed down the hole that led to the se)ret !assa#e$ and then$ withtheir tor)hes swit)hed on$ they made their way alon# it.

The #irls didn-t li*e it at all. They hated the smell$ and when they found that in

one !art it was diffi)ult to %reathe they were afraid. +0ell$ it-s no #ood #oin# %a)*$/ said hili!$ #ivin# 5inah a shove to ma*e her #o

on. +0e-ve )ome more than half'way now. 5o #o on$ 5inah. 6ou-re holdin# us u!./ +5on-t !ush3/ said 5inah. +I shall sto! if I want to./

+Oh$ shut u! ar#uin#$ you two$/ #roaned :a)*. +I %elieve you-d start a 1uarrel if you were in a shi! that was 2ust a%out to sin*$ or an aero!lane a%out to )rash. Get

on$ 5inah$ and don-t %e an idiot./ 5inah was a%out to start an ar#ument with :a)* too$ when 7i*i #ave a mournful

)ou#h$ so exa)tly li*e :o':o-s that the )hildren at first thou#ht the %la)* man musthave found the !assa#e$ and all of them$ 5inah as well$ hurried forward at on)e.

+It-s all ri#ht(it was only that wret)h 7i*i$/ said :a)*$ relieved$ as 7i*i )ou#heda#ain. They !ushed on$ and at last )ame to the end of the !assa#e. They all stared

at the tra!'door a%ove their heads$ %ri#htly lit %y the li#ht of their four tor)hes.4! it went$ and over with a )rash. The %oys )lim%ed u! to the )ellar floor and then

hel!ed the #irls u!. They shut the tra!'door$ went to the )ellar door$ whi)h was shut$



and !ushed it o!en. The %oxes on the other side fell over a#ain with a familiar)rashin# noise.

The )hildren went throu#h the door$ shut it$ !iled the %oxes u! a#ain$ and thenwent u! the )ellar ste!s to the %i# *it)hen. No'one was there. That was lu)*y.

Out they went$ and u! to the )liff. 7ee!in# to the !ath$ where they were wellhidden from the shore %elow$ they hurried off to find their friend Bill Smu#s. They

#rinned to thin* of dear :o':o waitin# down on the %ea)h for them to )ome out of the)aves.

Bill Smu#s was tin*erin# with his %oat. He waved )heerily as they all )ame u!.

+Hallo$/ he said$ +why didn-t you )ome and see me yesterday I missed you./

+It was %e)ause of :o':o$/ said :a)*. +He *ee!s followin# us around li*e a shadow.I thin* he !ro%a%ly sus!e)ts we have a friend who has a )ar$ and he means to find

out who it is./ +0ell$ don-t tell him anythin#$/ said Bill 1ui)*ly. +7ee! thin#s to yourself. I don-t

want :o':o !ryin# around here. He doesn-t sound at all a ni)e !erson./ +0hat are you doin# to your %oat/ as*ed :a)*. +Are you #oin# out in it/

+I thou#ht I would$/ said Bill. +It-s a fine day$ the sea is fairly )alm$ yet there-s ani)e %ree&e(and I half thou#ht I mi#ht sail near to the Isle of Gloom./

There was an ex)ited silen)e. The Isle of Gloom3 All the )hildren wanted to see it

)lose to(and :a)* %adly wanted to land there. If only Bill would ta*e them with him3:a)* loo*ed out to the west. He )ould not see the island$ for on)e a#ain there was

a low heat'ha&e on the sea. But he *new exa)tly where it was. His heart %eat fast.

The Great Au* mi#ht %e there. Anyway$ even if it wasn-t$ all *inds of other sea'%irdswould %e there(and !ro%a%ly as tame as anythin#. He )ould ta*e his )amera(he

)ould . . . +Bill(!lease$ !lease ta*e us with you3/ %e##ed 9u)y'Ann. +Oh$ do3 0e-ll %e very

#ood$ and you *now$ now that you have tau#ht us how to sail a %oat$ we )an reallyhel!./

+0ell(I meant to ta*e you$/ said Bill$ li#htin# a )i#arette$ and smilin# round at the)hildren. +I wanted to #o yesterday$ and when you didn-t )ome$ I !ut the tri! off till

today. 0e-ll #o this afternoon$ and ta*e our tea with us. 6ou-ll have to #ive :o':o the

sli! a#ain. He mustn-t see you sailin# off in my %oat or he-d !ro%a%ly try to sto!you./

+Oh$ Bill3 0e-ll %e alon# first thin# this afternoon$/ said :a)*$ his eyes #leamin#very #reen.

+Than*s most aw&ully,” said hili!. +Shall we really see the Isle of Gloom )lose to/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann$ in ex)itement.

+,an-t we land there/ said 5inah.

+I don-t thin* so$/ said Bill. +6ou see$ there is a rin# of dan#erous ro)*s around it$and althou#h there may on)e have %een a !assa#e somewhere throu#h them$ and

!ossi%ly is now$ for all I *now$ I don-t *now where it is. I-m not #oin# to ris*drownin# you all./

+Oh$/ said the )hildren$ disa!!ointed. They would have %een 1uite willin# to runthe ris* of %ein# drowned$ for the sa*e of tryin# to land on the %ad isle.

+6ou-d %etter #o %a)* and have an early lun)h$ if your aunt will let you have it$/ said Bill. +I don-t want to %e too late in startin#. The tide will hel! us$ if we #et off

fairly early./ +All ri#ht$/ said the four$ 2um!in# u! from the ro)*s at on)e. +Good'%ye till this

afternoon$ Bill. 0e-ll %rin# tea with us(as ni)e as we )an$ to reward you for waitin#for us./

They set off home a#ain$ tal*in# ea#erly of the )omin# tri!. :o':o had said somany fri#htenin# thin#s a%out the desolate island that the )hildren )ouldn-t hel!

feelin# ex)ited at the idea of seein# it.



+I wonder if :o':o is still on the %ea)h$ wat)hin# for us outside the )aves$/ said:a)*. The )hildren went )autiously to the ed#e of the )liff and !ee!ed over. 6es(:o'

:o was still down there. 0hat a sell for him3They went to ,ra##y'To!s and found Aunt olly. +Aunt$ )ould we !ossi%ly have an

early lun)h$ and then #o off and ta*e our tea with us/ as*ed hili!. +0ill it %e anytrou%le 0e-ll hel! to #et the lun)h$ and we don-t mind what we have./

+There-s a )old !ie in the larder$/ said Aunt olly$ )onsiderin#. +And sometomatoes. And there are some stewed !lums. 5inah$ you lay the ta%le$ and theothers )an set out the food. I-ll ma*e you some sandwi)hes for your tea$ and there-s

a #in#er )a*e you )an have too. 9u)y'Ann$ )an you !ut the *ettle on to %oil 6ou )an

have some tea in a thermos flas* if you li*e./ +Oh$ than* you$/ said the )hildren$ and set to wor* at on)e. They laid a !la)e for

Aunt olly$ %ut she shoo* her head. +I don-t feel very well today$/ she said. +I-ve #ot a %ad heada)he. I shan-t want

anythin#. I shall have a #ood lon# rest whilst you are out this afternoon./ The )hildren were sorry. ,ertainly Aunt olly did loo* tired out. hili! wondered if

his mother had sent any more money to hel! thin#s alon# a %it$ or whether Auntolly was findin# thin#s very diffi)ult. He didn-t li*e to as* her in front of the others.

Soon the )hildren were havin# their dinner$ and then$ the tea %ein# !a)*ed u! and

ready$ they set off over the )liff.They had not seen :o':o. The %la)* man was still down on the %ea)h$ now feelin#

very !u&&led$ and most annoyed with the vanished )hildren. He felt )ertain they were

in the )aves. He went in himself and )alled to them.There was no answer$ of )ourse. :o':o )alled a#ain and a#ain. +0ell$ if they-ve lost

themselves in the )aves$ it will %e #ood riddan)e of %ad ru%%ish$/ he said to himself.He de)ided to #o u! and re!ort the matter to "iss olly.

So u! he went. The )hildren had #one$ and Aunt olly was washin# u!. She#lan)ed shar!ly at :o':o.

+0here have you %een all mornin#/ she as*ed. +I wanted you$ and you werenowhere to %e found./

+9oo*in# for them )hildren$/ said :o':o. +It-s my %elief they-ve #one into the )aves

down there$ and #ot lost. I %een )allin# and )allin# for them./ +5on-t %e so silly$ :o':o$/ said Aunt olly. +6ou-re 2ust ma*in# the )hildren an

ex)use for your la&iness. 6ou *now 1uite well they are not in the )aves./ +"iss olly$ I seed them #o in$ and I didn-t seed them )ome out$/ %e#an :o':o

indi#nantly. +I was on the %ea)h all the time$ wasn-t I 0ell$ I tells you$ "iss olly$them )hildren went into the )aves$ and they-re there still./

+No$ they-re not$/ said Aunt olly firmly. +They have 2ust #one off for a !i)ni). They

)ame in$ had an early lun)h and went out a#ain. So don-t )ome to me any more withsilly stories a%out them %ein# lost in )aves./

:o':o-s mouth dro!!ed o!en. He sim!ly )ould not %elieve his ears. Hadn-t he %eenon the %ea)h %y the )aves all the mornin# He would have seen the )hildren as soon

as they )ame out. +5on-t !retend to %e so sur!rised$/ said Aunt olly shar!ly. +:ust stir yourself and

do a few 2o%s 1ui)*ly. 6ou will have to do this afternoon all the thin#s you didn-t dothis mornin#. I ex!e)t the )hildren did #o into the )aves(%ut they must have sli!!ed

out when you were not loo*in#. 5on-t stand there loo*in# li*e a stuffed dummy. 6ouma*e me very an#ry./

:o':o shoo* himself$ shut his mouth and went off silently to do some 2o%s in thehouse. He was full of ama&ement. He remem%ered how one ni#ht he had )hased two

%oys into the )aves$ thin*in# they were hili! and :a)*(and the tide had )ome u!and im!risoned them in the )aves(%ut they were not there the next mornin#.

And now the four )hildren had done the same thin#. :o':o thou#ht it was



de)idedly un)anny. He didn-t li*e it. Now those )hildren had #iven him the sli! a#ain.0here had they #one 0ell$ it wasn-t mu)h #ood tryin# to find out that afternoon(

not with "iss olly in su)h a %ad tem!er anyway3

Chapter 14

A G9I"SE OF THE IS9E OF G9OO"

THE )hildren hurried over the )liffs to Bill Smu#s and his %oat. He was ready for

them. He !ut their !a)*et of sandwi)hes and )a*e$ their thermos$ and a !a)*et of

%is)uits and )ho)olate of his own$ into the %oat. Then they all #ot in.Bill had %rou#ht the %oat to shore$ instead of hidin# it out %y the ro)*s. He !ushed

off$ wadin# in the water till the %oat floated. Then in he 2um!ed$ and too* the oars tillthey were away from the ro)*s.

+Now then$/ he said$ in a little while$ when they were well %eyond the ro)*s andout at sea$ +now then$ %oys$ u! with that sail and let-s see how you do it3/

The %oys !ut u! the sail easily. Then they too* turns at the tiller$ and Bill was!leased with them. +6ou are #ood !u!ils$/ he said a!!rovin#ly. +I %elieve you )ould

ta*e this %oat out alone now./

+Oh$ Bill(would you let us/ as*ed :a)* ea#erly. +6ou )ould trust us$ really you)ould./

+I mi#ht$ one day$/ said Bill. +6ou would have to !romise not to sail out very far$

that-s all./ +Oh yes$ we-d !romise anythin#$/ said the )hildren earnestly. How thrillin# it would

%e to set off in Bill-s %oat all %y themselves3There was a #ood wind and the %oat s!ed alon# smoothly$ ro)*in# a little every

now and a#ain as she )ame to a swell. The sea was really very )alm. +It-s lovely$/ said :a)*. +I do li*e the fla!!in# noise the sail ma*es(and the sound

of the water sla!!in# a#ainst the %oat$ and the steady whistlin# of the wind . . ./ 5inah and 9u)y'Ann let their hands trail in the )ool$ sil*y water. 7i*i wat)hed with

interest from her !er)h on the %i# sail. She )ould hardly *ee! her %alan)e there$ and

had to half's!read her win#s to hel! her. She seemed to %e en2oyin# the tri! asmu)h as the )hildren.

+0i!e your feet and shut the door$/ she said to Bill Smu#s$ )at)hin# his eye. +Howmany times have I . . ./

+Shut u!$ 7i*i3/ )ried everyone at on)e. +5on-t %e rude to Bill$ or he-ll throw youover%oard./

7i*i )a)*led with lau#hter$ rose into the air and 2oined a )ou!le of startled sea'

#ulls$ announ)in# to them that they had %etter use their hand*er)hiefs. Then she#ave an ear'!ier)in# shrie* that made the #ulls sheer off in alarm. 7i*i returned to

her !er)h$ !leased with herself. She did en2oy )reatin# a sensation$ whether it wasamon# human %ein#s$ %irds or animals.

+I still )an-t see the Isle of Gloom$/ said :a)*$ who was *ee!in# a shar! loo*'outfor it. +0herea%outs is it$ Bill I seem to have lost my sense of dire)tion now I-m

ri#ht out at sea./ +Over there$/ said Bill$ !ointin#. The )hildren followed his fin#er$ %ut )ould see

nothin#. Still$ it was ex)itin# that the +%ad island$/ as :o':o )alled it$ was )omin#nearer and nearer.

The sailin#'%oat s!ed on$ and the wind freshened a little as they #ot further out.The #irls- hair stood out %ehind them$ or %lew all over their fa)es$ and Bill #ave an

ex)lamation of annoyan)e as the wind neatly whi!!ed his )i#arette from his fin#ersand swe!t it away.

+Now$ if 7i*i was any use at all$ she would fly after that and %rin# it %a)* to me$/



said Bill$ )o)*in# an eye at the !arrot. +oor 7i*i$/ said the !arrot$ sorrowfully sha*in# her head. +oor old 7i*i. 0hat a

!ity$ what a !ity$ what . . ./ :a)* aimed an old shell at her and she sto!!ed with a )a)*le of lau#hter. Bill tried

to li#ht another )i#arette$ whi)h the wind made rather diffi)ult.After a while :a)* #ave a sudden )ry. +9oo*3 9and ho3 Isn-t that the Isle of Gloom

It must %e./ They all loo*ed hard. 9oomin# u! out of the heat'ha&e was land$ there was no

dou%t a%out it.

+6es(that-s the island all ri#ht$/ said Bill$ with #reat interest. +It-s fairly %i#$ too./

The %oat drew nearer. The island %e)ame )learer and the )hildren )ould see howro)*y and hilly it was. 8ound it was a )ontinual turmoil of water. Surf and s!ray were

flun# hi#h into the air$ and here and there the )hildren )ould see 2a##ed ro)*ssti)*in# u! from the sea.

They went nearer in. The water was rou#h and )ho!!y now$ and 9u)y'Ann %e#anto loo* a little #reen. She was the only one who was not a first'rate sailor. But she

%ravely said nothin#$ and soon the sea'si)* feelin# %e#an to !ass off a little. +Now you )an see the wide rin# of ro)*s runnin# round the island$/ said Bill

Smu#s. +"y word$ aren-t they wi)*ed3 I #uess many a %oat has %een wre)*ed on

them at one time or another. 0e-ll )ruise round a %it$ and see if we )an s!ot anyentry. But(we don-t #o any nearer$ there-s no use %e##in# me to./

"he #l$atross was now in a very )ho!!y sea indeed and !oor 9u)y'Ann went

#reen a#ain. +Have a dry %is)uit$ 9u)y'Ann$/ said Bill Smu#s$ noti)in# her loo*s. +Ni%%le it. It may *ee! off that si)* feelin#./

It did. 9u)y'Ann ni%%led the dry %is)uit #ratefully and was soon a%le to ta*e aninterest in the tri! on)e more. The Isle of Gloom )ertainly lived u! to its name. It

was a most desolate !la)e$ as far as the )hildren )ould see. It seemed to %e made of 2a##ed ro)*s that rose into hi#h hills in the middle of the island. A few stunted trees

#rew here and there$ and #rass showed #reen in some !la)es. The ro)*s were a)urious red )olour on the seaward side of the island$ %ut %la)* everywhere else.

+There are hea!s and hea!s of %irds there$ 2ust as I thou#ht$/ said :a)*$ loo*in#

throu#h his field'#lasses in ex)itement. +Golly(2ust loo* at them$ Bill3/ But Bill would not leave the tiller. It was dan#erous wor* )ruisin# near to the rin#

of ro)*s in su)h a )ho!!y sea. He nodded to :a)*. +I-ll ta*e your word for it$/ he said. +Tell me if you re)o#nise any %irds./

:a)* reeled off a list of names. +Bill$ there are thousands and thousands of %irds3/ he )ried. +Oh$ do$ do let-s land on the island. Find a way throu#h this rin# of ro)*s

somehow. lease$ !lease do./

+No$/ said Bill firmly. +I said not. It would %e a dan#erous %usiness to #et to theisland even if we *new the way$ and I don-t. I-m not ris*in# all our lives for the sa*e

of seein# a few %irds at )lose 1uarters(%irds you )an see at ,ra##y'To!s any day./ The sailin#'%oat went on its way round the island$ *ee!in# well outside the wi)*ed

rin# of ro)*s over whi)h waves %ro*e )ontinually$ sendin# s!ray hi#h into the air. The)hildren wat)hed them$ and noti)ed how they ra)ed over the trea)herous ro)*s$

ma*in# a roarin# noise that never sto!!ed. It was somehow very thrillin#$ and the)hildren felt exultant and wanted to shout.

:a)* )ould see the island most )learly %e)ause of his field'#lasses. He *e!t them#lued to his eyes$ loo*in# at the hundreds of %irds$ %oth flyin# and sittin#$ that he

)ould see. hili! ta!!ed his arm. +9et someone else have a loo* too$/ he said. +Hand over the #lasses./

:a)* didn-t want to$ %e)ause he was afraid of missin# seein# a Great Au*$ %ut hedid at last #ive them to hili!. hili! was not so interested in the %irds(he swe!t the

)oast of the island with the #lasses(and then #ave an ex)lamation.



+Hallo3 There are still houses or somethin# on the island. Surely !eo!le don-t livethere now./

+Of )ourse not$/ said Bill Smu#s. +It-s %een deserted for a#es. I )an-t ima#ine whyanyone ever did live on it. They )ould not have farmed it or used it for fishin#(it-s a

desolate$ im!ossi%le sort of !la)e./ +I su!!ose what I )an see are only ruins$/ said hili!. +They seem to %e in the

hills. I )an-t ma*e them out really./ +Anyone wal*in# a%out(any of :o':o-s thin#s-/ as*ed 5inah$ with a lau#h. +No(no%ody at all$/ said hili!. +Have a loo* throu#h the #lasses$ 5inah(and

then 9u)y'Ann. I don-t wonder it-s )alled the Isle of Gloom. It )ertainly is a terri%ly

#loomy'loo*in# !la)e(nothin# alive on it ex)e!t the sea'%irds./ The #irls had a turn of loo*in# throu#h the #lasses too. They didn-t li*e the loo* of

the island at all. It was u#ly and %are$ and had an extraordinary air of forlornnessa%out it.

The sailin#'%oat went all round the island$ *ee!in# well outside the ro)*s that#uarded it. The only !la)e where there mi#ht )on)eiva%ly %e an entran)e %etween

the ro)*s was a s!ot to the west. Here the sea %e)ame less )ho!!y$ and althou#hs!ray was flun# u! hi#h$ the )hildren )ould see no ro)*s on the surfa)e. The s!ray

was flun# %y waves ra)in# over ro)*s near%y.

+I %et that-s the only entran)e to the island$/ said :a)*. +0ell$ we-re not #oin# to try it$/ said Bill Smu#s at on)e. +I-m #oin# to leave the

island now$ and head for )almer water. Then we-ll ta*e down the sail and have our

tea$ %o%%in# #ently a%out instead of tossin# and !it)hin# li*e this. oor 9u)y'Ann*ee!s on turnin# #reen./

:a)* too* a last loo* throu#h his #lasses(and #ave su)h a shout that 5inah nearlyover'%alan)ed$ and 7i*i fell off her !er)h a%ove.

+0hatever is it/ said Bill Smu#s$ startled. +A Great Au*3/ yelled :a)*$ the #lasses #lued to his eyes. +It is$ it is(an enormous

%ird(with small win#s )lose to its sides(and a %i# ra&or'li*e %ill. It-s a Great Au*3/ Bill #ave the tiller to :a)* for a moment and too* the #lasses. But he )ould see no

Great Au*$ and he handed them %a)* to the ex)ited %oy$ whose #reen eyes were

#leamin# with 2oy. +I ex!e)t it-s one of the ra&or%ills$/ he said. +The Great Au* is mu)h li*e a %i#

ra&or%ill$ you *now(you-ve let your wish %e father to the thou#ht$ old man. Thatwasn-t a Great Au*$ I-ll %e %ound./

But :a)* was a%solutely )onvin)ed that it was. He )ould not see it any lon#er$ %ut$as they left the island %ehind$ the %oy sat loo*in# lon#in#ly %a)*wards at it. The

Great Au* was there. He was sure it was. He was )ertain he had seen one. How

)ould Bill su##est it was a ra&or%ill +Bill(Bill(do #o %a)*$/ %e##ed :a)*$ hardly a%le to )ontain himself. +I *now it was

an au*(a Great Au*. I suddenly saw it. Ima#ine it3 0hat will the world say if they*now I-ve found a Great Au*$ a %ird that-s %een extin)t for years3/

+The world wouldn-t )are mu)h$/ said Bill Smu#s drily. +Only a few !eo!le *een on%irds would %e ex)ited. ,alm yourself a %it(I-m afraid it )ertainly wasn-t the %ird you

thou#ht./ :a)* )ouldn-t )alm himself. He sat loo*in# terri%ly ex)ited$ his eyes #lowin#$ his

fa)e red$ his hair %lown a%out in the wind. 7i*i felt the ex)itement and )ame down tohis shoulder$ !e)*in# at his ear to #et his attention.

+It was a Great Au*$ it was$ it was$/ said :a)*$ and 9u)y'Ann sli!!ed a hand in hisarm and s1uee&ed it. She too was sure it was a Great Au*(and anyway she wasn-t

#oin# to s!oil her %rother-s !leasure %y sayin# that it wasn-t. Neither hili! nor 5inah%elieved that it was.

They had their tea on )almer water$ with the sail down and the %oat driftin# where



it !leased. :a)* )ould eat nothin#$ thou#h he dran* his tea. 9u)y'Ann$ hun#ry nowafter her sea'si)*ness$ ate :a)*-s share of the tea$ and en2oyed it. The others

en2oyed themselves too. It had %een an ex)itin# afternoon. +,an we sail your %oat %y ourselves some time$ as you !romised/ as*ed :a)*

suddenly. Bill Smu#s loo*ed at him shar!ly. +Only if you !romise not to #o very far out$/ he said. +No rushin# off to find the

Great Au* on the Isle of Gloom$ you *now./ As this was the idea at the %a)* of :a)*-s mind$ the %oy went red at on)e. +All

ri#ht$/ he said at last. +I !romise not to #o to the Isle of Gloom in your %oat$ Bill. But

may we really #o out %y ourselves other days/

+6es$ you may$/ said Bill. +I thin* you really *now how to mana#e the %oat all ri#ht(and you )an-t )ome to mu)h harm if you )hoose a )alm day./

:a)* loo*ed !leased. A dreamy ex!ression )ame over his fa)e. He *new what hemeant to do. He would *ee! his word to Bill Smu#s(he would not #o to the Isle of

Gloom in 'ill(s %oat(%ut he would #o in someone else-s. He would !ra)tise sailin#and rowin# in Bill-s %oat(and as soon as he was a%solutely sure of handlin# it$ he

would %orrow :o':o-s %oat$ and #o to the island in that.This was a %old and darin# !lan(%ut :a)* was so thrilled at the idea of findin# a

Great Au*$ when everyone else thou#ht it was extin)t$ that he was willin# to run any

ris* to #et to the island. He was sure he )ould find the entran)e to the rin# of ro)*s.He would furl the sail when he #ot near the ro)*s and do some rowin#. :o':o-s %oatwas %i# and heavy$ %ut :a)* thou#ht he )ould mana#e it well enou#h.

He said nothin# to the others whilst Bill was there. Bill mustn-t *now. He was 2ollyand *ind and a #ood friend(%ut he was a #rown'u!$ and #rown'u!s always sto!!ed

)hildren doin# anythin# ris*y. So :a)* sat in the ro)*in# %oat and thou#ht out hisdarin# !lan$ not hearin# the others- remar*s or teasin#.

+He-s #one off to the island to see his Great Au*$/ said 5inah$ with a lau#h. +oor old :a)*(that %ird has 1uite ta*en his a!!etite away$/ said hili!.

+0a*e u!3/ said Bill$ #ivin# :a)* a nud#e. +Be a little so)ia%le./ After tea they de)ided to row %a)*$ ta*in# it in turns. Bill thou#ht it would %e #ood

for them to have some exer)ise$ and the )hildren en2oyed handlin# the oars. :a)*

rowed vi#orously$ thin*in# that it was #ood !ra)ti)e for the time when he would #o tothe island.

+0ell(here we are$ safely %a)* a#ain$/ said Bill$ as the %oat )ame to shore. The%oys 2um!ed out and !ulled it in. The #irls #ot out$ %rin#in# the thermos flas* with

them. Bill !ulled the %oat u! the shore. +0ell$ #ood'%ye$/ he said. +0e-ve had a fine time. ,ome alon# tomorrow$ if you

li*e$ and I-ll let you have a shot at ta*in# the %oat out %y yourselves./

+Oh$ than*s3/ )ried the )hildren$ and 7i*i e)hoed the words too. +Oh$ than*s3/ shesaid. +Oh$ than*s= oh$ than*s= oh$ than*s3/

+Be 1uiet$/ said hili!$ with a lau#h$ %ut 7i*i )hanted the words all the way home. +Oh$ than*s= oh$ than*s= oh$ than*s= oh$ than*s3/

+5id you have a ni)e afternoon/ as*ed Aunt olly$ when they went into thehouse.

+9ovely$/ said 5inah. +Is your heada)he %etter$ Aunt olly/ +Not mu)h$/ said her aunt$ who loo*ed !ale and tired. +I thin* I-ll #o to %ed early

toni#ht$ if you-ll ta*e your un)le-s su!!er in to him$ instead of me$ 5inah./ +6es$ I will$/ said 5inah$ not li*in# the tas* very mu)h$ for she was rather afraid of

her learned and !e)uliar un)le.:o':o )ame in at that moment and stared at the four )hildren. +0here you %een/

he as*ed rou#hly. +And where did you #o this mornin#$ after you went into the)aves/

+0e )ame u! to the house$/ said hili!$ !uttin# on a sur!rised ex!ression that



infuriated :o':o. +5idn-t you see us And we-ve 2ust )ome %a)* from a !i)ni)$ dear:o':o. 0hy all this )on)ern for our wherea%outs 5id you want to )ome with us/

:o':o made a rude and an#ry noise$ at on)e )o!ied %y 7i*i$ who then )a)*led outher maddenin# lau#hter. :o':o #ave the !arrot a loo* of hatred and stal*ed out.

+5on-t tease :o':o$/ said Aunt olly wearily. +He-s really #ettin# im!ossi%le(soun)ivil and la&y. He never )ame near the house all the mornin#. 0ell(I-m #oin# to

%ed./ +:a)*$ you hel! me with 4n)le :o)elyn-s tray$/ said 5inah$ when the su!!er was

ready. +It-s heavy. hili!-s #one off somewhere as usual. He always disa!!ears when

there-s any 2o% to %e done./

:a)* too* the heavy tray and followed 5inah as she led the way to her un)le-sstudy. She *no)*ed on the door. A voi)e #runted$ and 5inah ima#ined it said +,ome

in./ They went in$ 7i*i on :a)*-s shoulder as usual. +6our su!!er$ 4n)le$/ said 5inah.

+Aunt olly-s #one to %ed. She-s tired./ +oor olly$ !oor dear olly$/ said 7i*i$ in a !ityin# tone. 4n)le :o)elyn loo*ed u!$

startled. He saw the !arrot and !i)*ed u! a !a!er'wei#ht.7i*i at on)e flew out of the door$ and 4n)le :o)elyn !ut the !a!er'wei#ht down

a#ain. +7ee! that !arrot out$/ he said #rum!ily. +Interferin# %ird. ut the tray down

there. 0ho are you$ youn# man/ +I-m :a)* Trent$/ said :a)*$ sur!rised that anyone )ould %e so for#etful. +6ou saw

me and my sister 9u)y'Ann the day we )ame here$ sir. 5on-t you remem%er/

+Too many )hildren in this house$/ said 4n)le :o)elyn$ in a #rum%lin# tone. +,an-t#et any wor* done at all./

+Oh$ 4n)le(you *now we never distur% you$/ said 5inah indi#nantly.4n)le :o)elyn was %endin# over a %i# and very old ma!. :a)* #lan)ed at it.

+Oh$/ he said$ +that-s a ma! of !art of this )oast(and that-s the Isle of Gloom$isn-t it$ sir/

He !ointed to the outline of the island$ drawn )arefully on the %i# ma!. 4n)le:o)elyn nodded.

+Have you ever %een there/ as*ed :a)* ea#erly. +0e saw it this afternoon$ sir./

+Never %een there$ and don-t want to #o either$/ said 4n)le :o)elyn surlily. +I saw a Great Au* there this afternoon$/ said :a)* !roudly.

This did not im!ress 4n)le :o)elyn at all. +Nonsense$/ he said. +Bird-s %een extin)tfor a#es. 6ou saw a ra&or%ill. 5on-t %e foolish$ %oy./

:a)* was annoyed. Only 9u)y'Ann !aid any attention to his #reat dis)overy$ andshe$ he *new$ would have %elieved him if he had said he had seen Santa ,laus on

the island. He stared sul*ily at the untidy$ frownin# old man.

4n)le :o)elyn stared %a)*. +,ould I see the ma!$ !lease/ as*ed :a)* suddenly$ thin*in# that he mi#ht

!ossi%ly see mar*ed on it the entran)e %etween the ro)*s. +0hy Are you interested in that sort of thin#/ as*ed 4n)le :o)elyn$ sur!rised.

+I-m very interested in the Isle of Gloom$/ said :a)*. +lease(may I see the ma!$sir/

+I-ve #ot a %i##er one somewhere(showin# only the island$ in #reat detail$/ said4n)le :o)elyn$ 1uite !leased now to thin* that anyone should %e interested in his

ma!s. +9et me see(where is it/ 0hilst he went to loo* for it$ :a)* and 5inah had a #ood loo* at the %i# ma! of the

)oast. There$ lyin# off it$ rin#ed %y ro)*s$ was the Isle of Gloom. It had a 1ueersha!e$ rather li*e an e## with a %ul#e in the middle of one side$ and its )oast was

very mu)h indented. It lay almost due west of ,ra##y'To!s.:a)* !ored over the ma!$ feelin# terri%ly ex)ited. If only 4n)le :o)elyn would lend

it to him3



+9oo*$/ he said to 5inah$ in a low voi)e. +9oo*. The rin# of ro)*s is %ro*en 2ustthere. See I %et it-s where I ima#ined the entran)e was this afternoon. See that hill

shown in the ma! The entran)e to the ro)*s is 2ust a%out o!!osite. If ever wewanted to #o there(and #oodness *nows I do(we need only loo* for that hill(it-s

the hi#hest on the island$ I should thin*(and then wat)h for the entran)e to thero)*s 2ust o!!osite to the hill. Easy3/

+It loo*s easy on the ma!$ %ut I %et it-s a 2olly si#ht more diffi)ult when you #etout on the sea$/ said 5inah. +6ou sound as if you mean to #o there$ :a)*(%ut you*now what we !romised Bill Smu#s. 0e )an-t %rea* our !romise./

+I *now that$ idiot$/ said :a)*$ who had never %ro*en a !romise in his life. +I-ve

#ot another !lan. I-ll tell you later./ "u)h to the )hildren-s disa!!ointment$ 4n)le :o)elyn )ould not find the lar#e ma!

of the island. He would not lend the other one to :a)*. +,ertainly not$/ he said$ loo*in# 1uite sho)*ed. +It-s a very$ very old ma!(

hundreds of years old. I wouldn-t dream of handin# it out to you. 6ou-d dama#e it$ orlose it or somethin#. I *now what )hildren are./

+6ou don-t$ 4n)le$/ said 5inah. +6ou don-t *now what we are li*e a %it. 0hy$ wehardly ever see you. 5o lend us the ma!./

But nothin# would !ersuade the old man to !art with his !re)ious ma!. So$ ta*in#

one last #lan)e at the drawin# of the island$ with its )urious rin# of !rote)tin# ro)*s$and the one %rea* in them$ :a)* and 5inah left the untidy$ %oo*'lined study.

+5on-t for#et your su!!er$ 4n)le$/ )alled %a)* 5inah as she shut the door. 4n)le

:o)elyn #ave a #runt. He was already lost in his wor* a#ain. The su!!er'tray stoodunheeded %eside him.

+I %et he-ll for#et all a%out it$/ said 5inah. And she was ri#ht. 0hen Aunt ollywent into the study the next day to tidy it as usual$ there was the su!!er'tray

standin# on the ta%le$ )om!lete with !late of meat and ve#eta%les$ and !ie)e of !ieand )ustard.

+6ou-re worse than a )hild$/ s)olded Aunt olly. +6es$ you really are$ :o)elyn./

Chapter 15 A @4EE8 HAENING(AN5 A FINE T8I

THAT ni#ht :a)* told the others his !lan$ and they were at first dou%tful$ and then

thrilled and ex)ited. +,ould we really find the entran)e/ said 9u)y'Ann$ s)ared.

+Easily$/ said :a)*$ who$ on)e he had made u! his mind a%out anythin#$ would not

re)o#nise any diffi)ulties at all. +I saw the entran)e this afternoon$ I-m sure$ and I)ertainly saw it on that ma!. So did 5inah./

+So did 5inah$ so did 5inah$ so did 5inah$/ )hanted 7i*i. No%ody too* any noti)eof her. They all went on tal*in# ex)itedly.

+6ou see$ on)e I feel a%solutely at home in handlin# Bill-s %oat$ I shan-t %e a %itafraid of ta*in# :o':o-s$/ said :a)*.

+He-ll half *ill you if he finds out$/ said hili!. +How are you #oin# to mana#e itwithout his *nowin#/

+I shall wait till he ta*es the old )ar and #oes sho!!in#$/ said :a)* at on)e. +Ithou#ht of all that. As soon as he #oes off in the )ar$ I shall ta*e out the %oat$ and

ho!e to )ome %a)* %efore he returns. If I don-t(well$ it 2ust )an-t %e hel!ed. 6ou-llhave to distra)t his attention somehow(or lo)* him u! in the )ellar(or somethin#./

The others #i##led. The idea of lo)*in# :o':o u! was distin)tly !leasin#. +But loo* here$/ said hili!$ +aren-t we )omin# with you 6ou )an-t #o alone./

+I-m not ta*in# the #irls$/ said :a)* firmly. +I don-t mind any ris* myself(%ut I



won-t ris* anythin# with the #irls. 6ou )an )ome$ of )ourse$ hili!./ +I-m )omin# too$/ said 9u)y'Ann at on)e. She was not #oin# to have :a)* #oin# off

on a ris*y adventure without her %y his side. +0ell$ you )an-t )ome$ so that-s that$/ said :a)* de)idedly. +5on-t %e an ass$ 9u)y'

Ann. 6ou-d s!oil everythin# if you )ame. 0e-d have to %e too )areful if you or 5inahwere on %oard. 0e wouldn-t dare to ta*e any ris*s at all./

+I don-t want you to ta*e ris*s$/ said !oor 9u)y'Ann$ with tears in her eyes. +5on-t %e su)h a %a%y$/ said :a)*. +0hy )an-t you %e li*e 5inah$ and not worry me

when I want to do somethin# 5inah doesn-t %other a%out hili! ta*in# ris*s$ do you$

5inah/

+No$/ said 5inah$ well aware that hili! )ould ta*e very #ood )are of himself. +Allthe same(I wish we )ould )ome./

9u)y'Ann %lin*ed %a)* her tears. She didn-t want to s!oil thin#s for :a)*(%utreally$ it was awful to thin* he mi#ht %e wre)*ed or drowned. She wished with all her

heart that Great Au*s had never existed. If they hadn-t existed they )ouldn-t %eextin)t$ and if they hadn-t %een extin)t there wouldn-t %e all this ex)itement a%out

findin# one a#ain.:a)* did not slee! mu)h that ni#ht. He lay and thou#ht a%out the island and its

%irds$ and )ould hardly wait to sail off and see whether it really was a Great Au* or

not he had s!otted throu#h his #lasses that afternoon. He mi#ht #et a lot of money if he )au#ht the Great Au*. It )ouldn-t fly$ it )ould only swim. It mi#ht %e so tame thatit would let itself %e )au#ht. There mi#ht %e three or four Great Au*s. It would %e

sim!ly wonderful to find out.:a)* #ot u! and went to the window. He loo*ed out to the west where the island

lay. There was no moon that ni#ht$ and he )ould see nothin# at first. But$ as he#a&ed earnestly to the west$ thin*in# hard of the island$ he was astonished to see

somethin# distin)tly unusual.He %lin*ed his eyes and loo*ed a#ain. It seemed as if a li#ht was shinin# out

there$ over to the west where the island was. It went out slowly as he wat)hed$ andthen )ame a#ain. +It can(t %e a real li#ht$/ said :a)*. +Anyway$ it )an-t %e a li#ht on

the island. It must %e some shi! a #ood way out$ si#nallin#./

The li#ht to the west faded a#ain$ and did not rea!!ear. :a)* !ulled his head %a)*$meanin# to #o to %ed a#ain$ feelin# sure that it must have %een a shi!-s li#ht he had

seen.But$ %efore he )ould #o %a)* to his %ed$ somethin# else attra)ted him. The narrow

window on the o!!osite side$ the one loo*in# over the to! of the )liff$ was outlined ina soft li#ht. :a)* stared in ama&ement.

He ran to the window and loo*ed out. The li#ht )ame from the to! of the ro)*y

)liff. Someone had either %uilt a fire there or had a %ri#ht lantern. 0ho )ould it %eAnd why show a li#ht at ni#ht 0as it to si#nal to the shi! out at sea

:a)*-s room was the hi#hest in ,ra##y'To!s$ and the tower in whi)h it was %uilt 2utted a%ove the )liff'to!. But thou#h he )raned his ne)* to loo* out as far as he

)ould$ he )ould not see what the li#ht was on the to! of the )liff$ nor exa)tly where.He de)ided to find out.

He did not wa*e hili!. He !ut on shorts and )oat and shoes and ran silently downthe stairs. He was soon )lim%in# the !ath to the to! of the )liff. But when he #ot

there$ there was no li#ht to %e seen at all(no smell$ even$ of a fire. It was very!u&&lin#.

The %oy stum%led alon# the )liff(and suddenly he #ot the fri#ht of his life.Someone )lut)hed at him and held him fast.

+0hat you doin# u! here/ said :o':o-s voi)e$ and he shoo* the %oy till he had no%reath left in his %ody. +Go on(you tell me what you doin# u! here./

Too fri#htened to thin* of anythin# %ut the truth$ :a)* %lurted it out.



+I saw a li#ht from the tower'room(and I )ame to see what it was./ +I told you there was thin#s- on the )liff at ni#ht$ didn-t I/ said :o':o$ in a

fri#htenin# voi)e. +0ell$ those thin#s show li#hts$ and they wail and yell sometimes$and lordy *nows what else they do. 5idn-t I tell you not to wander out at ni#ht/

+0hat are you out for/ as*ed :a)*$ %e#innin# to re)over from his fri#ht.:o':o shoo* him a#ain$ #lad to have #ot one of the )hildren in his !ower. +I )ome

out to see what the li#ht was too$/ he #rowled. +See That-s what I was out for$ of )ourse. But it-s always those thin#s- a'ma*in# a distur%an)e and a trou%le. Now$ you!romise me you-ll never leave your %edroom no more at ni#hts./

+I shan-t !romise you anythin#$/ said :a)*$ %e#innin# to stru##le. +9et me #o$ you

%east. 6ou-re hurtin# me./ +I-ll hurt you a mi#hty lot more$ -less you tell me you won-t #o out at ni#hts$/

threatened the %la)* man. +I #ot a ro!e'end here$ see I %een *ee!in# it for you andhili!./

:a)* was afraid. :o':o was immensely stron#$ s!iteful and )ruel. He stru##led harda#ain$ feelin# :o':o untyin# the ro!e he had around his waist.

It was 7i*i that saved him. The !arrot$ missin# :a)* suddenly from the tower'room$ where she had %een slee!in# !ea)efully on the !er)h that the %oy had ri##ed

u! for her$ had )ome in sear)h of her master. She would not %e se!arated from him

for lon#$ if she )ould hel! it.:ust as :a)* was wonderin# whether it would %e a #ood idea to %ite :o':o hard or

not$ 7i*i swoo!ed down with a #lad s)ree)h. +7i*i3 7i*i3 Bite him3 Bite him3/ yelled

:a)*.The !arrot #ladly fastened her shar! )urved %ea* into a very fleshy !art of the

%la)* man-s arm. He let :a)* #o and #ave an a#onised yell. He hit out at 7i*i$ whowas now well %eyond rea)h$ wat)hin# for a )han)e to atta)* a#ain.

This time she tore at :o':o-s ear$ and he yelled loudly. +,all that %ird off3 I-ll wrin#her ne)*3/

:a)* disa!!eared down the )liff !ath. 0hen he was safely out of rea)h of :o':o$ he)alled 7i*i.

+7i*i3 ,ome on. 6ou-re a very #ood %ird./

7i*i too* a last %ite at :o':o-s other ear and then flew off with a s)ree)h. She flewto :a)*-s shoulder and made soft noises in his ear. He s)rat)hed her head #ently as

he made his way %a)* to the house$ his heart %eatin# fast. +7ee! out of :o':o-s way$ 7i*i$/ he said. +He )ertainly will wrin# your ne)* now$ if

he )an. I don-t *now what you did to him(%ut it must have %een somethin# very!ainful./

:a)* wo*e u! hili! and told him what had ha!!ened. +I ex!e)t the li#ht was from

a shi! at sea$/ he said$ +%ut I don-t *now what the other li#ht was. :o':o said he wentu! to see too$ %ut he thou#ht it was made %y the thin#s- he is always tal*in# a%out.

Golly$ I nearly #ot tanned %y him$ hili!. If it hadn-t %een for 7i*i$ I #uess I-d havehad a %ad time./

+Good old 7i*i$/ said hili!$ and 7i*i re!eated his words in deli#ht. +Good old 7i*i$ #ood old 7i*i$ #ood old . . ./

+That-s enou#h$/ said :a)*$ and 7i*i sto!!ed. :a)* snu##led down dee! into %ed. +I-m tired$/ he said. +I ho!e I soon #o to slee!. I sim!ly )ouldn-t do&e off %efore. I

*e!t thin*in# and thin*in# of the Isle of Gloom./ But it was not lon# %efore he was aslee!$ dreamin# of a lar#e ma! that had the

island mar*ed on it$ then of a %oat that was tryin# to #et to the isle$ and then of :o':o )lut)hin# him and tryin# to !ull %a)* %oth him and the %oat.

The )hildren felt !leased the next mornin# when they remem%ered that Bill Smu#shad said they )ould try out the %oat %y themselves. They set off early$ havin# done

all their 2o%s very 1ui)*ly. :o':o was in a %ad tem!er that day. He slou)hed a%out$



frownin#$ #larin# at :a)* and 7i*i as if he would li*e to #et hold of %oth of them.For on)e in a way he did not follow them a%out or try to tra)* them where they

went. Aunt olly was determined that he was #oin# to do some wor* that mornin#$and she set him all *inds of tas*s. He saw that it would %e no #ood tryin# to evade

them$ so$ very sul*ily$ he set to wor*$ and the )hildren were a%le to es)a!e easilywithout %ein# seen.

+I-m #oin# to the town today$/ said Bill$ when they arrived at his tum%ledownsha)*. +I sim!ly must #et hammer and nails and wood$ and mend u! my house a %it.Some more %its of wall have fallen down$ and I s!ent last ni#ht with a #ale rushin#

all round me(or what seemed li*e a #ale in this small !la)e. I must do a s!ot of

mendin#. 5o you want to )ome with me and do some sho!!in# a#ain too/ +No$ than* you$/ said :a)* at on)e. +0e would rather #o out in the %oat$ !lease$

Bill. It-s 1uite a )alm day. 0e will %e very )areful./ +6ou-ll remem%er your !romise$ of )ourse$/ said Bill$ and loo*ed at :a)* shar!ly.

The %oy nodded. +I won-t #o far out$/ he said$ and the others said the same. They saw Bill off in his

)ar$ and wat)hed him #oin# )arefully down the %um!y way to 2oin the rou#h'and'ready road that led to the town.

Then they went to #et the %oat. Bill had left it out on the ro)*s$ in its hidin#'!la)e.

The )hildren had not dis)overed why he li*ed to *ee! it there$ %ut they ima#ined thathe did not want it stolen when he was away from the !la)e. They had to swim out toit$ wra!!in# their dry )lothes in an oil's*in %a# that Bill lent them for the !ur!ose.

hili! towed it %ehind him.They rea)hed the ro)*s and made their way over them to the flattish stret)h

where the %oat was hauled u!$ well out of rea)h of the waves. They undid the oil's*in %a# and )han#ed into dry thin#s. They threw their %athin#'suits into the %oat

and then !ulled her down to the water.The sea was dee! around the ro)*s$ and the %oat slid neatly in$ with hardly a

s!lash. The )hildren !iled into her$ and the two %oys too* the oars.0ith a little trou%le they rowed the %i# %oat away from the ro)*s and out into

o!en water. Then they fa)ed the tas* of !uttin# u! the sail without Bill Smu#s to hel!

them. +It ou#ht to %e easy enou#h to us$/ !anted :a)*$ tu##in# at various ro!es. +0e did

it yesterday %y ourselves$ you *now./ But yesterday Bill had shouted dire)tions at them. Now there was no'one to hel!

them if they #ot into a muddle. Still$ they did #et the sail u! after a time. 5inah wasnearly *no)*ed over%oard$ %ut 2ust mana#ed to save herself. She was very an#ry.

+6ou did that on !ur!ose$ hili!$/ she said to her %rother$ who was still stru##lin#

with different ro!es. +:ust you a!olo#ise3 Bill said there wasn-t to %e any han*y'!an*y or silly tri)*s on %oard./

+Shut u!$/ said hili!$ #ettin# suddenly )au#ht in a ro!e that seemed determinedto han# him. +:a)*$ hel! me./

+Ta*e the tiller$ 5inah$/ ordered :a)*. +I-ll hel! old Tufty. )inah* 5id you hear meTa*e the tiller and let me hel! hili!./

But it was 5inah who$ suddenly seein# that hili! was indeed in diffi)ulties$ )ameto his res)ue and untan#led him.

+Than*s$/ said hili!. +Blow these ro!es3 I seem to have undone too many. Is thesail all ri#ht/

It seemed to %e. The wind filled it and the %oat %e#an to rush alon#. It was fun.The )hildren felt im!ortant at %ein# alone$ mana#in# the %oat all %y themselves. It

was$ after all$ a very %i# %oat for )hildren to sail. :a)* loo*ed a)ross the water towhere the Isle of Gloom loomed u!. One day he would #o there(land on it(loo*

around(and #oodness *nows what he mi#ht find3 A !i)ture of the Great Au* arose in



his mind and in his ex)itement he #y%ed the %oat round and the sail swun# a)ross$almost *no)*in# off the heads of the )rou)hin# )hildren.

+Idiot3/ said hili! indi#nantly. +Here$ let me ta*e the tiller. 0e shall all %e in thewater if you !lay a%out li*e that./

+Sorry$/ said :a)*. +I was 2ust thin*in# of somethin#(how I-d #o off in :o':o-s%oat. 0hen do you thin* we )ould$ hili! In two of three days- time/

+I should thin* we )ould sail :o':o-s %oat all ri#ht %y then$/ said hili!. +It-s easyenou#h on)e you-ve #ot the *na)* and are 1ui)* enou#h. I-m #ettin# to *now thefeel of the wind$ and its stren#th(really feelin# at home in the %oat. oor 9u)y'Ann

never will$ thou#h. 9oo* how #reen she-s #one./

+I-m all ri#ht$/ said 9u)y'Ann valiantly. They had run into a )ho!!y !at)h$ and !oor9u)y'Ann-s tummy didn-t li*e it. But nothin# would ever !ersuade her to let the

others #o without her$ even if she *new she was #oin# to feel si)* all the time. 9u)y'Ann had !lenty of !lu)*.

The )hildren furled the sail after a time and #ot out the oars. They )arefullyremem%ered their !romise and did not #o very far away. They thou#ht it would %e a

#ood thin# to !ra)tise rowin# for a while$ too.So all of them too* turns$ and soon they )ould !ull the %oat alon# well$ and ma*e

it #o any way they li*ed$ even without the rudder.

Then they !ut u! the sail on)e more and sailed to shore$ feelin# very !roud of themselves. 0hen they )ame near the shore they saw Bill Smu#s wavin# to them.He had already )ome %a)*.

They sailed in to the %ea)h$ and !ulled in the %oat. +Good3/ said Bill. +I waswat)hin# you out at sea. 6ou did very well. Have another #o tomorrow./

+Oh$ than*s$/ said :a)*. +I su!!ose we )ouldn-t have a try this afternoon too$)ould we 5inah and 9u)y'Ann wouldn-t %e a%le to$ %e)ause they-ve #ot to do

somethin# for Aunt olly. But hili! and I )ould )ome./ The #irls *new that :a)* wanted to see if he and hili! were a%le to mana#e the

%oat %y themselves$ in !re!aration for #oin# out alone in :o':o-s %oat. So they saidnothin#$ mu)h as they would have li*ed to 2oin in$ and Bill Smu#s said yes$ the %oys

)ould #o alon# that afternoon if they li*ed.

+I shan-t )ome$/ he said. +I-m #oin# to have a #o at my wireless set. It-s #onewron#./

Bill had a marvellous radio$ the finest the %oys had ever seen. It was set at the%a)* of the old hut$ and there 0as no station that Bill )ould not #et. He would not

allow the %oys to tam!er with it at all. +0ell$ we-ll %e alon# this afternoon$ then$/ said :a)*$ !leased. +It-s awfully ni)e of

you to lend us your %oat li*e this$ Bill. 8eally it is./

+It-s a !leasure$/ said Bill Smu#s$ and #rinned. 7i*i imitated him. +It-s a !leasure$ it-s a !leasure$ it-s a !leasure$ !oor old 7i*i$ wi!e your feet$ never

mind$ never mind$ it-s a !leasure./ +Oh(that reminds me$/ said :a)*$ remem%erin# his 1ueer ex!erien)e of the ni#ht

%efore. +Bill$ listen to this./ He went off into a lon# a))ount of his adventure on the)liff with :o':o$ and Bill Smu#s listened with the #reatest attention.

+So you saw li#hts/ he said. +Out at sea(and on the )liff. ?ery interestin#. Idon-t wonder you wanted to loo* into the matter. :o':o a!!arently had the same

)uriosity a%out them. 0ell$ if I may #ive you a %it of advi)e$ it-s this(don-t #et u!a#ainst :o':o more than you )an hel!. I don-t mu)h li*e the sound of him. He sounds

a dan#erous sort of fellow./ +Oh$ he-s 2ust a %it mad$ and hates )hildren$ %ut he-s very stu!id(and I don-t

thin* he-d really dare to do us mu)h harm$/ said hili!. +0e-ve had him for years./ +Have you really/ said Bill$ interested. +0ell$ well(I ex!e)t your !eo!le would

have a hard 2o% to #et anyone in :o':o-s !la)e if he went. All the same(%eware of



him./ The %oys went off with the two #irls. hili! was rather in)lined to lau#h at Bill-s

warnin#$ %ut :a)* too* it to heart. He had not for#otten his fear the ni#ht %eforewhen the %la)* man had )au#ht him.

+I thin* Bill-s ri#ht somehow$/ thou#ht :a)*$ with a little shiver. +:o':o )ould %e avery dan#erous sort of fellow./

Chapter 16

ST8ANGE 5IS,O?E8IES

THE next three days the )hildren wor*ed hard at rowin# and sailin#$ until they were

!erfe)tly at home in Bill-s %oat$ and )ould handle it almost as well as Bill. He was!leased with them.

+I must say I do li*e to see )hildren sti)*in# to thin#s$ even if it means hardwor*$/ he said. +Even old 7i*i has stu)* to it too$ sittin# on the sail$ over'%alan)in#

half the time$ %ut not dreamin# of lettin# you #o %y yourselves. And as for 9u)y'Ann$she-s the %est of the lot$ %e)ause she has had to fi#ht sea'si)*ness a #ood !art of

the time./

That afternoon$ havin# first seen that :o':o was safely in the yard at the %a)* of the house$ !um!in# u! water from the dee! well there$ the )hildren went to examine:o':o-s %oat )arefully$ to see if they )ould !ossi%ly handle it themselves.

They stood and loo*ed at it %o%%in# on the water. It was %i##er than Bill-s$ %ut notvery mu)h. They felt )ertain they would %e all ri#ht in it.

+It-s a !ity 7i*i )an-t row$/ said :a)*. +She )ould ta*e the third !air of oars and we)ould #et alon# fine./

+Fine$/ said 7i*i. +Fine. God save the 7in#./ +Idiot$/ said hili! affe)tionately. He was as fond of 7i*i as :a)* and 9u)y'Ann

were$ and the %ird went to him readily. +I say$ Fre)*les(I wonder when :o':o is#oin# to town a#ain. I-m lon#in# to try my hand at the %oat= aren-t you/

+I should 2ust thin* so$/ said :a)*. +I *ee! on and on thin*in# of that Great Au* I

saw. I shan-t %e ha!!y till I-ve seen it )lose to./ +Bet you won-t find it$/ said hili!. +It would %e awfully funny if you did$ thou#h(

and )ame %a)* with it )radled in your arms. 0ouldn-t 7i*i %e 2ealous/ To the )hildren-s deli#ht$ Aunt olly announ)ed that :o':o was #oin# sho!!in# the

next day. +So$ if you want anythin#$ you must tell him$/ she said. +He has a lon# listof thin#s to #et for me(you )an add anythin# you want to it$ and #ive him the

money./

They !ut down a new tor)h %attery on the list. 5inah had left her tor)h on oneni#ht and the %attery was now no use. She must have a new one. :a)* added

another roll of film. He had %een ta*in# !hoto#ra!hs of the sea'%irds round ,ra##y'To!s$ and now wanted a new film to ta*e to the Isle of Gloom with him.

They waited anxiously for :o':o to de!art the next day. He seemed irritatin#lyslow. He started u! the )ar at last and %a)*ed it out of the tum%ledown shed where it

lived. +Now don-t you )hildren #et into mis)hief whiles I-m #one$/ he said$ his %la)*fa)e turned sus!i)iously towards them. erha!s he sensed that they were wishin#

him to %e #one for reasons of their own. +0e never #et into mis)hief$/ said hili!. +Have a #ood time(and don-t hurry

%a)*. It will %e !leasant without you$ for a )han#e./ :o':o s)owled$ !ut his foot on the a))elerator and shot off at his usual %rea*ne)*

s!eed. +,an-t thin* how the old )ar stands those %um!s and 2er*s$/ said hili!$wat)hin# it #o a)ross the )liff and disa!!ear down to the road on the other side.

+0ell(he-s #one. Now$ what a%out it Our )han)e has )ome./



In #reat ex)itement the )hildren ran down to the %ea)h$ and made their way tothe %i# %oat. The %oys #ot in. 5inah untied the ro!e and #ave it a !ush.

+Ta*e )are of yourselves$/ )alled 9u)y'Ann anxiously$ lon#in# to 2um! into the %oatwith them. +5o ta*e )are of yourselves./

+O*ay3/ yelled %a)* :a)*$ and 7i*i e)hoed the word. +O*ay$ o*ay$ o*ay$ shut thedoor +and wi!e your feet3/

The #irls wat)hed the %oys rowin# hard$ and then they saw them !ut u! the sailas soon as they were out on the o!en sea. There was a #ood wind and they weresoon movin# alon# at a fine s!eed.

+Off to the Isle of Gloom$/ said 9u)y'Ann. +0ell$ I ho!e :a)* %rin#s %a)* the Great

Au*./ +He won-t$/ said 5inah$ whose )ommon sense told her that it would indeed %e a

mira)le if he did. +0ell$ I ho!e they find the entran)e to those awful ro)*s all ri#ht.They seem to %e mana#in# the %oat well$ don-t they/

+6es$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ strainin# her eyes to follow the %oat$ whi)h was now%e)omin# diffi)ult to see$ owin# to a ha&e over the water. The Isle of Gloom )ould not

%e seen at all. +Oh dear(I do ho!e they-ll #et on well./ The %oys were havin# a fine time. They found that althou#h :o':o-s %oat was

heavier and more aw*ward to mana#e than Bill-s it was not really diffi)ult. There was

1uite enou#h wind and they were sim!ly rushin# throu#h the water. It was mostexhilaratin# to feel the u!'and'down movement$ and to hear the wind in the tautsail$ and see the waves ra)in# %y.

+Nothin# li*e a %oat$/ said :a)* ha!!ily. +One day I-ll have one of my own./ +They )ost a lot of money$/ said hili!.

+0ell$ I-ll ma*e a lot$ then$/ said :a)*. +Then I-ll %uy a fine %oat of my own$ and #osailin# off to distant islands inha%ited %y nothin# %ut %irds$ and won-t I have a

marvellous time3/ +I wish we )ould see the island$/ said hili!. +This ha&e is a nuisan)e. I ho!e we-re

#oin# in the ri#ht dire)tion./ Before they saw the island$ they heard the thunderin# of the waves on the rin# of

ro)*s around it. Then 1uite suddenly$ after what seemed a very lon# time$ the island

loomed u!$ and the %oys felt the s!ray from the %rea*in# waves fallin# finely aroundthem.

+9oo* out(we-re headin# strai#ht for the ro)*s3/ )ried hili! in alarm. +Ta*e downthe sail. 0e-ll have to row. 0e )an-t mana#e the %oat in this wind(it-s #ot too

stron#. She-s #oin# too fast./ They too* down the sail$ #ot out the oars and %e#an to row. :a)* tried to see the

hi#h hill. But it was mu)h more diffi)ult to s!ot the hill in reality than it had %een to

see it on the ma!. The hills seemed more or less the same si&e. The %oys rowedround the rin# of ro)*s$ *ee!in# well out of rea)h of the )urrent that swe!t towards

the island. +There-s a hi#h hill(see$ to the left$/ suddenly said :a)*. +ull towards there$

Tufty. That-s ri#ht. I %elieve that-s the one we want./ They !ulled hard at their oars$ !antin# and !ers!irin#. Then$ as the hill )ame ri#ht

into view$ the %oys saw$ to their deli#ht$ a #a! in the rin# of ro)*s(a narrow #a!$ itis true$ %ut de)idedly an o!enin# throu#h whi)h a %oat mi#ht !ass.

+Now()areful$/ warned hili!. +This is the tri)*y %it. 0at)h out. 0e may #etswun# off our )ourse and run into the ro)*s. And anyway$ althou#h there are none

showin# 2ust there$ in the #a!$ there mi#ht %e some 2ust %elow the water that wouldri! the %ottom from our %oat. ,areful$ Fre)*les$ )areful3/

:a)* was very )areful. Everythin# de!ended on #ettin# safely throu#h the #a!.The %oys$ their fa)es strained and anxious$ rowed )autiously. 7i*i didn-t say a word.

She *new that the %oys were worried.



The #a! or !assa#e was narrow %ut lon#. It was anxious wor* #ettin# the %oatthrou#h. ?arious stron# )urrents seemed to %e doin# their %est to drive her to this

side or that$ and on)e the %oys felt the %ottom %ein# s)ra!ed %y some ro)* that wasnot far %elow the water.

+That was a narrow shave$/ said hili!$ in a low voi)e. +5id you hear that nastys)ra!e/

+I felt it too$/ said :a)*. +Hallo(we seem to %e all ri#ht now. I say$ howmarvellous$ Tufty(we-re in a )hannel of !erfe)tly )alm water3/

Beyond the rin# of ro)*s was a )hannel or moat of %rilliant %lue$ )alm water$

#leamin# in the summer sun. It was stran#e to see it after the tur%ulen)e of the

waves that ra)ed over the ro)*s. They )ould hear the thunder of these still. +Not far to the island now$/ said hili!$ thrilled. +,ome on(I-m fri#htfully tired(at

least my arms are(%ut we sim!ly must #et to land. I-m lon#in# to ex!lore./ They loo*ed a%out for a #ood landin#'!la)e. The island was very ro)*y indeed$ %ut

in one !la)e there was a tiny )ove where sand #leamed. The %oys de)ided to landthere.

It was 1uite easy to land and haul the %oat a little way u! the %ea)h$ thou#h ittoo* all the %oys- stren#th to !ull it u!. But Bill had shown them the *na)* of

haulin#$ and soon they were free to ex!lore the deserted island.

They )lim%ed the ro)*y )liff %ehind the little )ove$ and #a&ed over that side of theIsle of Gloom.

It was the num%er of %irds that first too* the %oys- attention. There were

thousands u!on thousands$ all *inds$ all si&es$ all sha!es. The noise they made wastremendous. They too* little noti)e of the %oys$ who stood wat)hin# them in wonder.

But they were not as tame as they had ho!ed. Sittin# %irds flew away as soon asthe %oys went near. They seemed as wild as those at ,ra##y'To!s. :a)* was

disa!!ointed. +Funny3/ he said. +I always thou#ht that %irds on a deserted island$ where no men

ever )ame$ were )om!letely tame. It says so in all my %oo*s$ anyway. These are1uite wild. They won-t let us #o really near them./

There were few trees to %e seen$ and what there were #rew in sheltered s!ots$

%ent over sideways %y the wind that %lew a)ross the island. 4nderfoot was a *ind of wiry #rass whi)h #rew in tufted !at)hes here and there. But even that did not #row

everywhere$ and the %are ro)* thrust u! in many !la)es.The %oys left the )liff and wal*ed inland$ the )ries of the thousands of %irds in

their ears. They made their way towards the hill that towered u! in the )entre of theisle.

+I want to see what those funny %uildin#s are that I saw throu#h the #lasses$/ said

:a)*$ remem%erin#. +And oh dear$ I do want to find a Great Au*. I haven-t seen asi#n of one yet. I *ee! on loo*in# and loo*in#./

oor :a)* was in a terri%le state of ex)itement$ ex!e)tin# to see a Great Au* atany moment$ and$ instead$ seein# all *inds of %irds he had already seen at ,ra##y'

To!s. It was disa!!ointin#. He hadn-t ex!e)ted to see a !ro)ession of Great Au*s(%ut one$ 2ust one$ would have %een marvellous.

There were !lenty of %i# ra&or%ills with their )uriously'sha!ed %ea*s$ !lenty of s*uas$ #ulls$ )ormorants and other %irds. It was a !aradise of sea'%irds$ and :a)*

was lost in wonder at the num%er of them. How he would li*e to s!end a few days onthis island$ wat)hin# and ta*in# !hoto#ra!hs3

They )ame to the hills$ and found a !ass %etween them. Here there was more#rass and a few tiny wild flowers$ sea'!in*s and others. One or two stunted %ir)hes

#rew on the hillsides.Between the hills lay a small valley$ and in it was a stream$ runnin# off to the sea

on the other side of the island. The %oys went to have a loo* at it %e)ause it seemed



rather a )urious )olour.It )ertainly was a stran#e )olour. +Sort of )o!!ery'red$/ said :a)*$ !u&&led. +I

wonder why. I say$ loo*3(there are those 1ueer %uildin#s$ u! on that hill. And do younoti)e$ Tufty$ how the ro)*s )han#e in )olour here They are not %la)* any more$ %ut

reddish. And some of them loo* li*e #ranite. It-s 1ueer$ isn-t it/ +I don-t thin* I li*e this island mu)h$/ said hili!$ with a shudder. +It feels lonely

and 1ueer(and sort of %ad./ +6ou-ve %een listenin# to old :o':o-s tales too mu)h$/ said :a)*$ with a lau#h$

thou#h he himself did not li*e the +feel/ of the island either. It was so mournful and

desolate$ and the only sounds to %e heard so far inland were the in)essant )ries of

the sea'%irds )ir)lin# overhead.They )lim%ed half'way u! a hill to see the +%uildin#s./ It was diffi)ult to ma*e out

what they were$ they were so old and %ro*en'down(not mu)h more than hea!s of stones or ro)*s. They did not loo* as if they ever )ould have %een !la)es to live in.

And then$ )lose to one of these +%uildin#s$/ hili! dis)overed somethin# 1ueer. He)alled to :a)* in ex)itement.

+I say3 ,ome and loo* here3 There-s a terrifi) hole #oin# ri#ht down into the earth(sim!ly terrifi)ally dee!3/

:a)* ran over to the hole and !eered down it. It was a lar#e hole$ a%out six feet

round$ and it went so far down into the earth that the %oys )ould not !ossi%ly seethe %ottom of it.

+0hat-s it for/ said hili!. +Is it a well$ do you thin*/

The %oys dro!!ed a stone down to see if they )ould hear a s!lash. But none)ame. Either it was not a well$ or it was so dee! that the sound of the s!lash )ould

not %e heard. +I shouldn-t li*e to fall down there$/ said hili!. +9oo*3(there-s a ladder #oin#

down(awfully old and %ro*en(%ut still$ a ladder./ +It-s a mystery$/ said :a)*$ !u&&led. +9et-s #o and loo* around a %it. 0e mi#ht find

somethin# to hel! us to )lear u! su)h a 1ueer !ro%lem. A shaft #oin# ri#ht down intothe de!ths of the earth$ in a lonely island li*e this3 0hatever was it made for/

Chapter 17

:O':O IS ANG86

TO the %oys- intense sur!rise$ they found more of the dee!$ narrow holes$ all of themnear the )urious old +%uildin#s./ +They )an-t %e wells$/ said :a)*. +That-s im!ossi%le.

No'one would want so many. They must %e shafts$ sun* down dee! into the earth

here$ for some #ood reason./ +5o you thin* there were mines/ as*ed hili!$ remem%erin# that )oal'mines

always had shafts %ored down throu#h the earth$ so that men mi#ht #o down and#et the )oal. +5o you thin* there are old mines here ,oal'mines$ for instan)e/

+No$ not )oal$/ said :a)*. +I )an-t ima#ine what. 0e-ll have to find out. I ex!e)tyour un)le *nows. 0ouldn-t it %e ex)itin# if it was a %old 'mine3 6ou never *now./

+0ell$ it must have %een wor*ed out hundreds of years a#o$/ said hili!. +Therewouldn-t %e any #old left now$ or it would still %e wor*ed. I say(shall we #o down

and see what there is to %e seen/ +I don-t *now$/ said :a)* dou%tfully. +The old ladders aren-t mu)h #ood$ are they

0e mi#ht fall hundreds of feet down(and that would %e the end of us./ +0hat a !ity$ what a !ity3/ remar*ed 7i*i.

+6es$ it would %e a !ity$/ said hili!$ with a #rin. +0ell$ !erha!s we-d %etter not.Hallo3(here-s another shaft$ :a)*(a %it %i##er one./

The %oys !eered down this %i# one. It had a mu)h %etter ladder than the others.



They went down it a little way$ feelin# very darin#. They soon )ame u! a#ain$ forthey did not li*e the dar*ness and the shut'in feelin#.

And then they made a dis)overy that sur!rised them even more than the shafts.Not far off$ !iled under an overhan#in# %it of ro)*$ were some em!ty meat and fruit

tins.This was su)h an extraordinary find that the %oys )ould hardly %elieve their eyes.

They stood and stared at the tins$ and 7i*i flew down to ins!e)t them to see if therewas anythin# left to eat.

+0here do you su!!ose those )ame from/ said :a)* at last. +0hat a 1ueer thin#3

Some are very rusty(%ut others seem 1uite new. 0ho )ould )ome to this island(

and why(and where do they live/ +It-s a mystery$/ said hili!. +9et-s have a 2olly #ood loo* all round it whilst we-re

here$ and see if we )an find anyone. Better #o )arefully$ %e)ause it-s 1uite !lain thatwhoever lives here doesn-t want it *nown./

So the %oys made a )areful tour of the island$ %ut saw nothin# and no%ody that)ould ex!lain the mystery of the !ile of tins. They wondered at the red ro)*s on the

seaward side of the island$ and a#ain !u&&led over the reddish )olour of the streamthat ran into the sea there. There were many more %irds on the seaward side$ and

:a)* *e!t a shar! loo*'out for the Great Au*. But he did not see one$ whi)h was very

disa!!ointin#. +Aren-t you #oin# to ta*e any !hotos/ as*ed hili!. +6ou said you were. Hurry u!$

%e)ause we ou#htn-t to %e mu)h lon#er./

+6es(I-ll ta*e a few$/ said :a)*$ and hid %ehind a )onvenient ro)* to sna! a fewyoun# %irds. Then$ havin# one more film left$ a thou#ht stru)* him.

+I-ll ta*e a sna! of that !ile of tins$/ he said. +The #irls mi#htn-t %elieve us if we%rin# home su)h a 1ueer tale$ %ut they-ll %elieve it all ri#ht if we show them the

!hoto./ So he sna!!ed the !ile of tins too$ and then$ with one last loo* down the %i#$

silent shaft$ the %oys made their way %a)* to the %oat. There it lay$ 2ust out of rea)hof the water.

+0ell$ let-s ho!e we ma*e as #ood a tri! home as we did )omin# out$/ said :a)*. +I

wonder if :o':o is %a)* yet. I ho!e to #oodness that the #irls have dealt with himsomehow if he is./

They !ulled the %oat into the water and #ot in. They rowed over the smooth moatto the exit %etween the ro)*s$ where s!ray was %ein# sent hi#h into the air from

waves %rea*in# on either side. They mana#ed to avoid the ro)* that had s)ra!ed the%ottom of the %oat %efore$ and rowed 1uite easily out of the !assa#e.

They had some trou%le 2ust outside$ where the sea was very )ho!!y indeed. The

wind had )han#ed a little$ and the sea was rou#her. They !ut u! the sail and ranhome in #reat style$ exultin# in the feel of the wind on their )hee*s and the s!ray on

their fa)es.As they #ot near the shore after their lon# run$ they saw the two #irls waitin# for

them$ and they waved. 5inah and 9u)y'Ann waved %a)*. Soon the %oat slid to itsmoorin#'!la)e and the %oys #ot out and tied it u!.

+5id you find the Great Au*/ )ried 9u)y'Ann. +Is :o':o %a)*/ as*ed hili!.

+6ou-ve %een a#es$/ said 5inah$ im!atient to hear everythin#. +0e-ve had a fine adventure$/ said hili!. +Is :o':o %a)*/

All these 1uestions were as*ed at the same moment. The most im!ortant one was(was :o':o %a)*

+6es$/ said 5inah$ with a #i##le. +He )ame %a)* a%out an hour a#o. 0e werewat)hin# for him. 9u)*ily$ he went strai#ht down into the )ellar with some %oxes he

%rou#ht %a)* in the )ar$ and we followed him. He o!ened that inner door and went



into the %a)* )ellar with the %oxes(the )ellar where the tra!'door is(and weremem%ered where you-d !ut the *ey of that door$ #ot it$ and lo)*ed him in. He-s

%an#in# away there li*e anythin#./ +Good for you3/ said the %oys$ !leased. +Now he won-t *now we-ve %een out in his

%oat. But how on earth are we #oin# to let him out without his *nowin# we-ve lo)*edhim in/

+6ou-ll have to thin* of somethin#$/ said 5inah. The %oys wal*ed u! to the house$thin*in# hard.

+0e-d %etter sli! down 1uietly and unlo)* the door when he-s havin# a rest$/ said

hili! at last. +He )an-t *ee! %an#in# at the door for ever. As soon as he sto!s for a

%it of rest$ I-ll 1uietly !ut the *ey in the lo)* and unlo)* the door. Then I-ll sli!u!stairs a#ain. The next time he tries the door$ it will o!en(%ut he won-t *now why./

+Good3/ said the others$ !leased. It seemed a very sim!le way of settin# :o':ofree without his #uessin# that it had anythin# to do with them.

hili! too* the *ey and went down into the )ellar as 1uietly as he )ould. As soonas he #ot down there he heard :o':o hammerin# on the door. The %oy waited till he

had sto!!ed for %reath$ and then !ushed the %i# *ey 1uietly into the lo)*. He heard:o':o )ou#hin#$ and turned the *ey at the same moment$ and then withdrew it. The

door was unlo)*ed now(:o':o )ould )ome out when he wanted to. hili! shot a)ross

the )ellar$ ran u! the ste!s$ out into the *it)hen$ and 2oined the others. +He-ll %e out in a minute$/ he !anted. +9et-s sli! u! on to the )liff$ and as soon as

we see :o':o a#ain$ we-ll wal* down to the house$ !retendin# we are 2ust %a)* from a

wal*. That will !u&&le him !ro!erly./ So they all ran u! to the )liff$ lay down on the to!$ and !ee!ed over to see when

:o':o a!!eared. In low voi)es the %oys told the #irls all they had found on the Isle of Gloom.

The two #irls listened in ama&ement. 5ee! holes in the earth(a stream that wasred(a !ile of food tins(how very 1ueer3 No'one had ex!e)ted anythin# li*e that. It

was %irds they had #one to see. +0e sim!ly must #o %a)* a#ain and find out what those shafts lead down to$/ said

:a)*. +0e-ll find out$ too$ if there were on)e mines of some sort there. erha!s your

4n)le :o)elyn would *now$ 5inah./ +6es$ he would$/ said 5inah. +Golly$ I wish we )ould #et hold of that old ma! of the

island he s!o*e a%out(the one he )ouldn-t find. It mi#ht show us all *inds of interestin# thin#s$ mi#htn-t it/

7i*i suddenly #ave one of her ex!ress'train s)ree)hes$ whi)h meant she hadsi#hted her enemy$ :o':o. The )hildren saw him down %elow$ loo*in# all round$

evidently for them. They s)ram%led to their feet and wal*ed 2auntily down the !ath

to the house.:o':o saw them and )ame to meet them$ fury in his %la)* fa)e. +6ou lo)*ed me in$/

he said. +I-ll tell "iss olly of you. 6ou ou#ht to %e whi!!ed./ +9o)*ed you in3/ said hili!$ !uttin# a loo* of sheer ama&ement on his fa)e.

+0here did we lo)* you in Into your room/ +5own in the )ellar$/ said :o':o$ in a furious voi)e. +Here-s "iss olly. I-ll tell of you.

"iss olly$ these )hildren lo)*ed me into the )ellar./ +5on-t tal* nonsense$/ said Aunt olly. +6ou *now there is no lo)* on the )ellar

door. The )hildren have %een for a wal*(loo* at them 2ust )omin# %a)* to the house(how )an you say they lo)*ed you in 6ou must %e mad./

+They lo)*ed me in$/ said :o':o sul*ily$ suddenly remem%erin# that the inner )ellarwas his own se)ret !la)e and that he had %etter not #o into any details$ or Aunt olly

would #o down and dis)over the door he had so )arefully hidden. +I didn-t lo)* him in$ Aunt olly$/ said hili! earnestly. +I-ve %een ever so far away

all mornin#./



+So have I$/ said :a)*$ 1uite truthfully. Aunt olly %elieved them$ and as she *newthat the four )hildren were always to#ether$ she ima#ined that the #irls had %een

with them. So how )ould any of them have !layed a tri)* on :o':o And anyway$thou#ht Aunt olly$ there was no lo)* on the door to the )ellar$ so what in the wide

world did :o':o mean He really must %e #oin# off his head. +Go and do your wor*$ :o':o$/ she said shar!ly. +6ou always seem to have your

*nife into the )hildren$ a))usin# them of this and that. 9eave them alone. They-re#ood )hildren./

:o':o thou#ht otherwise. He #ave one of his famous s)owls$ made an an#ry noise$

%eautifully )o!ied %y 7i*i$ and returned to the *it)hen.

+5on-t ta*e any noti)e of him$/ said Aunt olly. +He-s a %it )ra&y$ I thin*$ and very%ad'tem!ered$ %ut he-s 1uite harmless./

The )hildren went %a)* into the house$ win*in# at one another. It was ni)e to haveAunt olly on their side. All the same$ :o':o was !ilin# u! #rievan)es a#ainst them.

They must loo* out. +Funny$/ thou#ht :a)*. +Aunt olly says :o':o is 1uite harmless(and Bill Smu#s

says he-s a dan#erous fellow. One of them is )ertainly wron#./

Chapter 18OFF TO THE IS9AN5 AGAIN

0HAT should %e done next Should they tell Bill Smu#s of their adventure 0ould he%e an#ry %e)ause they had evaded their !romise$ without a)tually %rea*in# it$ and

#one out to the island in someone else-s %oat The )hildren de)ided that he mi#ht %every an#ry. He had #reat ideas of honour and !romises and *ee!in# one-s word.

+0ell$ so have we$/ said :a)*. +I wouldn-t have %ro*en my !romise. I didn-t. I 2ustfound a way round it./

+0ell$ you *now what #rown'u!s are$/ said 5inah. +They don-t thin* the same wayas we do. I ex!e)t when we #row u!$ we shall thin* li*e them(%ut let-s ho!e we

remem%er what it was li*e to thin* in the way )hildren do$ and understand the %oys

and #irls that are #rowin# u! when we(re men and women./ +6ou-re tal*in# li*e a #rown'u! already$/ said hili! in dis#ust. +Sto! it./

+5on-t tal* to me li*e that$/ flared 5inah. +:ust %e)ause I was tal*in# a %it of sense./

+Shut u!$/ said hili!$ and #ot a %ox on the ear from 5inah immediately. He #aveher a sla! that sounded li*e a !istol'shot and she yelled.

+Beast3/ she said. +6ou *now %oys shouldn-t hit #irls./

+I shouldn-t hit ordinary de)ent #irls$ li*e 9u)y'Ann$/ said hili!. +But you-re 2usttoo %ad'tem!ered for words. 6ou ou#ht to *now %y now that if you %ox my ears

you-ll #et a 2olly #ood sla!. Serves you ri#ht./ +:a)*$ tell him he-s a %east$/ said 5inah= %ut :a)*$ althou#h he never did hit a #irl$

)ouldn-t hel! a#reein# that 5inah deserved what she often #ot. +6ou should *ee! your hands to yourself$/ he said to her. +6ou-re too 1ui)* at

dishin# out ear'%oxes$ and you ou#ht to *now %y now that hili! won-t stand for it./ +,lear out and #et over your %ad tem!er$/ said hili!$ his ear stin#in# and #oin#

very red. 9u)y'Ann loo*ed distressed. She hated these 1uarrels %etween the %rotherand sister. +Go on$ )lear out$/ said hili!. He !ut his hand into his !o)*et and !ulled

out a %ox in whi)h he had *e!t an extraordinarily tame %eetle for days. 5inah *newhe meant to o!en the %ox and !ut the %eetle )lose to her. She #ave a s)ream and

rushed out of the room.hili! !ut the %ox %a)* into his !o)*et$ after lettin# the enormous %eetle have a

run on the ta%le. 0henever he held out his fin#er the %eetle ran to it in deli#ht. It





and see what they are li*e./ +9oo*$ all the old shafts are mar*ed$/ said hili!$ and he !la)ed his fin#ers on

them. +There-s the one we must have found those tins near$ Fre)*les$ loo*3(andhere-s the stream. And now I *now why it-s red. It-s )oloured %y the )o!!er de!osits

still in the hills$ I %et./ +0ell$ !erha!s there is still )o!!er there then$/ said 5inah$ in #reat ex)itement.

+,o!!er nu##ets3 Oooh$ I wish we )ould find some./ +,o!!er is found in veins$/ said hili!$ +%ut I thin* it-s found whole$ in nu##ets too.

They mi#ht %e valua%le. I say(shall we$ 2ust for a lar*$ #o a)ross to the island$ #o

down to the mines$ and hunt a%out a %it 0ho *nows$ we mi%ht find nu##ets of

)o!!er./ +There won-t %e any$/ said :a)*. +No'one would leave a mine if there was still

)o!!er to %e wor*ed. It-s %een deserted for hundreds of years./ +There-s somethin# stu)* on to the %a)* of the ma!$/ said 9u)y'Ann suddenly. The

)hildren turned it over$ and saw a smaller ma! fastened to the lar#er one. Theysmoothed it out to loo* at it. At first they )ould not ma*e head or tail of it(and then

hili! #ave an ex)lamation. +Of )ourse3 It-s an under#round ma! of the island(a ma! of the mines. 9oo* at

these !assa#es and #alleries and these drainin#')hannels to ta*e away water. Golly$

!art of these mines are %elow the level of the sea./ It was weird to loo* at a ma! that showed the ma&e of tunnels under the surfa)e

of the island. There had evidently %een a vast area mined$ some of it under the sea

itself. +This se)tion is ri#ht under the %ed of the sea$/ said :a)*$ !ointin#. +How 1ueer to

wor* there$ and *now that all the time the sea is heavin# a%ove the ro)*y )eilin#over your head3/

+I shouldn-t li*e it$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ shiverin#. +I-d %e afraid it would %rea* throu#hand flood where I was wor*in#./

+9oo* here$ we sim!ly must #o over to the island a#ain$/ said hili! ex)itedly. +5oyou *now what I thin* I thin* that !eo!le are wor*in# in those mines now./

+0hatever ma*es you thin* that/ said 5inah.

+0ell$ those food tins$/ said hili!. +Someone eats food there$ out of tins. And we)ouldn-t see them anywhere$ )ould we So it must %e that they were down in the

mines$ wor*in#. I %et you that-s the solution of the mystery./ +9et-s #o over to Bill and tell him all a%out it tomorrow$ and ta*e this ma! to show

him$/ said 5inah$ thrilled. +He will tell us what to do. I don-t feel li*e ex!lorin# themines %y ourselves. I somehow feel I-d li*e Bill with us./

+No$/ said :a)* suddenly. +0e won-t tell Bill./

The others loo*ed at him in sur!rise. +0hy ever not/ demanded 5inah.

+0ell(%e)ause I-ve suddenly #ot an idea$/ said :a)*. +I %elieve it-s a friend of Bill-s(or friends(wor*in# in those mines. I %elieve Bill-s )ome here to %e near them(to

ta*e food over(and that sort of thin#. I %et he uses his %oat for that. It must %e ase)ret$ I should thin*. 0ell(he wouldn-t %e too !leased if we *new his se)ret. He-d

never let us #o out in his %oat a#ain./ +But$ :a)*(you-re exa##eratin#. Bill-s only )ome for a holiday. He-s %ird'

wat)hin#$/ said hili!. +He doesn-t really do mu)h %ird'wat)hin#$/ said :a)*. +And thou#h he listens to

me when I rave a%out the %irds here$ he doesn-t tal* mu)h a%out them himself(notli*e I would if someone #ave me the )han)e. And we don-t *now what his %usiness

is. He-s never told us. I %et you anythin# you li*e that he and his friends are tryin# towor* a )o!!er'mine over on the island. I don-t *now who the mines %elon# to(if

they do %elon# to anyone(%ut I #uess if it was sus!e)ted that there was still )o!!er



there the !eo!le who made the dis)overy would *ee! it se)ret on the )han)e of minin# some #ood )o!!er nu##ets themselves./

:a)* !aused$ 1uite out of %reath. 7i*i murmured the new word she had heard. +,o!!er$ )o!!er$ )o!!er. S!are a )o!!er$ )o!!er$ )o!!er./

+Isn-t she )lever/ said 9u)y'Ann.But no'one !aid any attention to 7i*i. The matters %ein# dis)ussed were far too

im!ortant to %e interru!ted %y a !arrot. +9et-s as* Bill Smu#s strai#ht out$/ su##ested 5inah$ who always li*ed to #et

thin#s )lear. She disli*ed mysteries that )ouldn-t %e solved.

+5on-t %e an ass$/ said hili!. +:a)*-s already told you why it would %e %est not to

let Bill *now we *now his se)ret. "ay%e he-ll tell us himself one day(and won-t he %esur!rised to *now that we #uessed it3/

+0e-ll #o over in :o':o-s %oat a#ain soon$/ said :a)*. +0e-ll #o down that %i# shaftand ex!lore a %it. 0e-ll soon find out if anyone is there. 0e-ll ta*e this ma! with us

so that we don-t lose our way. It shows the under#round !assa#es and #alleries very)learly./

It was ex)itin# to tal* over these se)rets. 0hen )ould they #o off to the islanda#ain Should they ta*e the #irls this time(or not

+0ell$ I thin* we shall mana#e even %etter this time$/ said hili!. +There wasn-t

mu)h dan#er really last time$ on)e we found the !assa#e throu#h the rin# of ro)*s.I-m !retty )ertain we shall #et to the island easily next time. 0e may as well ta*ethe #irls./

5inah and 9u)y'Ann were thrilled. They lon#ed for a )han)e to #o at on)e$ %ut :o':o did not leave ,ra##y'To!s lon# enou#h for them to ta*e his %oat. However$ he

went out in it himself two or three times. +Are you #oin# fishin#/ as*ed hili!. +0hy don-t you ta*e us with you/

+Not #oin# to %other myself with )hildren li*e you$/ said the %la)* man$ in his surlyway$ and set off in his %oat. He sailed out su)h a lon# way that his %oat disa!!eared

into the ha&e that always seemed to han# a%out the western hori&on. +He may have #one to the island$ for all we )an see$/ said :a)*. +He 2ust

disa!!ears. I ho!e he %rin#s some fish %a)* for su!!er toni#ht./

He did. His %oat returned after tea and the )hildren hel!ed to ta*e in a fine )at)hof fish. +6ou mi#ht have ta*en us too$ you mean thin#$/ said 5inah. +0e )ould have

let lines down as well./ The next day :o':o de!arted to the town a#ain$ mu)h to the )hildren-s 2oy. +He-s

#ot the day off$/ said Aunt olly. +6ou will have to do some of his 2o%s. 6ou %oys )an!um! u! the water for the day./

The %oys went off to the well and let down the heavy %u)*et$ unwindin# the )hain

till the %u)*et rea)hed the water. :a)* !eered over the ed#e. +:ust li*e one of those shafts over in the island$/ he said. +0ind u!$ Tufty(here

#oes3/ The )hildren hurried over all the wor* that Aunt olly set them to do. Then$

ma*in# )ertain that the )ar was #one out of the #ara#e$ they %e##ed a !i)ni) lun)hfrom Aunt olly and ra)ed down to :o':o-s %oat.

They undid the ro!e and !ushed off$ the two %oys rowin# hard. As soon as theywere out on the o!en sea$ u! went the sail. +Off we #o to the Isle of Gloom$/ said

5inah$ in deli#ht. +Gosh$ I-m #lad we-re )omin# with you this time$ :a)*. It washateful %ein# left %ehind last time./

+5id you %rin# the tor)hes/ as*ed hili! of 9u)y'Ann. She nodded. +6es. They-reover there with the lun)h./

+0e shall need them down the mines$/ said hili!$ with an air of ex)itement. 0hatan adventure this was(to %e #oin# down old$ old mines$ where !ossi%ly men mi#ht

%e se)retly huntin# for )o!!er. hili! shivered deli)iously with ex)itement.



The sailin#'%oat$ handled most ex!ertly %y the four )hildren$ went alon# well andthey made very #ood time indeed. It did not seem to %e very lon# %efore the island

loomed u! out of the usual ha&e. +Hear the waves %an#in# on the ro)*s/ said :a)*. The #irls nodded. This was the

dan#erous !art. They ho!ed the %oys would find the ro)* !assa#e as easily as%efore$ and #o in safely.

+There-s the %i# hill$/ said :a)* suddenly. +5own with the sail$ #irls. That-s ri#ht(easy does it. 9oo* out for that ro!e$ 9u)y'Ann. No$ not that one(that-s ri#ht./

The sail was down. The %oys too* the oars and %e#an to row )autiously towards

the #a! in the ro)*s. They *new where it was now. Into it they went$ loo*in# out for

the ro)* that lay near the surfa)e$ ready to avoid it. It did s)ra!e the %ottom sli#htlyand 9u)y'Ann loo*ed fri#htened. But soon they were in the )alm moat of water that

ran #leamin# all round the island$ %etween the shore and the rin# of ro)*s.9u)y'Ann heaved a si#h of relief. 0hat with feelin# a %it sea'si)* and a lot s)ared$

she had #one 1uite !ale. But now she re)overed 1ui)*ly as she saw the island itself so near.

They landed safely and !ulled the %oat u! on to the shore. +Now we ma*e for thehills$/ said :a)*. +"y word$ loo* at the thousands of %irds a#ain3 I never in my life

saw su)h a lot. If only I )ould see that Great Au*3/

+erha!s I-ll see one for you$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ wishin# with all her heart that she)ould. +hili!$ where-s that red')oloured stream(and the !ile of tins Anywhere nearhere/

+6ou-ll see soon$/ said hili!$ stridin# ahead. +0e #o throu#h this little !ass in thehills./

Soon they )ould see the )o!!er')oloured stream runnin# in the valley amon# thehills. :a)* !aused and too* his %earin#s. +0ait a %it. 0here exa)tly was that %i#

shaft/ The #irls had already ex)laimed over the other holes in the #round$ and the 1ueer

tum%ledown ere)tions %eside them. +There must have %een some sort of shaft'head$/ said :a)*$ )onsiderin#. +Now$ where-s that !ile of tins It was somewhere near here.

Oh(there-s the shaft$ #irls3/

Everyone hurried to the %i# round hole and !eered down it. There was no dou%t%ut that the ladder leadin# down it was in very #ood )ondition. +This is the shaft the

men are usin#$/ said hili!. +It-s the only one whose ladder is safe./ +5on-t tal* too loudly$/ said :a)*$ in a low voi)e. +6ou don-t *now how sound mi#ht

)arry down this shaft./ +0here are those tins you told us a%out/ said 9u)y'Ann.

+Over there(%y that ro)*$/ said hili!$ !ointin#. +Go and see them if you want to./

He shone his tor)h down the shaft$ %ut )ould see very little. It loo*ed rathersinister and for%iddin#. 0hat was it li*e down there 0ere there really men down

there The )hildren mustn-t %e dis)overed %y them(#rown'u!s were always an#rywhen )hildren !o*ed their noses into matters that didn-t )on)ern them.

+:a)*(I )an-t find the tins$/ said 9u)y'Ann. hili! made an im!atient noise. Howsilly #irls were3 They never )ould find anythin#. He strode over to show them the

!ile.Then he sto!!ed in astonishment. The !la)e under the ro)* was em!ty. There was

nothin# there at all. The tins had %een removed. +9oo* at that$ :a)*$/ said hili!$ for#ettin# to s!ea* softly. +All those tins have

#one. 0ho too* them 0ell(that 2ust shows there are !eo!le on this island(!eo!lewho have %een here sin)e we last )ame too. I say(isn-t this ex)itin#3/

Chapter 1



5O0N IN THE ,OE8'"INES

94,6'ANN loo*ed round her fearfully as if she half ex!e)ted to see some%ody hidin#%ehind a ro)*.

+I don-t li*e to thin* there may %e !eo!le here we don-t *now anythin# a%out$/ she said.

+5on-t %e silly$/ said :a)*. +They-re down in the mines. Shall we #o down this shaftnow$ and see what we )an dis)over/

The #irls didn-t want to$ %ut 9u)y'Ann felt that it would %e worse to stay u! a%ove

#round$ all alone with 5inah$ than it would %e to #o down and *ee! with the %oys. So

she said she would #o$ and 5inah$ who wasn-t #oin# to %e left all alone$ !rom!tlysaid she would #o too.

hili! s!read the ma! of the under#round mines out on the #round$ and they all*nelt down and studied it. +See(this shaft #oes down to the )entre of a !erfe)t

ma&e of !assa#es and #alleries$/ said hili!. +Shall we ta*e this !assa#e here(it-s asort of main road$ and leads to the mines that were wor*ed ri#ht under the sea./

+Oh no$ don-t let-s #o there$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ in alarm. But the other three voted to#o there$ so the matter was de)ided.

+Now$ 7i*i$ if you )ome with us$ you are not to ma*e a noise$/ warned :a)*. +Else$

if we #o anywhere near the miners$ they will hear you$ and we shall %e dis)overed.See/

+Eena meena mina mo$/ said 7i*i solemnly$ and s)rat)hed her !oll hard.

+6ou-re a silly %ird$/ said :a)*. +Now mind what I-ve told you(don-t you dare tos)ree)h or shout./

They went to the head of the shaft. They all !eered down$ feelin# rather solemn.An adventure was ex)itin#$ %ut somehow this one seemed a %it fri#htenin#$ all of a

sudden. +,ome on$/ said hili!$ %e#innin# to #o down the ladder. +Nothin# )an ha!!en to

us really$ even if we are dis)overed. After all$ we first )ame to this island to see if we)ould find a Great Au* for Fre)*les. Even if we were )au#ht we )ould say that we-d

*ee! our mouths shut. If the men are friends of Bill Smu#s$ they must %e de)ent

fellows. 0e )an always tell them we are his friends./ They all %e#an to )lim% down the lon# lon# shaft. Before they were half'way down

they wished they had never %e#un their des)ent. They had not #uessed they wouldhave to #o so far. It was li*e )lim%in# down to the middle of the earth$ down$ down$

down in the dar*ness$ whi)h was lit now %y the %eams from four tor)h li#hts. +6ou #irls all ri#ht/ as*ed hili!$ rather anxiously. +I should thin* we must %e

near the %ottom now./

+"y arms are terri%ly tired$/ said !oor 9u)y'Ann$ who was not so stron# as theothers. 5inah was more li*e a %oy in her darin# and stren#th$ %ut 9u)y'Ann was

small )om!ared with her. +Sto! a little and rest$/ said :a)*. +Golly$ 7i*i feels heavy on my shoulder. That-s

%e)ause my arms are a %it tired too$ I ex!e)t$ with holdin# on to the ladder'run#s./ They rested a little and then went on downwards. Then hili! #ave a low

ex)lamation. +I say3 I-m at the %ottom3/

0ith #reat than*fulness the others 2oined him. 9u)y'Ann !rom!tly sat down onthe #round$ for her *nees were a)hin# now$ as well as her arms. hili! flashed his

tor)h around.They were in a fairly wide !assa#e. The walls and )eilin# were of ro)*$ #leamin# a

)o!!ery )olour in the li#ht of the tor)hes. From the main !assa#e %ran)hed many#alleries or smaller !assa#es.

+0e-ll do as we said and *ee! to this main !assa#e$ whi)h loo*s li*e a sort of main



road of the mines$/ said hili!.:a)* flashed his tor)h down a smaller !assa#e. +9oo*3/ he said. +The roof has

fallen in there. 0e )ouldn-t #o down that way if we wanted to./ +Golly$ I ho!e the roof of this !assa#e won-t fall in on to! of us$/ said 9u)y'Ann$

loo*in# u! at it in alarm. In !la)es it was !ro!!ed u! %y %i# tim%ers$ %ut mostly itwas of hard ro)*.

+,ome on(we-re safe enou#h$/ said :a)* im!atiently. +I say(isn-t it thrillin# to %ehundreds of feet %elow the earth$ down in a )o!!er'mine as old as the hills3/

+It-s funny that the air is 1uite #ood here$ isn-t it/ said 5inah$ remem%erin# the

musty'smellin# air in the se)ret !assa#e at ,ra##y'To!s.

+There must %e #ood air'ways in these mines$/ said hili!$ tryin# to remem%erhow the air'ways in )oal'mines wor*ed. +That-s one of the first thin#s that men thin*

a%out when they %e#in to wor* mines under#round(how to #et drau#hts of airmovin# down the tunnels they ma*e(and )hannels to drain off any water that mi#ht

)olle)t and flood the mine./ +I-d hate to wor* in a mine$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ shiverin#. +hili!$ are we under the

sea yet/ +Not yet$/ said hili!. +A%out half'way there$ I should thin*. Hallo$ here-s a well'

wor*ed !ie)e(1uite a %i# )ave3/

The !assa#e suddenly o!ened out into a vast o!en )ave that showed many si#nsof %ein# wor*ed %y men. "ar*s of tools stood out here and there in the ro)*$ and:a)*$ with a deli#hted ex)lamation$ darted to a )orner and !i)*ed u! what loo*ed li*e

a small hammer'to! made of %ron&e. +9oo*$/ he said !roudly to the others. +This must %e !art of a %ro*en tool used %y

the an)ient miners(it-s made of %ron&e(a mixture of )o!!er and tin. "y word$won-t the %oys at s)hool envy me this3/

That made the others loo* around ea#erly as well$ and 9u)y'Ann made adis)overy that interested every%ody very mu)h. It was not an an)ient %ron&e tool(it

was a stu% of !en)il$ %ri#ht yellow in )olour. +5o you *now who this %elon#s to/ said 9u)y'Ann$ her #reen eyes #leamin# in

the tor)h'li#ht li*e a )at-s. +It %elon#s to Bill Smu#s. I saw him writin# notes with it

the other day. I *now it-s Bill-s./ +Then he must have %een down here and dro!!ed it %y a))ident$/ said hili!$

thrilled. +Golly$ our #uess was ri#ht then3 He-s no %ird'wat)her(he-s livin# on the)oast with his )ar and his %oat %e)ause he-s friends with the men wor*in# this old

mine$ and %rin#s them food and stuff. Artful old Bill(he never told us a word a%outit./

+0ell$ you don-t #o %la%%in# everythin# out to )hildren you meet$/ said 5inah.

+0ell$ well(how sur!rised he would %e if he *new we *new his se)ret3 I wonder if he-s down here now/

+ -,ourse not$ silly$/ said hili!$ at on)e. +His %oat wasn-t on the shore$ was it Andthere-s no other way of #ettin# here ex)e!t %y %oat./

+I for#ot that$/ said 5inah. +Anyway(I don-t feel afraid of meetin# the se)retminers now that we *now they are friends of Bill-s. All the same$ we won-t let them

*now we-re here if we )an hel! it. They mi#ht thin* that )hildren )ouldn-t %e trusted$and %e rather )ross a%out it./

They examined the %i# )ave )losely. The )eilin# was !ro!!ed u! with %i# oldtim%ers$ some of them %ro*en now$ so that the roof was #radually fallin# in. A

num%er of hewn'out ste!s led to a )ave a%ove$ %ut the roof of that had fallen in andthe )hildren )ould not #et into it.

+5o you *now what I thin*/ said :a)* suddenly$ sto!!in# to fa)e the others%ehind him$ as they examined the )ave. +I %elieve that li#ht I saw out to sea the

other ni#ht wasn(t from a shi! at all(it was from this island. The miners were #ivin#



a si#nal to say that they had finished their food and wanted more(and the li#ht fromthe )liff was flashed %y Bill to say he was %rin#in# more./

+6es(%ut the li#ht )ame from our )liff$ not from Bill-s )liff$/ o%2e)ted hili!. +I *now(%ut you *now 2olly well that it-s only from the hi#hest !art of the )liff

that anyone si#nallin# from the )ove side of the island )ould %e seen$/ said :a)*. +If some%ody stood on that hill in the middle of the island and made a %onfire or waved

a !owerful lam!$ it )ould only %e seen from our )liff$ and not from Bill-s. So Bill musthave #one to our )liff that ni#ht and answered the si#nal./

+I %elieve you-re ri#ht$/ said hili!. +Old Bill must have %een wanderin# a%out that

ni#ht$ %ehind ,ra##y'To!s(and you saw his si#nallin# li#ht and so did :o':o. No

wonder old :o':o says there are thin#s- wanderin# a%out at ni#ht and is s)ared of them3 He must often have heard Bill and seen li#hts$ and not *nown what they

were./ +I ex!e)t Bill went off to the island in his %oat$ as soon as he )ould$ with fresh

food$/ said :a)*. +And he too* away the !ile of old tins. That ex!lains why it is theyare #one. Artful old Bill3 0hat a fine se)ret he has(and we are the only !eo!le who

*now it3/ +I do wish we )ould tell him we *now it$/ said 9u)y'Ann. +I don-t see why we )an-t.

I-m sure he-d rather *now that we *new it./

+0ell(we )ould sort of say a few thin#s that will ma*e him #uess we *now it$!erha!s$/ said hili!. +Then if he #uesses$ he-ll own u!$ and we-ll have a #ood tal*a%out the mines$ and Bill will tell us all *inds of ex)itin# thin#s./

+6es$ that-s what we-ll do$/ said :a)*. +,ome on(let-s ex!lore a %it further. I feelas if I *now this )ave %y heart./

The !assa#e swerved suddenly to the left after a %it$ and hili!-s heart #ave athum!. He *new$ %y the ma!$ that when the main !assa#e swerved left they were

#oin# under the sea'%ed itself. It was somehow very thrillin# to %e wal*in# under thedee! sea.

+0hat-s that funny noise/ as*ed 5inah. They all listened. There was a )urious$far'off %oomin# noise that never sto!!ed.

+"iners with ma)hines/ said hili!. Then he suddenly *new what it was. +No(it-s

the sea %oomin# away a%ove our heads3 That-s what it is3/ So it was. The )hildren stood and listened to the muffled$ far'away noise. Boom'

%oooom$ %oom. That was the sea$ movin# restlessly over the ro)*y %ed$ may%e!oundin# over ro)*s in its way$ tal*in# with its )ontinual$ rhythmi)al voi)e.

+It-s funny to %e under the sea itself$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ half fri#htened. Sheshivered. It was so dar*$ and the noise was so stran#e.

+Isn-t it awfully warm down here/ she said$ and the others a#reed with her. It

)ertainly was hot down in the old )o!!er'mines.They went on their way down the !assa#e$ *ee!in# to the main one$ and avoidin#

all the many #alleries that s!read out )ontinually sideways$ whi)h !ro%a%ly led toother wor*in#s of the %i# mines.

+If we don-t *ee! to this main road$ we-ll lose ourselves$/ said hili!$ and 9u)y'Ann#ave a #as!. It had not o))urred to her that they mi#ht #et lost. How awful to #o

wanderin# a%out miles of mine'wor*in#s$ and never find the shaft that led themu!wards3

They )ame to a !la)e where$ 1uite suddenly$ a %rilliant li#ht shone. The )hildrenhad rounded a )orner$ noti)in#$ as they )ame to it$ that a #limmer of li#ht seemed to

show there. As they turned the )orner of the !assa#e they )ame into a )ave li#hted%y a !owerful lam!. They sto!!ed in the #reatest sur!rise.

Then a noise )ame to their ears(a 1ueer noise$ not the muffled %oom of the sea$%ut a )latterin# noise that they )ouldn-t re)o#nise(then a %an#$ then a )latterin#

noise a#ain.



+0e-ve found where the miners wor*$/ said :a)*$ in an ex)ited whis!er. +7ee!%a)* a %it. 0e may see them(%ut we don-t want them to see us3/

Chapter 2!8ISONE8S 4N5E8G8O4N5

THE )hildren huddled a#ainst the wall$ tryin# to see what was in the )ave %eforethem$ %lin*in# their eyes in the %rilliant li#ht.

There were %oxes and )rates in the )ave$ %ut nothin# else. No man was there. But

in the near distan)e was some%ody at wor*$ ma*in# that 1ueer )latterin#$ %an#in#noise.

+9et-s #o %a)*$/ said 9u)y'Ann$ fri#htened. +No. But loo*(there-s a !assa#e #oin# off 2ust here$/ whis!ered hili!$ flashin# his

tor)h into a dar* tunnel near %y. +0e-ll )ree! down there and see if we )ome a)rossthe miners wor*in# somewhere near./

So they all )re!t down the tunnel. As they went down it$ !ressin# themselves)losely a#ainst the ro)*y sides$ a ro)* fell from the roof. It #ave 7i*i su)h a fri#ht

that she #ave a s1uaw* and flew off :a)*-s shoulder.

+Here$ 7i*i3/ said :a)*$ afraid of losin# her. But 7i*i did not )ome %a)* to hisshoulder. The %oy stum%led %a)* u! the !assa#e to loo* for her$ whistlin# softly inthe way he did when he wanted to )all her to him. The others did not reali&e that he

was no lon#er with them$ %ut went on down the tunnel$ slowly and !ainfully.And then thin#s ha!!ened very 1ui)*ly. Some'one )ame swiftly u! the tunnel with

a lantern$ whose li#ht !i)*ed out the three )hildren at on)e. They )owered %a)*a#ainst the wall and tried not to %e da&&led %y the lantern. The man )arryin# it

!aused in the #reatest astonishment. +0ell$/ he said$ in a dee!$ rather hoarse voi)e. +0ell(if this doesn-t %eat

everythin#3/ He held his lantern u! hi#h to see the )hildren more )learly. Then he)alled over his shoulder.

+:a*e3 ,ome and ta*e a loo*'see here. I-ve #ot somethin# here that-ll ma*e your

eyes dro! out./ Another man )ame swiftly u!$ tall and dar* in the shadows. He #ave a loud

ex)lamation as he saw the three )hildren. +0ell$ what do you thin* of that3/ he said. +,hildren3 How did they )ome here Are

they real Or am I dreamin#/ +It-s )hildren all ri#ht$/ said the first man. He s!o*e to the three$ and his voi)e was

rou#h and harsh.

+0hat are you doin# here 0ho are you with/ +0e-re %y ourselves$/ said hili!.

The man lau#hed loudly. +Oh no$ you-re not. It-s no #ood s!innin# that *ind of taleto us. 0ho %rou#ht you here$ and why/

+0e )ame ourselves in a %oat$/ said 9u)y'Ann indi#nantly. +0e *now the #a! inthe ro)*s$ and we )ame to see the island./

+0hy did you )ome down here/ demanded :a*e$ )omin# nearer. Now the )hildren)ould see what he was li*e$ and they didn-t li*e the loo* of him at all. He had a %la)*

!at)h over one eye$ and the other eye #leamed wi)*edly at them. His mouth was soti#ht'li!!ed that it almost seemed as if he had no li!s at all. 9u)y'Ann )owered away.

+Go on(why did you )ome down here/ demanded :a*e. +0ell(we found the shaft'hole(and we )lim%ed down to see the old mines$/ said

hili!. +0e shan-t s!lit on you$ don-t %e afraid./ +S!lit on us 0hat do you mean 0hat do you *now$ %oy/ as*ed :a*e rou#hly.

hili! said nothin#. He didn-t really *now what to say. :a*e nodded his head to the



first man$ who went %ehind the )hildren. Now they )ould not #o forward or %a)*wardto es)a!e.

9u)y'Ann %e#an to )ry. hili! !ut his arm round her$ and wondered$ for the firsttime$ where :a)* was. 9u)y'Ann loo*ed round for him too. She %e#an to )ry more

loudly when she saw he was not there. +9u)y'Ann$ don-t tell these men that :a)* is #one$/ whis!ered hili!. +If they ta*e

us !risoner$ :a)* will %e a%le to es)a!e and %rin# hel!. So don-t say a word a%outhim./

+0hat are you whis!erin# a%out/ as*ed :a*e. +Now$ loo* here$ my %oy(you

don-t want any harm to )ome to your sisters$ do you 0ell(you 2ust tell us what you

*now$ and may%e we-ll let you #o./ hili! was alarmed at the man-s tone. For the first time it dawned on the %oy that

there mi#ht %e dan#er. These men were fier)e(they wouldn-t let three )hildrenshare their se)rets willin#ly. Su!!ose they *e!t them !risoner under#round(starved

them(%eat them 0ho *new what mi#ht ha!!en hili! made u! his mind to tell alittle of what he #uessed.

+9oo* here$/ he said to :a*e$ +we *now who you are wor*in# with$ see And he-s afriend of ours. He-ll %e mi#hty an#ry if you do us any harm./

+Oh$ really3/ said :a*e$ in a mo)*in# tone. +And who is this wonderful friend of

yours/ +Bill Smu#s$/ said hili!$ feelin# )ertain that everythin# would %e all ri#ht at the

mention of Bill-s name.

+Bill Smu#s/ said the man$ with a 2eerin# note in his voi)e. +And who may he %eI-ve never heard of him in my life./

+But you must have$/ said hili! des!erately. +He %rin#s you food$ and si#nals toyou. 6ou *now he does. 6ou must *now Bill Smu#s and his %oat$ "he #l$atross./

The two men stared intently at the )hildren. Then they s!o*e to#ether 1ui)*ly in aforei#n lan#ua#e. They seemed !u&&led.

+Bill Smu#s is no friend of ours$/ :a*e said$ after a !ause. +5id he tell you that he*new us/

+Oh no$/ said hili!. +0e only #uessed it./

+Then you #uessed wron#$/ said the man. +,ome alon#(we-re #oin# to ma*e you)omforta%le somewhere till we de)ide what to do with )hildren who !o*e their noses

into thin#s that don-t )on)ern them./ hili! #uessed that they were #oin# to %e *e!t !risoners somewhere under#round$

and he was alarmed and an#ry. The #irls were fri#htened. 5inah didn-t )ry$ %ut 9u)y'Ann$ forlorn %e)ause :a)* was not %y her$ )ried without sto!!in#.

:a*e !rodded hili! to ma*e him #o alon# in front of him. He turned the )hildren

off into a narrow !assa#e runnin# at ri#ht an#les from the tunnel they were in. Adoor was set a)ross this !assa#e and :a*e un%olted it. He !ushed the )hildren inside

the )ave there$ whi)h loo*ed almost li*e a small room$ for it had %en)hes and a smallta%le. :a*e set his lantern down on the ta%le.

+6ou-ll %e safe here$/ he said$ with a horrid )roo*ed #rin. +@uite safe. I shan-tstarve you$ don-t %e afraid of that./

The )hildren were left alone. They heard the door %olted firmly and footste!sdyin# away. 9u)y'Ann still we!t.

+0hat a %it of %ad lu)*3/ said hili!$ tryin# to s!ea* )heerfully. +5on-t )ry$ 9u)y'Ann./

+0hy didn-t those men *now Bill Smu#s/ said 5inah$ !u&&led. +0e *now he must%rin# them food$ and !ro%a%ly ta*e away the )o!!er they mine./

+Easy to #uess$/ said hili! #loomily. +I %et old Bill #ave us a wron# name. Itsounds !retty !e)uliar$ anyway(Bill +mu%s(I never heard a name li*e that %efore$

now I )ome to thin* of it./



+Oh(you thin* it isn-t his real name/ said 5inah. +So of )ourse those men don-t*now it. 5ash3 If only we *new his real name$ everythin# would %e all ri#ht./

+0hat are we #oin# to do/ we!t 9u)y'Ann. +I don-t li*e %ein# a !risoner in a)o!!er'mine under the sea. It-s horrid./

+But it-s a very thrillin# adventure$ 9u)y'Ann$/ said hili!$ tryin# to )omfort her. +I don-t li*e a thrillin# adventure when I-m in the middle of it$/ we!t 9u)y'Ann.

Neither did the others$ very mu)h. hili! wondered a%out :a)*. +0hat )an have ha!!ened to him/ he said. +I ho!e he-s safe. He-ll %e a%le to

res)ue us if he is./

But at that moment :a)* was anythin# %ut safe. He had wandered u! the tunnel

loo*in# for 7i*i$ had turned into another !assa#e$ found 7i*i$ turned to #o %a)*(andthen had lost his way. He had no idea that the others had %een )au#ht. 7i*i was on

his shoulder$ tal*in# softly to herself.hili! had the ma!$ not :a)*. So$ on)e the %oy had lost his way$ he had no means

of dis)overin# how to #et %a)* to the main !assa#e. He turned into one tunnel afteranother$ found some of them %lo)*ed$ turned %a)*$ and %e#an wanderin# hel!lessly

here and there. +7i*i$ we-re lost$/ said :a)*. He shouted a#ain and a#ain$ as loudly as he )ould$

and his voi)e went e)hoin# throu#h the an)ient tunnels very weirdly$ )omin# %a)* to

him time and time a#ain. 7i*i s)ree)hed too$ %ut there was no answerin# )all.The )hildren shut u! in the )ell'li*e )ave fell silent after a time. There was nothin#

to do$ nothin# to say. 9u)y'Ann !ut her head down on her arms$ whi)h she rested on

the ta%le$ and fell fast aslee!$ tired out. 5inah and hili! stret)hed themselves out onthe %en)hes and tried to slee! too. But they )ouldn-t.

+hili!$ we-ll 2ust hae to es)a!e from here$/ said 5inah des!erately. +Easy to say that$/ said hili! sar)asti)ally. +Not so easy to do. How would you

su##est that we es)a!e from a )ave set dee! in a )o!!er'mine under the sea$ a )avewhi)h has a stout wooden door to it well %olted on the outside 5on-t %e foolish./

+I-ve #ot an idea$ hili!$/ said 5inah at last. hili! #runted. He never had mu)huse for 5inah-s ideas$ whi)h$ as a rule$ were rather far'fet)hed.

+Now$ do listen$ hili!$/ said 5inah earnestly. +It-s 1uite a #ood idea./

+0hat is it/ said hili! #rum!ily. +0ell$ :a*e or that other man will %e sure to )ome %a)* here sooner or later with

food$/ %e#an 5inah. +And when he )omes$ let-s all %e #as!in# and holdin# our headsand #roanin#./

+0hatever for/ as*ed hili! in astonishment. +So as to ma*e him thin* the air is very %ad in here$ and we )an-t %reathe$ and

we-re almost dyin#$/ said 5inah. +Then may%e he-ll let us #o out into the !assa#e for

a %reath of air(and you )an reel towards him$ *i)* out his li#ht(and we-ll all es)a!eas 1ui)*ly as we )an./

hili! sat u! and loo*ed at his sister with admiration. +I really do thin* you-ve #otan idea there$/ he said$ and 5inah #lowed with !leasure. +6es$ I really do. 0e-ll have

to wa*e 9u)y'Ann and tell her. She must !lay her !art too./ So 9u)y'Ann was awa*ened and told the !lan. She thou#ht it was very #ood. She

%e#an to #as! and hold her head and moan in a most realisti) way. hili! nodded hishead.

+That-s fine$/ he said. +0e-ll all do that when we hear :a*e or the other fellow)omin#. Now$ whilst there-s still time$ I-d %etter find where we are on the

under#round ma!$ and see exa)tly what dire)tion to ta*e as soon as we-ve *i)*edthe man-s li#ht out./

He s!read the ma! out on the ta%le and studied it. +6es$/ he said at last. +I seewhere we are. There-s the %i# )ave that was li#hted u!(see And the little !assa#e

off it where we were )au#ht(and here-s the !assa#e we were ta*en down(and



here-s the little )ave we-re in now. Now$ listen$ #irls(as soon as I-ve *i)*ed out theman-s li#ht$ ta*e my hand and *ee! )lose %y me. I-ll lead you the ri#ht way$ and find

the shaft'hole a#ain. Then u! we-ll #o$ 2oin u! with old :a)* somewhere and #et tothe %oat./

+Good$/ said 5inah$ thrilled(and at that very moment they heard footste!s)omin# to the wooden door.

Chapter 21

ES,AE(B4T 0HAT ABO4T :A,7

THE %olts were shot %a)*. The door o!ened and :a*e a!!eared$ )arryin# a tin !late of

%is)uits and a %i# o!en tin of sardines. He also !ut on the ta%le a 2u# of water.Then he stared in ama&ement at the three )hildren. hili! seemed to %e )ho*in#$

and he rolled off his %en)h on the floor. 5inah was ma*in# the most extraordinarynoises$ and holdin# her head ti#htly in her hands. 9u)y'Ann a!!eared to %e on the

!oint of %ein# si)*$ and made the most alarmin# #roans. +0hat-s u!/ as*ed :a*e.

+Air3 0e want air3/ #as!ed hili!. +0e-re )ho*in#3 Air3 Air3/

5inah rolled on to the #round as well. :a*e !ulled her u! and hustled her to thedoor. He !ushed the others out into the !assa#e. He thou#ht they must really %e onthe !oint of )ho*in#(the air in the )ell must %e used u!.

hili! wat)hed his )han)e and reeled towards :a*e as if he )ould not standstrai#ht. As he )ame towards him he lifted his ri#ht foot$ and aimed a mi#hty *i)* at

the lantern in :a*e-s hand. It fell and smashed at on)e$ and the li#ht went out. Therewas a tin*lin# of #lass$ a shout from :a*e(and then hili! sou#ht for the hands of

the two fri#htened #irls. He found them and !ushed the two hurriedly in front of himtowards a !assa#e on the left. :a*e$ left in the dar*ness$ %e#an to #ro!e a%out$

shoutin# for the other man. +Olly3 Hi$ Olly3 Brin# a lam!3 @ui)*3 These dratted *ids have fooled me. Hi$ -lly*”

hili!$ tryin# hard to *ee! his sense of dire)tion )orre)t$ hurried the #irls alon#.

Their hearts were %eatin# !ainfully$ and 9u)y'Ann really did feel as if she was #oin#to )ho*e now. Soon they had left :a*e-s shouts %ehind and were in the wide main

!assa#e down whi)h they had )ome not many hours %efore. hili! was now usin# histor)h$ and it was !leasant to see the thin$ %ri#ht %eam of li#ht.

+Than* #oodness(we-re in the ri#ht tunnel$/ said hili!$ !ausin# to listen. He)ould hear nothin# %ut the %oom of the sea far a%ove their heads. He swun# his

tor)h around. 6es(they were on the ri#ht road. Good3

+,an we have a little rest/ !anted 9u)y'Ann. +No$/ said hili!. +Those men will %e after us almost at on)e(as soon as they #et

another lam!. They will #uess we are ma*in# for the shaft. ,ome on. There-s no timeto %e lost./

The )hildren hurried on a#ain(%ut after a time$ to their #reat dismay$ they heardshouts %ehind them. That meant that the men were after them(and what was more$

were )at)hin# them u!. 9u)y'Ann felt so alarmed that she )ould hardly run.They )ame at last to the %i# shaft'hole. It was so dee! that the )hildren )ould not

see the entran)e to it$ far a%ove. The dayli#ht was not to %e seen. +4! you #o$/ said hili! anxiously. +6ou first$ 9u)y'Ann. Be as 1ui)* as you )an./

9u)y'Ann %e#an to )lim%. 5inah followed her. hili! )ame last. He )ould hear themen-s voi)es even more )learly now. And then(1uite suddenly$ they sto!!ed$ and

hili! )ould hear them no more. 0hat had ha!!enedAn extraordinary thin# had ha!!ened. 7i*i the !arrot$ hearin# the tumult in the

distan)e$ had %e)ome ex)ited and was shoutin#. She and :a)* were still wanderin#



a%out$ 1uite lost$ in the ma&e of !assa#es and #alleries. 7i*i-s shar! ears heard themen and she %e#an to s)ree)h and yell.

+0i!e your feet3 Shut the door3 Hi$ hi$ hi$ olly !ut the *ettle on3/ The men heard the shoutin# voi)e and thou#ht it %elon#ed to the )hildren.

+They-ve lost themselves$/ said :a*e$ sto!!in#. +They don-t *now the way %a)* to theshaft. They-re lost and are shoutin# for hel!./

+9et them shout$/ said Olly sourly. +They-ll never find the way to the shaft. I toldyou they wouldn-t. 9et them #et lost and starve./

+No$/ said :a*e. +0e )an-t do that. 0e don-t want to have to ex!lain half'starvin#

)hildren to sear)h'!arties$ do we 0e-d %etter #o and #et them. They are over in

that dire)tion./ They went off the main !assa#e$ meanin# to try and find the )hildren where the

shouts had )ome from. 7i*i-s voi)e )ame a#ain to them. +0i!e your feet$ idiot$ wi!eyour feet3/

This astonished the two men. They went on towards the voi)e$ %ut even as theywent$ :a)* and 7i*i wandered into a !assa#e that the two men missed. 7i*i fell

silent$ and the men !aused. +,an-t hear them any more$/ said :a*e. +Better #o to the shaft. They may have

found their way there after all. 0e )an-t afford to let them es)a!e till we-ve de)ided

what to do a%out all this./ So they retra)ed their ste!s to the shaft$ and loo*ed u! it. A shower of tiny stones

)ame down and hit them.

+Gosh3 The )hildren are u! there3/ )ried :a*e$ and started u! the ladder at on)e.The )hildren were almost at the to!. 9u)y'Ann felt as if her arms and le#s )ould

not )lim% one more run#(%ut they held out$ and at last the tired #irl rea)hed theto!$ )lim%ed out$ and rolled over on the #round$ exhausted. 5inah )ame next$ and

sat down with a lon# si#h. And then hili!$ tired too$ %ut determined not to rest forone moment.

+I-m sure those men will )ome u! the shaft after us$/ he said. +0e haven-t aminute to lose. 5o )ome on$ #irls. 0e must #et to the %oat and %e off %efore anyone

sto!s us./

It was #ettin# dar*. 0hat a lon# time they must have %een under#round3 hili!dra##ed the #irls to their feet and they set off to the shore. The %oat was there$

than* #oodness. +I don-t want to #o without :a)*$/ said 9u)y'Ann o%stinately$ her heart wrun# with

anxiety for her %eloved %rother.But hili! %undled her into the %oat at on)e.

+No time to lose$/ he said. +,ome on. 0e-ll send hel! %a)* for :a)* as soon as

ever we )an. I )an-t %ear leavin# him %ehind either(%ut I-ve #ot to #et you #irlsaway safely./

5inah too* one !air of oars and hili! the other. Soon the two were rowin# the%oat away 1ui)*ly$ a)ross the )alm )hannel of water to where$ in the distan)e$ the

waves thundered over the reef of ro)*s. hili! felt anxious. It was one thin# to #etthrou#h the #a! safely when he )ould see where he was #oin#$ %ut 1uite another

when it was almost dar*.He heard shoutin#$ %ut he was too far away from the shore to see the men there.

:a*e and Olly had )lim%ed u! the shaft$ ra)ed over the island to the shore$ and wereloo*in# for a %oat. But there was none. The tide was )omin# in and there was not

even a mar* on the sand to show where the %oat had rested. In fa)t$ it had %eenalmost afloat when the )hildren had #ot in$ and it was lu)*y that it had not floated

away. +No %oat here$/ said Olly. +How did those *ids )ome It-s 1ueer. They must have

es)a!ed %y %oat. They )an-t still %e under#round. 0e-d %etter si#nal toni#ht and #et



someone over here. 0e must warn them that *ids have found us under#round./ They went %a)* to the shaft and )lim%ed down it$ not *nowin# that one of the

)hildren was still wanderin# a%out in the mines. oor :a)* was still ma*in# his waydown a ma&e of tunnels$ all loo*in# exa)tly ali*e to him.

In the meantime hili!$ 9u)y'Ann and 5inah had$ %y #reat #ood lu)*$ 2ust stru)*the #a! in the ro)*s. It was really %e)ause of 9u)y'Ann-s shar! ears that they had

%een so lu)*y. She had listened to the !oundin# of the water over the ro)*s$ and herears had noti)ed a softenin# of the thunder. +That-s where the #a! must %e$/ shethou#ht. +The noise dies away a little there./ So$ sittin# at the tiller$ she tried to

#uide the %oat to where she #uessed the #a! to %e$ and %y #ood )han)e she found

it. The %oat sli!!ed throu#h$ s)ra!in# its *eel on)e more on the ro)* 2ust %elow thesurfa)e(and then it was in the o!en sea$ ro)*in# u! and down.

How hili! !ut u! the sail in the half dar*ness$ and sailed the %oat home$ he never1uite *new. He was des!erate= the #irls must %e #ot %a)* in safety$ so with #reat

)oura#e he went a%out his tas*. 0hen at last he rea)hed the moorin#'!la)e$ underthe )liff$ he )ould not #et out of the %oat. @uite suddenly his *nees seemed to #ive

way$ and he )ould not wal*. +I-ll have to wait a minute or two$/ he said to 5inah. +"y le#s have #one funny. I-ll

%e all ri#ht soon./

+6ou-ve %een awfully )lever$/ said 5inah$ and from her those words meant a lot.They tied u! the %oat at last and went u! to the house. Aunt olly met them at

the door$ in a #reat state of alarm.

+0herever have you %een I-ve %een so worried a%out you. I-ve %een nearly off my head with anxiety. I really feel 1ueer./

She loo*ed very white and ill. Even as she s!o*e$ she tottered a little$ and hili!%ounded forward and )au#ht her as she fell.

+oor Aunt olly$/ he said$ dra##in# her indoors as #ently as he )ould and !uttin#her on the sofa. +0e-re so sorry we u!set you. I-ll #et some water(no$ 5inah$ you

#et some./ Soon Aunt olly said she felt a little %etter$ %ut it was 1uite !lain that she was ill.

+She never )ould stand any worry of this sort$/ 5inah said to 9u)y'Ann. +On)e when

hili! nearly fell down the )liff$ she was ill for days. It seems to ma*e her heart %ad.I-ll #et her to %ed./

+5on-t say a word a%out :a)* %ein# missin#$/ hili! warned 5inah in a low voi)e. +That really will #ive her a heart atta)*./

5inah went off u!stairs with her aunt$ su!!ortin# her as firmly as she )ould. hili!went to loo* for :o':o. He wasn-t %a)* yet. Good3 Then he wouldn-t have missed the

%oat. He loo*ed at 9u)y'Ann-s white little fa)e$ its #reen tired eyes and worried

ex!ression. He felt sorry for her. +0hat are we #oin# to do a%out :a)*/ said 9u)y'Ann$ with a #ul!. +0e-ve #ot to

res)ue him$ hili!./ +I *now$/ said hili!. +0ell(we )an-t tell Aunt olly(and 4n)le :o)elyn wouldn-t

%e any #ood(and we-d %e idiots to tell :o':o. So there is no'one left %ut old Bill$ I-mafraid./

+But(you said we-d %etter not tell Bill we *new his se)ret$/ said 9u)y'Ann. +I *now. But we-ve #ot to$ now that :a)* is alone on the island$/ said hili!. +Bill

will have to #o and tell those fier)e friends of his that :a)* is a !al$ and he-ll find himand %rin# him %a)* safely. So don-t you worry$ 9u)y'Ann./

+0ill you #o and tell him now$ strai#ht away/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann tearfully. +I-ll #o 2ust as soon as ever I-ve had somethin# to eat$/ said hili!$ suddenly

feelin# so hun#ry that he felt he )ould eat a whole loaf$ a !ound of %utter and a 2arof 2am. +6ou-d %etter have somethin# too$ 9u)y'Ann(you loo* as white as a sheet.

,heer u!3 :a)* will soon %e safe here$ and we-ll all %e lau#hin# and tal*in# li*e



anythin#./ 5inah )ame down then$ and set a%out #ettin# some food. They were all very

hun#ry$ even 9u)y'Ann. 5inah a#reed that the only thin# to do was to #o to BillSmu#s and #et him to #o and res)ue :a)* %efore the men found him.

+They-ll %e so wild that we-ve es)a!ed that they may %e really tou#h with :a)*$/ said 5inah$ and then wished she hadn-t s!o*en the words$ for 9u)y'Ann loo*ed

s)ared to death. +lease #o$ hili!$/ %e##ed the little #irl. +Go now. If you don-t$ I shall./ +5on-t %e silly$/ said hili!$ #ettin# u!. +6ou )ouldn-t ma*e your way a)ross the

)liff on a dar* ni#ht. 6ou-d fall over the ed#e. 0ell(so lon#3 I-ll %e %a)*./

Off went the %oy$ )lim%in# the stee! !ath to the to! of the )liff. Then he set off tofind Bill. He saw the li#hts of :o':o-s )ar in the distan)e$ )omin# home$ and heard the

noise of the en#ine. He hurried so that he would not %e seen. +Bill will %e sur!rised to see me$/ he thou#ht. +He-ll wonder whoever it is$ *no)*in#

at his door in the middle of the ni#ht./ But alas(Bill wasn-t there when hili! at last arrived at the sha)*. .ow what was

he to do

Chapter 22A TA97 0ITH BI99(AN5 A SHO,7

HI9I was filled with dismay. It had never o))urred to him that Bill mi#ht not %e athome. How awful3 hili! sat down on a stool and tried to thin*(%ut he was tired out$

and his %rain wouldn-t seem to wor*. +0hat shall I do now 0hat shall I do now/ he thou#ht$ and )ould not seem to

thin* of anythin# else. +0hat shall I do now/ It was dar* in the little sha)*. hili! still sat on the stool$ his hands han#in# lim!ly

%etween his le#s. Then he %e)ame aware of somethin# at the %a)* of the sha)*$ andhe turned to see what it was.

To his #reat ama&ement he saw a red li#ht there$ #lowin# dee!ly. Then it

disa!!eared. Then it )ame %a)* a#ain$ went out$ rea!!eared. It went on doin# thisfor a few minutes$ whilst hili! tried to thin* what it was$ and why it seemed to %e

si#nallin#. At last he #ot u! and went over to the li#ht. It )ame from a small %ul%%eside the wireless set. hili! had a loo* at it. He twiddled one or two *no%s. "usi)

)ame from the wireless when he twiddled one *no%. A "orse )ode )ame from it whenhe twiddled another. Then %y )han)e he saw$ at the %a)* of the wireless$ a small

tele!hone re)eiver$ smaller than any he had seen %efore(almost a !o)*et si&e$ he

thou#ht.He !i)*ed it u!(and immediately he heard a voi)e )ra)*lin# in the re)eiver. He

lifted it to his ear. +6 )allin#$/ said the voi)e. +6. 6 )allin#./

hili! listened in$ astonished. He de)ided to s!ea* to the voi)e. +Hallo3/ he said. +0ho are you/

There was a moment-s silen)e. Evidently 6$ whoever he mi#ht %e$ was sur!rised.A )autious voi)e )ame over the !hone a#ain.

+0ho is there/ +A %oy )alled hili! "annerin#$/ said hili!. +I )ame to find Bill Smu#s$ %ut he isn-t

here./ +0ho did you say/ said the voi)e.

+Bill Smu#s. But he-s not here$/ re!eated hili!. +I say$ who are you 5o you wantto leave a messa#e for Bill I ex!e)t he-ll %e %a)* sometime./

+How lon# has he %een #one/ as*ed 6.



+5on-t *now$/ said hili!. +0ait(I )an hear someone. Here he )omes$ I do%elieve./

:oyfully the %oy !ut down the tiny tele!hone re)eiver. He had heard the low soundof whistlin# outside$ and footste!s. It must %e Bill.

It was. He )ame in$ shinin# his tor)h(and he was so sur!rised when he saw hili!there that he stood sto)*'still without sayin# a word.

+Oh$ Bill3/ said hili! 2oyfully. +I-m so #lad you-ve )ome. @ui)*3(some%ody wantsyou on the !hone(6 he says he is./

+5id you s!ea* to him/ said Bill$ his voi)e soundin# astonished. He !i)*ed u! the

tiny !hone and s!o*e )urtly.

+Is that 6 9C s!ea*in#./ The voi)e evidently as*ed him who hili! was.

+Boy that lives round here$/ said Bill. +0hat-s the news$ !lease/ Then all that was said %y Bill was +6es. Of )ourse. I-ll let you *now. Than*s. No$

nothin# yet. Good%ye./ He turned to hili! when he had finished tal*in#. +9oo* here$ my %oy$/ he said$

+!lease understand that$ if you )ome !ayin# )alls here when I am out$ you must onno a))ount tam!er with my !ossessions or meddle with my affairs./

Bill had never s!o*en so sternly %efore$ and hili!-s heart san*. 0hat would Bill

say when he *new that the )hildren had #uessed his se)ret He would thin* they had%een meddlin# more than ever.

+Sorry$ Bill$/ he said aw*wardly. +I didn-t mean to interfere at all./

+0hy have you )ome at this time of ni#ht/ as*ed Bill. +Bill(is this your !en)il/ as*ed hili!$ ta*in# it out. He ho!ed that when Bill saw

it he would remem%er that he had dro!!ed it down in the )o!!er'mines$ and would#uess$ without hili! sayin# any more$ that the )hildren *new his se)ret. Bill stared

at the yellow !en)il stu%. +6es$ that-s mine$/ he said. +But you didn-t )ome here at ni#ht to #ive me %a)* my

!en)il. 0hat have you )ome for/ +Oh$ Bill(don-t %e so )ross$/ said !oor hili!. +6ou see(we *now your se)ret. 0e

*now what you are doin# here. 0e *now why you #o to the island(we *now

everythin#./ Bill listened to all this as if he sim!ly )ould not %elieve his ears. He stared at hili!

in the utmost ama&ement. His eyes #rew narrow$ and his mouth hardened into a thinline. For a moment he loo*ed very fri#htenin#.

+6ou are #oin# to tell me exa)tly what you mean %y all this$/ said Bill$ in a horridsort of voi)e. +0hat is my se)ret 0hat is the everythin#- that you *now/

+0ell$/ said hili! des!erately$ +we *now that you and your friends are tryin# to

wor* the )o!!er'mines a#ain(and we *now that you are here$ with your %oat andyour )ar$ to !rovide them with food(and to ta*e away any )o!!er they find. 0e

*now you-ve %een down the mines$ visitin# the men there. 0e *now you-ve #iven usa false name. But$ !lease$ Bill$ we wouldn-t dream of #ivin# you away(we ho!e

you-ll #et lots of )o!!er./ Bill listened$ his eyes still narrow(%ut as hili! went on tal*in#$ the twin*le )ame

%a)* into them$ and his mouth loo*ed li*e Bill-s a#ain. +0ell$ well$ well(so you *now all that$/ said Bill. +And what else do you *now

How did you #et to the island Not in my %oat$ I ho!e./ +Oh$ no$/ said hili!$ relieved to see Bill loo*in# friendly a#ain. +0e too* :o':o-s

when he was out. 0e went ri#ht down into the mines$ too(that was where we foundyour !en)il. But we don-t li*e your friends there$ Bill. They too* us !risoner(they-re

horrid(and even when we mentioned your name to them and said we were friendsof yours$ they said they didn-t *now it and wouldn-t let us #o free./

+6ou told them you *new Bill Smu#s/ said Bill. hili! nodded.



+0hat men did you see/ as*ed Bill. His voi)e had %e)ome shar! a#ain$ and hesna!!ed out his 1uestions in rather a fri#htenin# manner.

+Two(one )alled :a*e and one Olly$/ said hili!. Bill made a note in his note%oo*. +0hat were they li*e/ he as*ed shar!ly.

+0ell(%ut you must *now them$/ said hili! in astonishment. +Anyway$ I )ouldn-treally see mu)h(either it was dar*(or the li#ht da&&led me. I 2ust saw that :a*e was

tall and dar*$ with a !at)h over one eye$ that-s all. But you must *now what they areli*e yourself$ Bill./

+See anyone or anythin# else/ as*ed Bill.

hili! shoo* his head. +No. 0e heard other miners at wor*$ thou#h(a terrifi)

)latterin#$ %an#in# sort of noise$ you *now(they must have found some !art of themine that was still ri)h in )o!!er. Bill$ are you findin# mu)h )o!!er there 0ill it

ma*e you ri)h/ +9oo* here$ you didn-t )ome here toni#ht to tell me all this$/ said Bill suddenly.

+0hat did you )ome for/ +I )ame to say that althou#h 5inah and 9u)y'Ann and I mana#ed to fool :a*e and

#et away(we had to leave :a)* %ehind(with 7i*i$/ said hili!. +And we are worrieda%out him. 6ou see$ he mi#ht #et lost for ever in those wor*in#s under the sea(or

those friends of yours mi#ht find him and ill'treat him %e)ause they are an#ry at our

tri)*in# them as we did./ +:a)*-s still there(on the island(in the mines3/ said Bill$ loo*in# 1uite sho)*ed.

+Good heavens3 This is serious. 0hy didn-t you tell me that at first "y word$ it loo*s

as if everythin#-s #oin# to %e ruined %y you *ids./ Bill loo*ed an#ry and u!set. He went to his radio$ fiddled a%out with *no%s$ and

then$ to hili!-s ama&ement$ %e#an to tal* in short$ shar! tones in a lan#ua#e the%oy did not *now.

+It-s a transmitter as well as re)eivin# set$/ thou#ht hili!. +This is all verymysterious. 0ho is Bill tal*in# to now Have they all #ot a %oss who is dire)tin# this

)o!!er'mine affair I su!!ose there-s very %i# money in it. Oh dear$ I ho!e wehaven-t really ruined thin#s for them. 0hat +does. Bill mean How )ould we have

s!oilt anythin# He-s only #ot to #o over to the island$ see his friends$ tell them to

set :a)* free$ and that would finish it. He mi#ht *now he )an trust us not to s!lit onhim./

Bill turned round. +0e must #et the %oat at on)e$/ he said. +,ome on./ 0ith their tor)hes throwin# %eams of li#ht %efore them they went down to where

the %oat was *e!t. Bill %e#an to !ush it out(and then he suddenly #ave su)h a shoutthat hili!-s heart nearly 2um!ed out of his %ody.

+0ho-s done that/

Bill shone his tor)h into the %oat(and hili! saw$ with a sho)* of dismay and fear$that some'one had )ho!!ed vi)iously at the %ottom of the %oat()ho!!ed so hard

that there were holes there throu#h whi)h the water was even now !ourin#.Bill !ulled her %a)* on the %ea)h a#ain$ his fa)e very #rim. +5o you *now anythin#

a%out that/ he as*ed hili!. +Of )ourse not$/ said the %oy. +Golly(who did it$ Bill This is awful./

+0ell(the %oat is no use at all till she-s re!aired$/ said Bill. +But somehow we-ve#ot to #et over to the Isle of Gloom. 0e-ll have to ta*e :o':o-s %oat. ,ome on. But

mind(he mustn-t *now a thin# a%out it. There-s too mu)h *nown a%out everythin#already(and too many !eo!le nosin# a%out for my li*in#./

They set off over the )liffs$ !oor hili! so tired that he )ould hardly *ee! u! withBill. They )ame to ,ra##y'To!s$ )lim%ed down the )liff !ath and made their way to

where :o':o-s %oat was always tied.But$ to their intense sur!rise and des!air$ :o':o-s %oat was not there. It was #one.



Chapter 23

ANOTHE8 SE,8ET ASSAGE

AFTE8 hili! had left$ 9u)y'Ann and 5inah tried to settle down to some sewin#. But9u)y'Ann-s hands trem%led so mu)h that she *e!t !ri)*in# her fin#er.

+I-d %etter #o and tell 4n)le :o)elyn that Aunt olly has #one to %ed$ feelin# ill$/ said 5inah. +,ome with me$ 9u)y'Ann./

The two #irls went off to the study and *no)*ed at the door. They went in$ and

5inah told her un)le a%out her aunt. He nodded$ hardly seemin# to hear.

+4n)le :o)elyn$/ said 5inah$ +have you any more ma!s of the Isle of Gloom Orany %oo*s a%out it/

+No$/ said her un)le. +But wait(there-s a %oo* a%out this house$ ,ra##y'To!s$ Ithin*. 6ou *now that it was a #reat !la)e for ille#al #oin#s'on and se)ret doin#s two

or three hundred years a#o I %elieve there was a se)ret !assa#e to it from the%ea)h./

+6es$ there is$/ said 5inah. +0e *now it./ Her un)le %e)ame 1uite ex)ited. He made her tell him all a%out it. +5ear me$/ he

said$ +I thou#ht it had fallen in lon# a#o. But these se)ret !assa#es hewn out of the

ro)* last for years. Still$ I should thin* the one that #oes under the sea to the Isle of Gloom has %een flooded lon# sin)e./

The two #irls stared at the old man in ama&ement. 5inah found her ton#ue at last.

+4n)le :o)elyn$ do you mean to say there was another se)ret !assa#e here(under the sea to the island 0hy$ it-s ever so far away3/

+0ell$ there was su!!osed to %e$/ said her un)le. +There-s somethin# a%out it inthat %oo*. Now(where is it/

The #irls waited in the #reatest im!atien)e whilst he found the %oo*. He !ut hishand on it at last and 5inah almost snat)hed it from him.

+Than* you$ 4n)le$/ she said$ and$ %efore he )ould say she must not ta*e it out of the room$ she and 9u)y'Ann rushed out of the door and s!ed to the sittin#'room as

fast as they )ould. #nother passa%e . . . this time to the island itself3 0hat a thrill3

Surely 4n)le :o)elyn must %e mista*en. +It-s 1uite li*ely it-s true$ thou#h$/ said 5inah ex)itedly. +I *now this whole )oast is

honey')om%ed with )aves and !assa#es(it-s noted For that. Some distri)ts are$ you*now$ 9u)y'Ann. I ex!e)t the !assa#e 2oins u! with the mine'wor*in#s that extend

ri#ht under the sea'%ed. 0e *now there are miles of them./ The #irls o!ened the funny old %oo*. They )ould not read the !rintin#$ !artly

%e)ause it was so faded and !artly %e)ause the letters were sha!ed differently from

the ones they *new. They turned over !a#e after !a#e$ loo*in# for ma!s or !i)tures.The %oo* was a!!arently a history of ,ra##y'To!s$ whi)h was hundreds of years

old. In those days it must have %een almost a )astle$ %uilt se)urely on the )liff ro)*$!rote)ted %y the sea in front$ and the )liff %ehind. Now$ of )ourse$ it was half ruined$

and the family lived only in the few rooms that were still ha%ita%le. +9oo*$/ said 5inah$ !ointin# to a 1ueer old ma!$ +that-s what ,ra##y'To!s was li*e

in the old days. 0hat a fine !la)e3 9oo* at the towers(and what a #rand front ithad3/

They turned over the !a#es. They )ame to one that had a *ind of dia#ram on it.The #irls studied it )losely. Then 9u)y'Ann #ave a shout. +I *now what this is(it-s the

se)ret !assa#e from the )ellar to the %ea)h. Isn-t it/ It was. There was no dou%t a%out that. The #irls felt ex)ited. erha!s the %oo*

would show the other !assa#e too.There were two or three more dia#ram'li*e ma!s$ some of them so faded that it

was im!ossi%le to see what they were meant to re!resent. 5inah #ave a si#h.



+I wish I )ould read this old !rintin#. If I )ould$ I mi#ht %e a%le to find outwhether any of these ma!s are meant to show the other se)ret !assa#e(the one to

the island. It would %e so ex)itin# to dis)over that. 0hat a thrill if we did3 0hat willthe %oys say when we tell them there-s a)tually a way to the island under the sea

itself/ That made 9u)y'Ann thin* of :a)*$ and her fa)e )louded over. 0here was :a)*

Had hili! #ot Bill Smu#s to #o out in his %oat and res)ue him 0ere they even now%rin#in# :a)* safely %a)* a#ain

As she thou#ht a%out this$ she heard hili!-s voi)e in the !assa#e outside the

sittin#'room. She 2um!ed u! in deli#ht. Had hili! and Bill %rou#ht %a)* :a)*

already How marvellously 1ui)* they had %een3 She ran to the door 2oyfully.But outside there were only Bill and hili!(no :a)*. 9u)y'Ann )alled out to them.

+0here-s :a)* Haven-t you res)ued him 0here is he/ +Bill-s %oat has %een smashed u! %y someone$/ said hili!$ #oin# into the room.

+So we )ame to #et :o':o-s. And that-s #one too. I su!!ose :o':o is doin# some of hisusual ni#ht fishin#. So we-re stum!ed(don-t *now what to do./

The #irls stared at the two in dismay. No %oat(no way of res)uin# !oor :a)*9u)y'Ann-s eyes filled with tears as she thou#ht of :a)* lost in those dar* endless

)aves$ with those fier)e men ready to )at)h him and im!rison him. She felt #lad he

had 7i*i with him. +Oh$ hili!$/ said 5inah$ suddenly remem%erin#$ +do you *now what 4n)le :o)elyn

told us toni#ht He said there used to %e a way under the sea to the )o!!er'mines(

to the island3 He *new a%out the other se)ret !assa#e$ %ut he didn-t thin* it was stillusa%le. He was sur!rised. Oh$ hili!$ do you su!!ose the se)ret !assa#e to the island

is still there 5o you thin* it has %een flooded %y the sea(or fallen in Oh$ how Iwish we )ould find it3/

Bill loo*ed suddenly intensely interested. He !i)*ed u! the %oo* 5inah held. +Thisa %oo* a%out the old house/ he as*ed. 5inah nodded.

+6es(our own se)ret !assa#e is in it$ the one we found ourselves(and I ex!e)tthe other is too$ only we )an-t understand the old ma!s and the !rintin#./

+0ell$ I )an$/ said Bill$ and %e)ame lost in the %oo*$ turnin# over the !a#es slowly$

s*i!!in# a few here and there$ loo*in# for details of the way to the Isle of Gloom.He suddenly %e#an to loo* ex)ited$ and turned over one or two !a#es very

1ui)*ly. He loo*ed hard at first one 1ueer ma! and then another. Then he as*ed a!e)uliar 1uestion.

+How dee! is your well here/ +The well/ said hili!$ in ama&ement. +Ooooh(awfully dee!(dee! as the shaft'

hole in the island$ I should thin*. It #oes down %elow sea'level$ anyway$ %ut there-s

not a tra)e of salt in it$ of )ourse./ +9oo* here$/ said Bill$ and s!elt out a few words in the %oo* to ma*e them )lear to

the )hildren$ and then he turned to a ma!. It showed a dee! shaft #oin# down intothe earth. +See/ said Bill. +The %e#innin# of the !assa#e to the island is down at the

%ottom of your well. It-s 1uite o%vious that that would %e the !la)e$ anyway$ if I-dthou#ht hard a%out it(you see$ to #o under the sea'%ed to the mines means that

the entran)e must %e %elow sea'level(and that-s the only s!ot here %elow sea'level(the well$ of )ourse3/

+Gosh3/ said all three )hildren at on)e. The well3 They hadn-t thou#ht of that. Howextraordinary3

+But(there-s water at the %ottom of the well$/ said hili!. +6ou )an-t #o throu#hthe water$ surely./

+No(loo*$/ said Bill Smu#s$ and he !ointed to the ma!. +The entran)e to the!assa#e is a%ove the water'line of the well. See These must %e ste!s$ I should

thin*$ )ut in an o!enin# of the shaft$ leadin# u!wards a little way$ and then throu#h



a !assa#e in the ro)* itself(a natural )ra)*$ I ima#ine$ su)h as this )oast is full of(whi)h someone dis)overed$ followed u!$ and %y means of !i)*axes or %lastin#$ made

into a usa%le !assa#e./ +I see$/ said hili! ex)itedly. +I su!!ose when they san* the shaft for the well$

someone dis)overed the hole dee! down$ ex!lored it$ found it was a sort of natural!assa#e$ and$ as you say$ followed it u!$ and made use of it. Bill()ould we #et down

there and find out/ +Not now$ in the middle of the ni#ht$/ said Bill at on)e. +6ou-ve all had enou#h

adventure for this one day(we must #o to %ed./

+But(%ut what a%out :a)*/ as*ed 9u)y'Ann$ her #reen eyes wide with anxiety.

+0e )an-t do anythin# a%out him toni#ht$/ said Bill$ firmly %ut *indly. +Anyway$ if he-s )au#ht$ he-s )au#ht$ and if he-s not$ we may %e a%le to do somethin# a%out him

tomorrow. But we are not #oin# to #o down wells in %u)*ets in the dead of ni#ht$ sothat-s that. hili!$ I-ll slee! with you in the tower'room toni#ht./

hili! was #lad. He did not want to slee! alone that ni#ht. The #irls were sent off to %ed$ in s!ite of their !rotests that they were not tired$ and hili! and Bill )lim%ed

the s!iral stairway to the 1ueer little tower'room. hili! showed Bill the window fromwhi)h they )ould see the island at times.

Then he sat down on the %ed to ta*e off his shoes. But he was so tired that even

the effort of undoin# the la)es was too mu)h for him. He rolled over on the %ed$ shuthis eyes and fell fast aslee!$ fully dressed as he was. Bill loo*ed at him and smiled.He drew a )over over him$ and sat at the window to thin*. He lit a )i#arette and

thou#ht for a lon# time.Tomorrow would show whether or not there was still a way from ,ra##y'To!s to

the island. Bill felt )ertain there would not %e. True$ the other !assa#e was stillusa%le$ %ut that was very short )om!ared with the other(and this se)ond one had

had the sea !oundin# on to! of it for many$ many years. A )ra)* in it(a tri)*le of water down(and the !assa#e would %e flooded in a very few wee*s. Then it would

%e im!assa%le.Bill went to %ed at last$ stret)hed himself out %eside the slee!in# %oy$ and fell

aslee! himself. He was awa*ened %y hili!$ who was sha*in# him.

+Bill3 It-s mornin#3 9et-s have %rea*fast and try and find that well !assa#e. Hurry3/ They were soon downstairs$ to find the #irls there$ already )oo*in# %a)on and

e##s for %rea*fast. +0here-s :o':o/ as*ed hili!$ in sur!rise. +Hasn-t )ome %a)* from fishin# yet$/ said 5inah$ #ettin# a fried e## deftly out of

the !an. +Here you are$ Bill. I-ll do an e## for you now$ hili!. It-s a #ood thin# :o':oisn-t %a)*$ isn-t it(or he-d wonder what on earth Bill was doin# here. He would

thin* it all mi#hty sus!i)ious./

+:o':o may %e %a)* at any minute$/ said 9u)y'Ann. +So let-s hurry %efore he)omes. I-d 2ust hate him to stand #lowerin# at the head of the well whilst we ex!lore

it all that way %elow./ They finished their %rea*fast 1ui)*ly. 5inah had already ta*en some to her aunt in

her %edroom$ and to her un)le in his study. She said Aunt olly was feelin# a %it%etter and would %e down later. She didn-t thin* 4n)le :o)elyn had #one to %ed at

all. +I really %elieve he wor*s all ni#ht lon#$/ said 5inah. +Now(have we all finished

I-ll leave the washin#'u! till I #et %a)*./ They all went out into the little yard that lay %ehind the house$ %a)*in# on to the

sheer rise of the )liff. Bill leaned over the well. It )ertainly was very$ very dee!. +5o we #o down in the %u)*et/ as*ed hili!.

+0e )ould if there was a really %i# one$/ said 5inah. +But we )an-t !ossi%ly #odown in this. Not even 9u)y'Ann )ould #et into it./

+6ou *now$/ said Bill$ ta*in# his %i# tor)h from his !o)*et. +6ou *now$ if this well'



shaft is really the only way down to the entran)e of the island !assa#e$ there should%e a ladder. I )an-t ima#ine !eo!le #oin# u! and down in %u)*ets./

+0ell(there isn-t a ladder$/ said hili!. +I should have seen it if there was./ Bill flashed his tor)h down the well$ examinin# the sides )arefully. +9oo*$/ he said

to hili!$ +it is true there is no ladder(%ut do you see those iron sta!les 2uttin# outfrom the wall down there 0ell$ those are what would %e used to hel! anyone

wantin# to des)end this well'hole. They would use them as ste!s$ holdin# on to theones a%ove with their hands$ and #oin# down %it %y %it(feelin# with their feet forthe next one./

+6es3/ said hili!$ in ex)itement. +6ou-re ri#ht3 That-s the way that !eo!le went

down in the olden days. I %et when there was fi#htin# round a%out here$ manyrefu#ees used this old well as a hidin#'!la)e$ even if they didn-t *now of the !assa#e

entran)e down %elow. ,ome on$ Bill(let-s #o down. I-m sim!ly lon#in# to #et #oin#./ +0ell$ it-s time we did$/ said Bill. +I-ll #o first. 7ee! a wat)h'out for :o':o$ 5inah./

Chapter 24A :O48NE6 4N5E8 THE SEA

BI99 )ouldn-t rea)h the first iron sta!les$ so hili! had to fet)h a ro!e. It was tiedti#htly to an iron !ost %y the well$ and then Bill sli!!ed down it$ and !la)ed his feeton the first sta!les.

+I-m all ri#ht$/ he said. +6ou )ome alon# as soon as you )an$ hili!(let me #etdown a few ste!s first(and for #oodness- sa*e don-t sli!./

The #irls were not to #o(and$ indeed$ the thou#ht of #oin# down the stee!$ )oldwell'shaft with only inse)ure sta!les for a foot and handhold was terrifyin# to %oth of

them. They wat)hed the two disa!!earin# down into the dar*$ and shivered. +It-s %eastly to %e left %ehind$ %ut I honestly thin* it-s %eastlier to #o down there$/

said 5inah. +,ome on(we )an-t see or hear Bill and hili! now(we-d %etter #o %a)*to the *it)hen and do a few 2o%s. Isn-t :o':o late3/

They went %a)*$ wonderin# how Bill and hili! were #ettin# on down the well.

They were )lim%in# down slowly %ut surely= the sta!les seemed to %e as firmly in thewall as when they were first driven in.

It was tirin# wor*$ and would have %een utterly im!ossi%le to ta)*le if it had not%een for unex!e)ted restin#'!la)es let into the well'wall every now and a#ain. The

first one !u&&led Bill$ till he #uessed what it was. It was an o!enin# in the well'wall$#oin# %a)* a few feet$ %i# enou#h to )rou)h in and rest. At first Bill had half thou#ht

the first one to %e the entran)e to the !assa#e and he was sur!rised to )ome to it so

soon. But he soon realised what it was$ and very than*fully he rested there a fewminutes. Then hili! had a rest there$ while Bill went slowly downwards$ his feet

always feelin# for the next sta!le.It seemed a#es #oin# down the well'shaft$ and$ in fa)t$ it too* the two of them

nearly an hour. They used ea)h restin#'!la)e$ %ut in s!ite of that they %e)ame verytired. Then suddenly Bill-s tor)h$ whi)h he had stu)* into his %elt ali#ht$ #leamed on

to dar* water. They were at the %ottom. +0e-re there3/ Bill yelled u! to hili!. +I-m 2ust #oin# to loo* a%out for the

entran)e./ It was easy to find$ for there$ in the well'wall$ was a round$ #a!in# hole li*e a

small tunnel. Bill sli!!ed into it. It was dar*$ slimy and evil'smellin#. +Funny that theair is still fresh$/ thou#ht Bill. +But all the way down the well I )ould feel a )urrent of

air %lowin# round me(so there must %e some sort of throu#h'drau#ht to *ee! it!ure./

He waited for hili!. Then the two of them set out on what must surely have %een



one of the stran#est roads in the world(a !ath under the %ed of the sea itself. Atfirst the tunnel was narrow and led u!wards a little %y means of ste!s$ and the two

had to )rou)h down to #et alon#. But after a %it it widened out and %e)ame hi#her. Itwas still slimy and evil'smellin#$ %ut they #ot used to that.

Then the !assa#e led downwards$ at times rather stee!ly. There were rou#h ste!smade in the stee!est !art so that travellers mi#ht not sli! too mu)h. But they were

so slimy that even a #oat would have sli!!ed. Bill )ame down with a %um!$ and hili!followed almost immediately.

+Ta*e your foot out of my ne)*$/ said Bill$ tryin# to #et u!. +"y word$ I am in a

ni)e old mess3/

They went on and on. Soon the !assa#e sto!!ed des)endin#$ and *e!t level. Itwas en)losed in the solid ro)*. There was no earth$ no sand$ no )hal*(all ro)*$ 1uite

%la)*$ and #lintin# with 1ueer li#hts now and a#ain.On)e or twi)e the !assa#e narrowed so mu)h that it was almost im!ossi%le to

s1uee&e throu#h$ +Good thin# we-re not fat$/ said hili!$ s1uee&in# in his tummy to#et %y. +Golly$ that was a ti#ht fit3 Have the ro)*s )ome )lose to#ether durin# the

years$ Bill(or do you su!!ose the !assa#e was always narrow there/ +Always$ I should thin*$/ said Bill. +It-s a !erfe)tly natural fissure in the ro)*y %ed

under the sea(an ama&in# one(thou#h I have heard of others li*e this in different

!arts of the world. I %elieve this )oast has a #ood many./ It was warm in the !assa#e. Here and there the air was not #ood and the man

and %oy %e#an to !ant. There seemed to %e !o)*ets of airlessness. But on went the

two$ on and on$ their tor)hes #leamin# on %la)*$ slimy walls$ out of whi)h still shone1ueer !hos!hores)ent li#hts now and a#ain. hili! %e#an to feel as if he was in a

dream. He said so. +0ell$ you-re not$/ )ame Bill-s reassurin# voi)e. +0e-re in a 1ueer !la)e$ %ut a

!erfe)tly real one. It-s no dream. 9i*e me to !in)h you/ +0ell$ I thin* I would$/ said hili!$ who really did feel rather 1ueer after so mu)h

time in the dar* narrow way. So Bill !in)hed him(and it was a very hard !in)h thatmade hili! yell.

+All ri#ht3/ he said. +I-m awa*e and not dreamin#. No%ody would %e silly enou#h

to dream that !in)h./ Suddenly Bill felt somethin# runnin# %y his feet$ and he loo*ed down in #reat

astonishment$ swin#in# his tor)h downwards too. To his enormous sur!rise he saw asmall mouse loo*in# u! at him. Bill sto!!ed in astonishment.

+9oo* here$/ he said. +A mouse. A mouse down here* 0hat does it live on It-s amost in)redi%le thin#. I sim!ly )annot ima#ine any animal livin# down in this !assa#e

under the sea./

hili! )hu)*led. +It-s all ri#ht3 It-s only 0offly$ my !et mouse. It must have rundown my sleeve and ho!!ed out./

+0ell$ it had %etter ho! in a#ain$ if it wants to live$/ said Bill. +No animal )ould lastdown here for lon#./

+Oh$ it will )ome %a)* when it wants to$/ said hili!. +It won-t leave me for lon#./ They had to have two or three rests$ for the way was tirin# and diffi)ult. It went

)uriously strai#ht for a time and then seemed to #o in 2er*s$ havin# little %its thatwent off at ri#ht an#les for a few feet$ only to )ome %a)* to the strai#ht a#ain. hili!

%e#an to wonder how lon# his tor)h would last. He felt suddenly fri#htened at thethou#ht of %ein# left in the dar* down there. Su!!osin# Bill-s tor)h #ave out as well

But Bill reassured him. +I-ve #ot another %attery in my !o)*et$/ he told hili!$ +sodon-t worry. 0e shall %e all ri#ht. And that reminds me(I-ve #ot a !a)*et of %oiled

sweets somewhere. I )an-t hel! feelin# it would ma*e this awful 2ourney easier if wesu)*ed one or two./

There was a !ause whilst Bill sear)hed his !o)*ets. He found the sweets$ and soon



the two of them were su)*in# away hard. ,ertainly it made thin#s easier$ somehow$to have a ni)e %i# %oiled sweet tu)*ed away in his mouth$ hili! thou#ht.

+How far do you thin* we-ve #one/ as*ed hili!. +Half'way/ +,an-t tell$/ said Bill. +Hallo(what-s this/

He !aused and shone his tor)h in front of him. The way a!!eared to %e %lo)*ed. +Gosh3(it loo*s li*e a roof'fall$/ said Bill. +0ell$ if it is$ we-re done. 0e-ve #ot nothin#

to )lear u! the mess with$ to see if we )an #et %y./ But$ to their #reat relief$ the fall was very sli#ht$ and with the )om%ined stren#th

of %oth of them$ the main ro)* that sto!!ed their !ro#ress was removed to one side$

and they mana#ed to )lear it.

+I say$/ said hili!$ after a lon# time of #ro!in# alon# the !assa#e$ +do you noti)ethat the ro)*s are )han#in# )olour$ Bill They-re not %la)* any lon#er. They-re

reddish. 5o you thin* that means we are nearin# the mines/ +6es$ I thin* it !ro%a%ly does$/ said Bill. +It-s distin)tly ho!eful. I don-t *now how

many hours we have %een so far(it seems a%out a hundred at least(%ut I do thin*it-s a%out time we were nearin# that wret)hed island./

+I-m #lad we had su)h a #ood %rea*fast$/ said hili!. +I-m %e#innin# to feel veryhun#ry a#ain now$ thou#h. I wish we had %rou#ht some food with us./

+I-ve #ot !lenty of )ho)olate$/ said Bill. +I-ll #ive you some !resently(if it hasn-t

melted. It-s so hot down here now that I shouldn-t %e sur!rised if it has./ It had )ertainly #ot very soft$ %ut it hadn-t melted. It was #ood )ho)olate(sli#htly

%itter$ %ut really deli)ious to the hun#ry %oy. He went on the dreary way$ feelin# the

slimy walls$ noti)in# the )o!!ery #leams in them$ wonderin# how mu)h lon#er itwould %e %efore the end )ame.

+Have you %y any )han)e #ot that ma! on you/ )alled Bill suddenly. +I for#ot totell you to ta*e it. 0e shall need it soon./

+6es. It-s in my !o)*et$/ said hili!. +Hallo$ loo*(the !assa#e is widenin# outtremendously3/

It was. It suddenly ended and )ame out into a %i# o!en s!a)e$ evidently the endof the mine'wor*in#s. It must have %een here that the )o!!er had run out$ thou#ht

hili!. 0hat %i# mines they must have %een(and how ri)h at one time3

+0ell(here we are at last$/ said Bill$ in a low voi)e. +And remem%er that from nowon we don-t ma*e any noise$ hili!. 0e must find :a)*$ if we )an$ without attra)tin#

any attention at all./ hili! felt astonished. +But$ Bill$/ he said$ +why )an-t you 2ust #o to the !art of the

mine where your friends are wor*in# and as* them where old Fre)*les is 0hy allthe hush'hush$ mustn-t'tal*'loudly %usiness I don-t understand./

+0ell$ I have my reasons$/ said Bill. +So !lease res!e)t them$ hili!$ even if you

don-t *now what they are. ,ome on(where-s that ma!/ hili! !ulled it from his !o)*et. Bill too* it$ o!ened it$ s!read it on a )onveniently

flat ro)*$ shone his tor)h on it and studied it very )arefully. At last he !ut his fin#eron a )ertain !la)e.

+9oo*$/ he said. +That-s where we are(see 8i#ht at the end of the wor*in#s. Ithin* this %it here shows the %e#innin# of the undersea !assa#e$ %ut I-m not sure.

Now$ tell me(whi)h of these many ways did you ta*e when you )ame into the minesfrom the shaft'hole/

+0ell(there-s the shaft we went down$/ said hili!$ !ointin# to where it wasmar*ed on the ma!. +And here-s the main !assa#e we *e!t to(and there is the )ave

with the %ri#ht li#ht(and it was somewhere a%out there we heard the )latterin#$%an#in# noise of men at wor*./

+Good$/ said Bill$ !leased. +I have 1uite a )lear idea of where to #o now. ,omealon#(as 1uietly as !ossi%le. 0e will ma*e for the main !assa#e$ and then see if we

)an s!ot :a)* anywhere a%out(or hear of him./



They made their way very )arefully u! the wide main !assa#e$ off whi)h manyside #alleries went. Bill held his fin#er over the %eam of his tor)h so as not to ma*e

too mu)h li#ht. They were not yet near the )ave where the )hildren had seen the%ri#ht li#ht and heard noises. But they would )ome to it sooner or later$ hili! *new.

+Sh3/ suddenly said Bill$ sto!!in# so 1ui)*ly that hili! %um!ed into him. +I )anhear somethin#. It sounded li*e footste!s./

They stood and listened. It was weird standin# there in the dar*ness$ hearin# themuffled %oom of the #reat waters movin# restlessly on the ro)*y %ed of the seaoverhead. hili! thou#ht he )ould hear a noise too(someone-s foot *i)*in# a#ainst a

loose !e%%le.

Then there was )om!lete silen)e. So on they went a#ain$ and then on)e morethey thou#ht they heard a noise$ this time near to them. And Bill felt sure that he

)ould hear someone %reathin# not far off. He held his own %reath to listen.But !erha!s that other$ hidden !erson was holdin# his %reath too$ for Bill )ould

hear nothin# then. It was very weird. He moved forward silently with hili!.They )ame to a sudden )orner$ and Bill #ro!ed round it$ for he and hili! had !ut

out their tor)hes as soon as they had heard any noise. And$ as Bill rea)hed out to#ro!e for the wall$ someone else also rea)hed out$ )omin# in the o!!osite dire)tion.

Then$ %efore hili! *new what was ha!!enin#$ he heard loud ex)lamations$ and felt

Bill and some%ody else stru##lin# to#ether violently 2ust in front of him. Golly$ now what was ha!!enin#

Chapter 25

AN EDT8AO85INA86 FIN5

AN5 now(what had ha!!ened to :a)* and 7i*i all this time A #reat deal(some of itmost astonishin# and un%elieva%le.

:a)* had not *nown that the others had es)a!ed(in fa)t$ he had not even *nownthat they had %een im!risoned. He had wandered off after the !arrot$ and had

%e)ome 1uite lost. The men$ as we *now$ had heard 7i*i s1uealin# and shoutin#

some hours later$ when they had %een )hasin# hili! and the #irls$ %ut they had #onedown the wron# !assa#e after them and had not seen them.

So there was !oor :a)*$ lost and terrified$ with a forlorn 7i*i )lut)hin# hard at hisshoulder. The %oy wandered down a ma&e of #alleries$ )omin# to more and more old

a%andoned wor*in#s. He was afraid that his tor)h would #ive out. He was afraid of the roof fallin# in on to! of him. He was afraid of a #reat many thin#s.

+I may %e lost for ever down here$/ he thou#ht. +I may %e wanderin# miles away

from that main !assa#e./ He suddenly )ame to a #reat hole in the roof a%ove him$ and realised that he had

)ome to another shaft. +Of )ourse(there were 1uite a num%er of them$/ :a)*thou#ht$ his heart %e#innin# to thum!. +Than* #oodness(now I )an )lim% u! and

#et out into the o!en air./ But$ to the %oy-s dismay$ there was no way of #ettin# u! the shaft. 0hatever

ladder or ro!e there had on)e %een had rotted or fallen away(there was a%solutelyno way of )lim%in# u!.

It was awful to stand there at the %ottom$ *nowin# that freedom$ dayli#ht andfresh air were at the to!$ and yet with no means of rea)hin# them.

+If I were a #irl$ I %et I-d %urst into tears$/ said :a)* out loud$ feelin# somethin#sus!i)iously li*e tears !ri)*in# at the %a)* of his eyelids. +But as I-m a %oy$ I must

2ust #rin and %ear it./ He #ave a determined #rin. 7i*i listened to his words with her head on one side.

+ut the *ettle on$/ she said sym!atheti)ally. That made :a)* #ive a really #ood



#rin. +6ou are an idiot$/ he said affe)tionately. +Now$ the thin# is(where do we #o

next I feel as if I am !ro%a%ly wanderin# in the same !assa#es over and over a#ain.But wait a minute(the shafts are all on the island itself(so I must have retra)ed my

ste!s somehow$ %e)ause we were all under the sea'%ed at one time. As far as Iremem%er$ those shafts all )onne)ted u! with one more or less strai#ht tunnel. I-ll #o

down here(and see if %y any )han)e I )ome to the main shaft. If I do$ I )an #o u!it./

:a)* stum%led on$ and )ame to a %lo)*ed'u! !art$ im!ossi%le to #et %y. So he had

to #o %a)* a #ood way and start out a#ain$ only to )ome to another roof'fall. It was

very disheartenin#. 7i*i %e)ame tired of this lon# 2ourney in the dar* !assa#es$ and#ave a realisti) yawn.

+ut your hand %efore your mouth$/ she told herself severely. +How many timeshave I told you to shut the door God save the 7in#./

+0ell$ your yawn made me yawn too$/ said :a)*$ and he sat down. +0hat a%out arest$ 7i*i I-m #ettin# terri%ly tired./

He leaned %a)* a#ainst the ro)*y wall and shut his eyes. He fell into a do&e$ whi)hlasted an hour or two. 0hen he awo*e he hardly *new where he was$ and felt

fri#htened when he remem%ered. He #ot to his feet$ with 7i*i still firmly on his

shoulder. +Now$ it-s no #ood #ettin# into a !ani)$/ he told himself sternly. +:ust #o on

wal*in#$ and sooner or later you will #et somewhere./

It was whilst he was stum%lin# throu#h the many !assa#es that 7i*i heard thenoise of the men )hasin# the )hildren$ and shouted loudly. But :a)* heard nothin#$

and turned off into a windin# !assa#e 2ust %efore the men )ame u!. He did not *nowthat he was near to the wide shaft'hole(%ut !resently he )ame to the %i# main

!assa#e$ and sto!!ed. +,an this %e the wide !assa#e we saw on the ma!/ he thou#ht. +It may %e. If

only I had a %ri#hter tor)h3 I ho!e to #oodness it-s not #oin# to fade out. It doesn-tseem so %ri#ht as it was./

He went down the !assa#e$ and saw some rou#h'hewn ste!s in the ro)*$ leadin#

u!wards. Out of )uriosity the %oy )lim%ed them$ and )ame to another !assa#e$whi)h evidently led to yet another wor*in#. He stum%led and fell a#ainst the wall$

dislod#in# a stone or small ro)*$ whi)h fell down with a )rash. :a)* held u! his tor)hto see where it had fallen from$ afraid that the roof was )avin# in.

But it wasn-t. His tor)h #leamed on to somethin# that shone )o!!ery'red(a lar#e$irre#ular *ind of stone$ thou#ht :a)*. And then he suddenly realised that it wasn-t a

stone(it was(yes$ it must %e(a lar#e )o!!er nu##et3 Golly$ what a %eauty3 ,ould

he !ossi%ly )arry it0ith trem%lin# hands the %oy !rised the nu##et )arefully away from its !la)e. It

was on a *ind of shelf made %y a )ra)* in the ro)* 2ust there. Had someone hidden itthere$ years a#o Or had it %een !la)ed there %y one of the men wor*in# the mines

now Or was it there naturally$ a real nu##et in the de!th of the earth :a)* didn-t*now.

It was heavy$ %ut he )ould )arry it. A nu##et of )o!!er3 The %oy *e!t re!eatin#the words to himself. Almost as #ood as findin# a Great Au*(not 1uite as thrillin#$ of

)ourse$ %ut almost. 0hat would the others say:a)* thou#ht he had %etter *ee! out of the way of the miners more than ever

now. They mi#ht ta*e the nu##et from him. It mi#ht le#ally %e theirs$ of )ourse$ %uthe did want to have the thrill of showin# it to the others as his find %efore he #ave it

u! to anyone.The %oy went %a)* to the main !assa#e with the nu##et in his hands. He had to

!ut his tor)h into his %elt now$ as he )ould not )arry it as well as the )o!!er$ and it



was diffi)ult to ma*e his way alon#$ %e)ause the tor)h shone almost dire)tlydownwards instead of forwards.

+Hallo3/ said :a)*$ sto!!in# suddenly as he heard a noise in the distan)e. +I ratherthin* I-m )omin# towards that )latterin# noise we heard %efore(where the men are

wor*in#. erha!s I-m near the other )hildren too./ The %oy )re!t forward. He went into a !assa#e that turned suddenly round a

)orner(and there %efore him was the %rilliantly li#hted )ave a#ain. 9ast time he hadseen it$ it had %een em!ty(this time there were men there. They were undoin# the%oxes and )rates that the )hildren had seen there %efore. :a)* wat)hed$ wonderin#

what was in them.

+I-m in the same !assa#e as I was when 7i*i flew off and I went after her$/ thou#ht :a)*. +I do wonder what has ha!!ened to the others. Golly$ %ut it-s #ood to

se) a %ri#ht li#ht a#ain. If I )rou)h %a)* here$ %ehind this 2uttin# ro)*$ I don-t %elieveanyone will see me./

7i*i was a%solutely 1uiet. The %rilliant li#ht fri#htened her after %ein# so lon# inthe dar*ness. She )rou)hed on the %oy-s shoulder$ wat)hin#.

There were tins in the %oxes and )rates(tins of meat and fruit. :a)* felt veryhun#ry when he saw them$ for he had had nothin# to eat for a lon# time. The men

o!ened a few of the tins$ !oured the )ontents out on to tin !lates$ and %e#an to eat$

tal*in# to ea)h other. :a)* )ould not hear what they were sayin#. He felt so hun#rythat he almost wal*ed out to the men to %e# for some of their food.

But they didn-t loo* very ni)e men. They wore trousers only$ %elted at the waist$

and nothin# else. It was so hot in the mines that it was im!ossi%le to wear many)lothes. :a)* wished he )ould wear only shorts$ %ut he *new he would not li*e 7i*i-s

)laws on his %are shoulder.The men finished their meal$ and then went down a !assa#e or #allery at the

further end of the )ave they were in. There was no'one there now. The )latterin#$%an#in# noise %e#an a#ain. Evidently the men were at wor* on)e more.

:a)* )re!t out into the %rilliantly li#hted )ave. The li#ht )ame from three lam!shun# from the roof. :a)* loo*ed into the o!en tins. There was a little meat left in one

and some !inea!!le )hun*s in another. He finished them u! 1ui)*ly. He thou#ht that

never in his life had he tasted anythin# so deli)ious as the leavin#s in those tins.He de)ided to )ree! over to the !assa#e down whi)h the men had #one %a)* to

wor*. It would %e ex)itin# to see how men wor*ed in a )o!!er'mine. 5id they use!i)*axes 5id they %last out the )o!!er 0hat were they doin# to ma*e all that

noise It really sounded as if it )ame from some %i# ma)hine %usily at wor*.He )re!t down the !assa#e$ and then found that he was loo*in# into another )ave.

He was most astonished at what he saw. There were a%out a do&en men there$ %usy

with a num%er of ma)hines that )lattered and %an#ed$ ma*in# 1uite a deafenin#noise that e)hoed round the )ave. There was an en#ine of some sort whi)h added to

the din. +0hat 1ueer ma)hinery3/ thou#ht :a)*$ starin#. +How ever in the world did they

#et it all down here into the mines They must have %rou#ht it down in !ie)es$ andthen !ut them to#ether here. Golly$ how %usy it all is$ and what a noise it ma*es3/

:a)* wat)hed in wonder. 0ere they extra)tin# )o!!er %y means of this ma)hineHe *new va#uely that many metals had to %e roasted or smelted or wor*ed in some

way %efore they were !ure. He su!!osed they were doin# that. It was !lain$ then$that the )o!!er in these mines was not usually found in %i# nu##ets$ su)h as the one

:a)* was even now holdin#.One of the men wi!ed his forehead and )ame from the ma)hine towards :a)*-s

hidin#'!la)e. The %oy darted away$ and went into a small %lind !assa#e to wait tillthe man had !assed. He )ame %a)* )arryin# a mu# of water. :a)* waited in the little

%lind !assa#e for a minute or two$ leanin# a#ainst what he thou#ht was the wall. But



suddenly the +wall/ #ave way a little$ and the %oy sli!!ed %a)*wards. Then$ !uttin#his tor)h on$ he found that it was no wall %ut a stron# wooden door$ leadin# into a

)ell'li*e !la)e(rather li*e the one in whi)h the other )hildren had %een im!risoned.Hearin# footste!s$ he hurriedly went into the )ell and !ushed the door shut. The

footste!s went %y. :a)* swit)hed on his tor)h a#ain to see what was in the )ave.It was sta)*ed with %undles u!on %undles of )ris! !a!ers$ the same si&es !ut

to#ether and the same )olours$ ti#htly fastened to#ether. :a)* loo*ed at them(andthen he loo*ed a#ain$ %lin*in# his eyes in ama&ement.

In that )ell'li*e )ave were thousands of %undles of !a!er money. There were

%undles of one'!ound notes$ %undles of five'!ound notes$ %undles of ten'!ound

notes(there they were$ neatly sta)*ed to#ether$ a fortune #reat enou#h to ma*eanyone a millionaire in a ni#ht.

+Now I really must %e dreamin#$/ thou#ht :a)*$ ru%%in# his eyes. +There-s nodou%t a%out it. I-m in a very extraordinary dream. In a minute I shall wa*e u! and

lau#h. eo!le sim!ly don-t find thin#s li*e this(treasure in a )ave under#round. 0hy$I mi#ht %e in the middle of some wonderful fairy story. It-s 1uite im!ossi%le(I-d

%etter wa*e u! immediately./

Chapter 26A BA5 TI"E(AN5 A S488ISE "EETING

B4T :a)* didn-t wa*e u!(and for a very #ood reason too. He wasn-t aslee!.He was wide awa*e and starin# at this )olossal fortune in !a!er money. It didn-t

ma*e sense. 0hy was it all stored here$ in this )ave under#round 0ho did it %elon#to 0hy didn-t they !ut it into a %an* in the usual way

+erha!s the men wor*in# this mine are findin# a lot of )o!!er and sellin# itse)retly$ and *ee!in# the money here that they #et for it$/ thou#ht :a)*. He was so

lost in ama&ement at the si#ht of su)h a fortune !iled u! there in front of him that hedid not hear someone )omin# to the door of the )ave he was in.

The man who o!ened the door and saw :a)* in the )ave was even more sur!rised

than :a)* himself. He stood starin# at the %oy with his mouth wide o!en$ and hiseyes almost fallin# out of his head. Then he dra##ed the %oy rou#hly out of the )ell$

and !ulled him to the room where the ma)hine was wor*in#. +9oo* here3/ yelled the man. +9oo* here3 I found him in the store'room./

The ma)hine was sto!!ed at on)e. The men #athered round :a)* and his )a!tor.One of them ste!!ed forward. It was :a*e.

He loo*ed very evil and the %la)* !at)h he wore over one eye made him loo* most

!e)uliar. He shoo* :a)* so rou#hly that the %oy lost his %reath )om!letely and san*down on the #round when :a*e let #o his arm.

+0here are the rest of you/ said :a*e. +6ou tell me$ see3 0ho are you with 0hatare you all doin# down here 0hat do you *now/

:a)* !i)*ed u! his nu##et$ loo*ed round for 7i*i$ who had flown in fri#ht to theroof of the )ave$ and tried to thin* what to answer for the %est. The men too* no

noti)e of his %i# )o!!er nu##et$ whi)h sur!rised :a)* very mu)h. He had %een afraidthey would ta*e it away from him at on)e.

+I don-t *now where the others are$/ he said at last. +0e )ame to this islandto#ether$ two %oys and two #irls$ and I #ot se!arated from the others./

+0ho else was with you/ demanded :a*e. +6ou *ids didn-t )ome here %yyourselves./

+0e did$/ insisted :a)*. +I say(who does all that money in there %elon# to/ The listenin# men made some low$ threatenin# noises$ and :a)* #a&ed round

uneasily. :a*e-s fa)e #rew %la)*. He loo*ed round at the men.



+Somethin#-s u!$/ he said$ and the men nodded. He turned a#ain to :a)*. +Nowloo* here$/ he said$ +you *now a lot more than you-ve told us(you-ve !i)*ed u!

somethin# from others$ haven-t you(well$ you 2ust tell us all you *now$ or you maynever see dayli#ht a#ain. See Is that )lear/

It was horri%ly )lear. :a)* %e#an to trem%le. 7i*i #ave a s)ree)h that madeeveryone 2um!.

+I don-t *now what you mean$/ said :a)* des!erately. +All we *new was thatsomeone was wor*in# these )o!!er'mines a#ain$ #ettin# )o!!er$ and that Bill Smu#swas ta*in# food here in his %oat. That-s honestly all I *now./

+Bill Smu#s$/ re!eated :a*e. +That-s what the other *ids said. 0ho is this Bill

Smu#s/ :a)* was !u&&led. +Isn-t that his real name/ he said.

+0hat-s his real name/ suddenly said :a*e$ so threatenin#ly that :a)* dro!!edhis !re)ious nu##et in a !ani)$ thin*in# the man was #oin# to stri*e him. It fell on

the ed#e of :a*e-s foot and the man !i)*ed it u! and had a loo* at it. +0hat-s this stone you-re )arryin# a%out/ he said$ in )uriosity. +Are you *ids mad

A !arrot(and a heavy stone(Bill Smu#s()o!!er'mines. 6ou-re all )ra&y./ +I thin* this *id *nows more than he-s said$/ said Olly$ ste!!in# %eside :a*e.

+0hat a%out lo)*in# him u! without any food for a day or so That will ma*e him

tal*. Or what a%out a #ood %eatin#/ :a)* went !ale$ %ut he did not show that he was afraid. +I don-t *now any more

than I-ve already told you$/ he said. +0hat is there to *now$ anyway 0hat-s the

mystery/ +Ta*e him away$/ said :a*e rou#hly. +He-ll tal* when he-s half starved./

Olly too* the %oy %y the shoulder and led him rou#hly from the )ave$ !roddin#him un*indly as he did so. He led him to the same )ell'li*e )ave in whi)h the other

)hildren had %een im!risoned. :ust as he was !ushin# the %oy in$ 7i*i flew down andha)*ed vi)iously at the man-s fa)e with her )urved %ea*. Olly !ut u! his hands to

!rote)t himself$ and dro!!ed his tor)h. It went out.:a)* sli!!ed swiftly to the side and )rou)hed outside the )ell in silen)e. 7i*i did

not *now where he was. She flew into the )ell and !er)hed on the ta%le there$ in

)om!lete dar*ness. +Now then$ now then$ what a !ity3/ she said loudly. The )ell door %an#ed. Olly had

shut it on the !arrot$ thin*in# that it was :a)* tal*in# inside there. He had not even*nown that the %ird )ould tal*.

He turned the *ey in the lo)*. 7i*i was still tal*in# away softly$ thou#h neither:a)* nor Olly )ould hear the words. As Olly was turnin# away$ :a*e )ame u!.

+5id you !ut him in/ he as*ed$ and flashed his tor)h on to the shut door.

+6es$/ said Olly. +He-s #assin# away to himself in there(you )an hear him(I thin*he-s mad./

The men listened$ and 7i*i-s voi)e )ame )learly from the )ell. +0hat a !ity$ what a!ity3/

+He-s sorry for himself$ isn-t he/ said :a*e$ and then he #ave su)h a horri%lelau#h that :a)*-s heart went )old with fear. +He-ll %e sorrier still soon./

The men went %a)* to the ma)hine )ave and soon the )latterin#$ %an#in# noises%e#an a#ain. :a)* stood u!. 7i*i had saved him from a horri%le !unishment(!oor

7i*i. She didn-t *now she had saved him. :a)* moved to the door$ meanin# to unlo)*it and #et the !arrot out.

But the *ey was #one. One of the men must have ta*en it. So 7i*i was a !risoner$a real !risoner$ and would have to stay there till someone let her out.

But anyway :a)* himself was free. +There-s somethin# wron# a%out all this%usiness$/ the %oy thou#ht. +Somethin# wron# a%out all that money(and those

1ueer ma)hines. The men are %ad. They )an-t %e friends of Bill-s. 0e-ve made a



mista*e./ He went down the !assa#e )arefully$ not darin# to swit)h on his tor)h. If only he

)ould find the shaft'hole and #o u! it. erha!s the others would %e at the to!$waitin# for him Or had they #one %a)* home and left him all alone 0as it still day'

time or was it ni#ht:a)* stum%led alon# !assa#e after !assa#e$ wishin# that 7i*i was with him for

)om!any. He felt lonely and afraid now. He wanted to tal* to some%ody. He wantedto see the others.

At last he was so tired that he )ould not #o on. He )urled u! in a )orner of a small

)ave$ shut his eyes and fell into a restless$ un)omforta%le *ind of slee!. For hours he

sle!t$ tired out$ his lim%s #ettin# stiff as he lay there. And 7i*i sle!t too$ in the )ave$!u&&led and an#ry$ missin# her master as mu)h as he missed her.

0hen :a)* awo*e he !ut u! his hand to feel 7i*i$ as he often did(%ut the %irdwas not on his shoulder$ Then he remem%ered. 7i*i was a !risoner. Be)ause of her

and her a%ility to tal* li*e a human %ein#$ he$ :a)*$ was free.He *new a lot. He *new a%out the hidden treasure. He *new a%out those 1ueer

ma)hines whi)h were so well hidden in these under#round )aves for some sinisterreason. He *new that the men wor*in# them were %ad men. If they thou#ht their

se)ret$ whatever it was$ had %een dis)overed$ they would not sto! at anythin#.

+The thin# I-ve #ot to do$ the thin# I really must do$ is to es)a!e and tell what I*now$/ thou#ht :a)*. +I somehow thin* I ou#ht to #o to the !oli)e. I-d li*e to #o andtell Bill(%e)ause I thin* now he-s not in lea#ue with those men(%ut I-m still not

)ertain. Anyway$ the thin# is(I-ve #ot to tell some%ody./ So on)e more the %oy %e#an his endless wanderin# in the wor*in#s of the mines.

4! and down lon#$ musty !assa#es he went$ his tor)h now #ivin# him only a very!oor li#ht.

And then suddenly it #ave out alto#ether. :a)* ta!!ed it a little. He s)rewed anduns)rewed the %ottom. But the %attery was dead(no li#ht would )ome from his

tor)h unless he !ut in a new %attery(and )ertainly he )ould not do that at themoment.

:a)* really did feel afraid then. There was only one ho!e now of es)a!e$ and that

was to find$ %y #ood lu)*$ the shaft leadin# u! to the o!en air. But that was a very!oor )han)e indeed.

He wandered on$ #ro!in# his way$ his hand out %efore his fa)e$ )arryin# thenu##et un)omforta%ly under his arm$ holdin# it there with his other hand. Then he

thou#ht he heard somethin#. He sto!!ed and listened. No(it was nothin#.He went on a#ain$ and suddenly sto!!ed. He )ouldn-t hel! feelin# that !eo!le

were near. 0as that some%ody %reathin# He stood in the dar*$ holdin# his %reath

and listenin#. But he heard nothin#. +"ay%e$/ he thou#ht$ +the other !erson isholdin# his %reath and listenin# too./

He went on(and suddenly he %um!ed hard into some%ody. 0as it :a*e$ or OllyHe %e#an to stru##le des!erately and the other !erson held on to him firmly$ hurtin#

his arm. The nu##et dro!!ed to the #round and hit :a)*-s foot. +Oh$ my foot$ my foot3/ #roaned !oor :a)*.

There was an astonished silen)e. Then a !owerful tor)h was swit)hed on %y his)a!tor$ and a voi)e said in ama&ement$ +0hy$ it-s :a)*3/

+Fre)*les3/ )ame hili!-s voi)e too$ and he ran to :a)* and #ave him anaffe)tionate sla! on the %a)*. +Fre)*les3 0hat lu)* to )ome a)ross you li*e this3/

+Tufty3 And Bill3/ said :a)*$ his voi)e %rea*in# in a 1ueer way$ with 2oy and relief.Oh$ the deli#ht of hearin# a familiar voi)e after so many hours of lonely dar*ness3

The 2oy of seein# hili!$ his tuft of hair sti)*in# u! from his forehead as usual3 AndBill$ with his familiar #rin$ his twin*lin# eyes$ and his #ood de!enda%le feelin# of

#rown'u!ness(:a)* was #lad to have a #rown'u! to hel! him. ,hildren )ould meddle



in thin#s to a )ertain extent(%ut there often )ame a time when you had to lean onthe #rown'u!s.

He #ave a #ul!$ and Bill !atted him on the %a)*. +Fine to see you$ :a)*. I %etyou-ve #ot !lenty to tell us./

+I have$/ said :a)*. He too* out his hand*er)hief and %lew his nose hard. Then hefelt %etter. +0here are the #irls/

+Safe at home$/ said hili!. +0e missed you somehow down in the minesyesterday$ :a)*$ and we #ot ta*en !risoner$ %ut we es)a!ed$ #ot u! the shaft'hole$found our %oat and sailed away in the half'dar*. I went to find old Bill$ and here he

is. 0e )ouldn-t )ome in his %oat %e)ause it was smashed %y someone(and :o':o-s

%oat was #one too./ +0ell(how did you )ome then/ as*ed :a)* in astonishment.

+There-s a way under the sea from ,ra##y'To!s to here$/ said hili!. +0hat do youthin* of that 0e found it in an old %oo* a%out ,ra##y'To!s. It too* us a#es to )ome.

It was very weird. I didn-t li*e it mu)h. But here we are./ :a)* was really ama&ed to hear how they had )ome. He 1uestioned them ea#erly.

But Bill had a few 1uestions to as* :a)*. +This is all mu)h more im!ortant than youthin*$ :a)*$/ he said. +9et-s sit down. I-ve #ot an idea you )an solve a %i# mystery for

me./

Chapter 27

A 9OT OF THINGS A8E "A5E ,9EA8

+I- ?E #ot some 1ueer thin#s to tell you$/ said :a)* ea#erly. +First of all$ what do youthin* I found A )ave a%solutely )ho)* full of money(!a!er money(notes$ you

*now. 0ell$ I should thin* there must have %een thousands and thousands of !ounds- worth there(you-ve sim!ly no idea./

+Ah$/ said Bill Smu#s$ in a voi)e full of satisfa)tion. +Ah3 Now that really is news.Fine$ :a)*3/

+Then I saw a lot of ma)hines at wor*$/ went on :a)*$ !leased to find that his

news was so intensely interestin# to Bill. +And an en#ine. I thou#ht it was to smelt orroast the )o!!er$ or whatever they have to do with it$ %ut one of the ma)hines loo*ed

li*e a !rintin# !ress./ +Ah'ha*” said Bill$ with even #reater satisfa)tion in his voi)e. +This is wonderful

news. Ama&in#3 :a)*$ you-ve solved a five'year'old mystery(a mystery that has%een !u&&lin# the Government and the whole of the !oli)e for a lon# time./

+0hat mystery/ as*ed :a)*.

+I %et I *now$/ !ut in hili! ex)itedly. +Bill$ that ma)hinery is for !rintin# false!a!er money$ isn-t it()ounterfeit notes(dud money. And the money$ in notes$ that

:a)* found$ is some stored there after %ein# !rinted. It will %e ta*en from this islandand used %y the thieves or their masters./

+6ou-ve 2ust a%out hit it$/ said Bill. +0e-ve %een after this #an# for years()ouldn-tfind where they had their !rintin#'outfit installed()ouldn-t ma*e out where the

money a!!eared from. It-s ex)ellently done(only an ex!ert )an tell the differen)e%etween a real %an*'note and these dud ones./

+Bill3 So the men aren-t wor*in# the )o!!er'mines then3/ )ried :a)*$ inastonishment. +0e were wron# a%out that. They )hose these old mines$ not to wor*

any )o!!er in them$ %ut to hide their !rintin# ma)hines$ and to do all their wor* insafety. How )lever3 How awfully )lever3/

+?ery smart indeed$/ said Bill #rimly. +All they needed was a #o'%etween(someone who )ould sail out to the island with food for them$ and other ne)essities(

and ta*e away %a)* to the Boss$ whoever he is$ sta)*s of the dud notes. 0ell(it was



the #o'%etween that #ave the show away$ really./ +0ho-s the #o'%etween/ as*ed :a)* interestedly. +Anyone we *now/

+Of )ourse$/ said Bill. +I should have thou#ht you would have #uessed at on)e(:o':o./

“/o0/o*” )ried the two %oys$ and in a flash they saw how everythin# fitted in$where :o':o was )on)erned.

+6es(he had a %oat$ and he had only to say he was #oin# fishin# in it$ in order to#et over to the island and %a)*$/ said hili!. +He )ould #o at ni#ht too$ if he wantedto. Those si#nals :a)* saw were from the men on the island(and it was :o':o u! on

the )liff$ si#nallin# %a)*$ that ni#ht :a)* met him there./

+6es$ it was$/ said :a)*$ remem%erin#. +And when he went off sho!!in# in the )arhe-d ta*e some of that )ounterfeit money with him$ I #uess$ and deliver it to his

%osses$ whoever they were. No wonder he would never ta*e us out in the )ar withhim$ or in the %oat. He was afraid we mi#ht sus!e)t somethin#./

+5o you remem%er those %oxes and )rates down in the se)ond )ellar$ %ehind thatdoor he *e!t hidden %y !iled'u! %oxes/ said hili!. +0ell$ I %et those didn-t %elon#

to Aunt olly. I %et they were :o':o-s stores$ waitin# to %e ta*en a)ross to the islandnext time he went in his %oat.

+His tales a%out thin#s- wanderin# on the )liffs at ni#ht were only stories to

fri#hten us and *ee! us from #oin# out at ni#ht$ and findin# out anythin# he wasdoin#$/ went on hili!. +Gra)ious$ how everythin# fits in now$ doesn-t it/

+It )ertainly seems to$/ said Bill$ in an amused voi)e. He had %een listenin# to this

)onversation with #reat interest. +0hy did you )ome to this )oast$ to live in that tum%ledown sha)*/ as*ed :a)*

suddenly. +0ere you really a %ird'wat)her/ +Of )ourse not$/ said Bill$ lau#hin#. +I didn-t %ar#ain on meetin# a real %ird'lover

when I told you I was a %ird'wat)her. 6ou nearly tri!!ed me u! lots of times. I had toread u! a whole lot a%out %irds I wasn-t in the least interested in$ so that you

wouldn-t sus!e)t I didn-t *now mu)h a%out them$ :a)*. It was really very aw*wardfor me. I )ouldn-t tell you what I really was$ of )ourse(a mem%er of the !oli)e for)e$

detailed to *ee! an eye on :o':o and see what he was u! to./

+How did you *now :o':o was u! to anythin#/ as*ed hili!. +0ell$ he-s !retty well *nown to the !oli)e$/ said Bill. +He has %een mixed u! in the

)ounterfeitin# of %an*notes %efore$ and we wondered if he had anythin# to do withthis %i#'s)ale !rintin# that was #oin# on somewhere$ we didn-t *now where. 0e

thou#ht it 2ust as well to wat)h him$ on)e we *new where he was. He has a mi#htyfine way of disa!!earin#. He-s %een with your aunt for five years now$ as odd'2o%

man$ and no%ody ever sus!e)ted he was a fellow with a very %ad re)ord. But one of

our men s!otted him in town one day and found out where he wor*ed. Then down I)ame$ this summer$ to *ee! a 1uiet eye on him./

+0hat a hornets- nest you-ve stirred u!3/ said :a)*. +Bill(did we hel! at all/ +A lot$/ said Bill$ +thou#h you didn-t *now it. 6ou made me )ertain that :o':o was

the #o'%etween. 6ou made me sure that it was the Isle of Gloom he *e!t #oin# to.So I went there myself one day$ and ex!lored the mines a little way. That was when I

dro!!ed my !en)il$ I ex!e)t. But I must say I didn-t find anythin# that made mesus!e)t there were men in the mines$ doin# their ille#al %an*'note !rintin# on hidden

ma)hines./ +But we found out a%out it$/ said :a)* !roudly. +0hat are you #oin# to do a%out it$

Bill/ +0ell$/ said Bill$ +last ni#ht I s!o*e over the radio to my )hiefs. I told them I was

!retty )ertain what was #oin# on here$ and that I was #oin# over to the island tores)ue someone from the mines$ and would they #et %usy$ !lease$ and %e#in to )lear

the matter u!/



+0hat will they do/ as*ed :a)*$ thrilled. +I shan-t *now till I #et %a)* and re!ort$/ said Bill. +0e-d %etter #o now$ I thin*.

0e-ll #o %a)* throu#h the sea'!assa#e$ the way hili! and I )ame./ +I su!!ose it was :o':o who smashed your %oat u!$/ said hili!. +He must have

sus!e)ted somethin#. I thin* he *new you were our friend./ . +:o':o is a remar*a%ly )lever ras)al$/ said Bill$ #ettin# u! and stret)hin# himself.

+All the )leverer %e)ause he !retends to %e stu!id. ,ome alon#./ +Bill(I want to #et 7i*i$/ said :a)* suddenly. +I )an-t leave her here. The men will

*ill her(or she-ll die of starvation or fri#ht. ,an-t we #o and #et her/

+No$/ said Bill. +There are more im!ortant thin#s to %e done./

+9et-s #et her$ Bill$/ said hili!$ who *new that 7i*i was to :a)* what a do# was toother !eo!le. +0e-ve only #ot to #et out the ma!$ find that main !assa#e$ and then

sli! alon# to the )aves there. :a)* will *now where the )ell is where 7i*i #ot lo)*edin. I thin* it sounds li*e the same one the #irls and I were im!risoned in./

+0ell(we-d %etter %e 1ui)* then$/ said Bill dou%tfully. +And mind(no noise at all.0e don-t want to attra)t attention./

They s!read out the ma!$ tra)ed out where they were$ and where the main!assa#e was$ and set out. It was not lon# %efore they were wal*in# down the wide

!assa#e$ silently and )arefully.

Bill heard the )latterin# and %an#in# noise. The ma)hines were at wor* a#ain. Heloo*ed #rim and listened intently. 6es(that was a !rintin#'!ress all ri#ht.

:ust as they were )omin# to the )ell )ave in whi)h 7i*i was im!risoned$ they

heard sounds of voi)es. They )rou)hed a#ainst the wall$ hardly darin# to %reathe. +That-s :a*e$/ whis!ered hili!$ his mouth )lose a#ainst Bill-s ear.

There were three men$ and they were at the door of the )ell where the !arrotwas. They were listenin# in astonishment. A voi)e )ame from the )ell$ raised hi#h$

and the words )ould %e heard. +5on-t sniff$ I tell you3 0here-s your hand*er)hief How many times have I told

you to wi!e your feet oor old 7i*i$ !oor$ !oor old 7i*i3 ut the *ettle on3/ +The %oy-s #one mad$/ said :a*e$ to the other two men. Evidently they still

thou#ht they had :a)* shut u! in the )ave.

+o! #oes the weasel3/ announ)ed 7i*i dramati)ally$ and then made a noise li*e arailway en#ine #oin# throu#h a tunnel and whistlin#.

+He-s off his head$/ said Olly$ ama&ed.There )ame a terrifi) s)ree)h$ and the third man s!o*e suddenly.

+That-s a !arrot. That-s what that is. The %oy has #ot his !arrot in there./ +O!en the door and we-ll see$/ said Olly.

:a*e !ut the *ey into the lo)*$ and the door swun# inwards. 7i*i at on)e flew out

with a s)ree)h that made everyone 2um!. The men flashed their lam! into the )aveand loo*ed around.

It was em!ty. Olly turned fier)ely on :a*e. +6ou fool3 6ou !ut the !arrot in thereand let the %oy es)a!e. 6ou deserve to %e shot./

:a*e stared into the em!ty )ave. It was true. Only the !arrot had %een there. +0ell$/ said :a*e$ +I ex!e)t the *id is lost for ever in these mines now$ and will never

%e heard of a#ain. Serve him ri#ht./ +6ou-re a fool$ :a*e$/ said Olly %itterly. +First you let those other )hildren tri)* you$

and then the %oy./ They left the door o!en and went off towards the li#hted )ave. :a)* #ave a #as!.

7i*i had suddenly flown on to his shoulder$ and was ma*in# the most affe)tionatenoises. She !retended to %ite his ear$ she made )li)*in# noises meant to re!resent

*isses$ and alto#ether %ehaved in a most ex)ited and deli#hted way. :a)* s)rat)hedher head$ and felt 2ust as deli#hted himself.

+Now$ )ome alon#$ for heaven-s sa*e$/ said Bill$ in a low voi)e. They left the



!assa#e and wal*ed 1ui)*ly away$ their tor)hes shinin# %ri#htly. They had not #onevery far %efore they distin)tly heard someone else )omin#.

+It-s some%ody from the main shaft$ I should thin*$/ said :a)*$ in a low voi)e.They !ut out their tor)hes and waited. The !erson )ame nearer$ heavy'footed. His

tor)h shone %ri#htly. They )ould not see what he was li*e at all. They tried to sli!%a)* into a little %lind !assa#e$ %ut :a)* stum%led and fell$ ma*in# a noise. 7i*i

s)ree)hed.A tor)h da&&led them$ and a voi)e )ame shar!ly out of the dar*ness. +Stand

where you are or I-ll shoot3/

Bill !ut out a hand to ma*e the %oys stand still. There was somethin# in that voi)e

that had to %e o%eyed. The owner of it would not hesitate to shoot.The three of them stood %lin*in# there in the !assa#e. :a)* re)o#nised the voi)e$

and so did hili!. 0ho was itAnd then$ in a flash$ they *new. Of )ourse they *new.

+It-s :o':o3/ )ried :a)*. +:o':o$ what are you doin# here/ +A 1uestion I-m #oin# to as* you$ all three of you$/ said :o':o$ in a )old$ #rim

voi)e. The li#ht from his tor)h rested full on Bill-s fa)e. +So you(re here too$/ said :o':o. +I smashed your %oat(%ut I re)*on you found the old way under the sea'%ed$

didn-t you 6ou thin* yourself mi#hty )lever$ all of you(%ut you-ve %een 2ust a %it

too )lever. There-s a nasty time ahead of you(a(very(nasty(time./

Chapter 28T8AE5

THE li#ht #leamed on a revolver held %y :o':o. Bill felt an#ry with himself. If he hadn-t

a#reed to #o %a)* for that wret)hed !arrot$ this would never have ha!!ened. :o':owas tou#h. He was not li*ely to %e fooled as easily as :a*e had %een.

+Turn round$ hold your hands a%ove your heads and wal* in front of me$/ ordered:o':o. +Ah(there-s that !arrot. I owe it 1uite a lot(well$ I-ll !ay my de%t now./

:a)* *new :o':o meant to shoot 7i*i and he #ave the !arrot a %low that sur!rised

her very mu)h. 7i*i rose hi#h into the air in indi#nation$ s)ree)hin#$ lost in thedar*ness. +7ee! away$ 7i*i$ *ee! away3/ yelled :a)*.

7i*i remained lost in the dar*ness. Somethin# warned her that :a)* did not wanther near him. She sensed dan#er. She followed the little )om!any$ *ee!in# well

%ehind :o':o$ flyin# from !la)e to !la)e as silently as a %at.The three of them were soon shut in the now familiar )ave. :o':o$ who had

shouted for :a*e$ lo)*ed the door himself. Then the !risoners heard them #oin# off.

+0ell$ we-re in a !retty !i)*le now$ I-m afraid$/ said Bill. +0hy in the world did Ia#ree to #o %a)* for that !arrot 0e may all lose our lives %e)ause of that$ and these

fellows may es)a!e s)ot'free with their thousands of false %an*'notes$ to s!readthem all over the )ountry. 0e really are u! a#ainst it now./

+I-m sorry I as*ed you to #o %a)* for 7i*i$/ said :a)* hum%ly. +I-m as mu)h to %lame as you$/ said Bill$ li#htin# a )i#arette. +Golly$ it-s hot down

here./ After what seemed to %e an endless time$ the door was o!ened a#ain$ and :o':o

)ame in$ with :a*e$ Olly and two or three more men %ehind him. +0e 2ust want to say a fond #ood'%ye to you$/ said :o':o$ his %la)* fa)e #leamin#

in the lam!'li#ht. +0e-ve finished u! our %usiness here. 6ou )ame in at the end$ BillSmu#s the )o!$ too late to do anythin#. 0e-ve #ot all the notes we-ll ever %e a%le to

use now./ +So you-re )learin# out$ are you/ said Bill 1uietly. +Smashin# u! the ma)hines to

hide your tra)*s(ta*in# away all your stores and your !a)*ets of dud notes. 6ou



won-t es)a!e so easily. 6our ma)hines$ will %e found all ri#ht$ smashed or not$ andyour . . ./

+Nothin# will ever %e found$ Bill Smu#s$/ said :o':o. +Not a thin#. The whole of the!oli)e for)e )an )ome to this island$ %ut they-ll never find anythin# they )an tra)e

%a)* to us(never3/ +0hy/ as*ed Bill$ una%le to )on)eal his sur!rise.

+Be)ause we-re floodin# the mines$/ said :o':o$ smilin# wi)*edly and showin# hiswhite teeth. +6es$ Bill Smu#s$ these mines will soon %e flooded(water will !our intoevery tunnel$ every !assa#e$ every )ave. It will hide our ma)hines$ and all tra)es of

our wor*. I am afraid it will hide you too./

+6ou-re not #oin# to leave us here$ surely$/ said Bill. +9eave me$ if you li*e(%utta*e these %oys u! with you./

+0e don-t want any of you$/ said :o':o$ still in the same horri%ly !olite tones. +6ouwould %e in the way./

+6ou )ouldn-t %e as )ruel as that3/ )ried Bill. +0hy$ they-re only )hildren./ +I have my orders$/ said :o':o. He did not seem at all the same stu!id$ half')ra&y

fellow that the %oys *new %efore(he was a different :o':o alto#ether$ and not at all a!leasant one.

+How do you !ro!ose to flood the mines/ as*ed Bill.

+Easily$/ re!lied :o':o. +0e have mined !art of the !assa#e throu#h whi)h you)ame from ,ra##y'To!s$ under the sea'%ed. 0hen we are safely a%ove #round$ youwill hear the muffled roar of a #reat ex!losion. The dynamite will %low a hole in the

roof of that under'sea !assa#e(and the sea will !our throu#h. As you will #uess$ itwill rush into these mines$ and fill them u! to sea'level. I am afraid you will not find

thin#s very !leasant then./ :a)* tried to stand u! to show :o':o that he was not afraid$ %ut his *nees wouldn-t

hold him. He was afraid$ very mu)h afraid. And so was hili!. Only Bill *e!t a really%rave front. He lau#hed.

+0ell(do your worst. 6ou won-t es)a!e so easily as you thin*. "ore is *nowna%out you and this #an# and its %osses than you ima#ine./

One of the men said somethin# to :o':o. He nodded. The %oys felt )ertain that the

time was soon )omin# when the sea'%ed was due to %e %lasted o!en(and then thewaters would roar down and find their way into every noo* and )ranny.

+0ell(#ood'%ye$/ said :o':o$ #rinnin# and showin# his ama&in#ly white teeth. +See you soon$/ re!lied Bill$ in 2ust as !olite a tone. The %oys did not say

anythin#. 7i*i$ out in the !assa#e$ #ave a )a)*lin# lau#h. +I should have li*ed to *ill that %ird %efore I left$/ muttered :o':o$ and went out of

the )ave with the others. He slammed the door and lo)*ed it.

There was the sound of retreatin# footste!s and then silen)e. Bill loo*ed at the%oys.

+,heer u!$/ he said. +0e-re not dead yet. 0e-ll #ive those fellows time to #et somedistan)e away$ and then I-ll o!en this door and out we-ll #o./

+O!en the door How/ as*ed :a)*. +Oh$ I-ve my little way$/ #rinned Bill$ and !ulled out a 1ueer )olle)tion of files and

s!indly *eys. After a minute or two he set to wor* on the door$ and in a very shorttime it was swin#in# o!en.

+Now for the shaft$/ said Bill. +,ome on$ %efore it-s too late./ They made their way to the main !assa#e and then half wal*ed$ half ran towards

the %i# shaft. It too* some time to. #et there.:ust as they rea)hed it$ and loo*ed u!wards to where the faintest #leam of

dayli#ht showed$ there )ame a )urious sound.It was a muffled roar$ dee!$ dee! down in the mines. It e)hoed round and a%out in

a 1ueer way.



+0ell(:o':o s!o*e the truth$/ said Bill so%erly. +That was the dynamite #oin# off.If it really has %lown a hole in the sea'%ed$ the waters will even now %e rushin# u!

that under'sea !assa#e to the mines./ +,ome on$ then$/ said hili!$ ea#er to #et u! into the o!en air. +,ome on. I want

to #et into the sunshine./ +I must tie my nu##et round me somewhere$/ said :a)*$ who was still manfully

)arryin# the heavy !ie)e of )o!!er. +0hy(what-s the matter$ Bill/ Bill had #iven a shar! ex)lamation that startled the %oys. +9oo* there$/ said Bill$

shinin# his tor)h on to the first few feet of the shaft'hole. +Those men have #one u!

the shaft(and have )arefully ha)*ed away the ladder near the %ottom$ so that we

)ouldn-t )lim% u!$ even if we did es)a!e from the )ave. They were leavin# nothin# to)han)e. 0e-re done. 0e )an-t es)a!e. There-s no way of )lim%in# u! without a

ladder./ In des!air the three of them #a&ed at the smashed'u! run#s. 7i*i #ave a mournful

s)ree)h that made them 2um!. +Bill(I %elieve we mi#ht find some *ind of a ladder in that %i# o!en )ave where

the %oxes and )rates of food were$/ said :a)* des!erately. +I %elieve I saw one. Shallwe #o %a)* and see I don-t ex!e)t the men have done more than smash u! the

%e#innin# run#s of the shaft'hole ladder(they-d *now we )ouldn-t use the ladder

hi#her u! if there was nothin# to )lim% on lower down./ +Are you sure there was a ladder in that )ave/ as*ed hili!. +I don-t remem%er

one./

+0ell(it-s our only )han)e$/ said Bill. +,ome on(%a)* we #o to find it./ But they didn-t rea)h the )ave. They only went down the main !assa#e a little way

and then they sto!!ed in horror. Somethin# was swirlin# towards them(somethin#%la)* and stran#e and !owerful.

+The waters are in already$/ yelled Bill. +,ome %a)*. Get to the hi#hest !art. "yword$ the whole sea is em!tyin# itself into the mines./

The #ur#lin# sound of water tri)*lin# down all the !assa#es and into every )avewas now !lainly to %e heard. It was a #reedy$ su)*in# sound$ a sound that fri#htened

even Bill. The three of them ran %a)* to the main shaft at on)e. It was hi#her than

the rest of the #round round a%out(%ut soon the water would rea)h there too. +It will find its own level$ anyway$/ said Bill. +All these shafts #o down %elow sea'

level$ a lon# way %elow(and the mines will )ertainly fill u! to the level of the sea. Ire)*on it will half'fill these shaft'holes too./

+But$ Bill(we shall all %e drowned3/ said :a)*$ in a trem%lin# voi)e. +,an you swim/ as*ed Bill. +6es(of )ourse you %oth )an. 0ell$ listen$ there-s 2ust

one ho!e for us. 0hen the water fills u! this shaft$ we must rise with it(let it ta*e

us u!. 0e )an *ee! afloat all ri#ht$ I thin*$ if we don-t #et !ani)*y. Then$ when werea)h the !art of the ladder undama#ed %y the men$ we )an )lim% u!. Now$ do you

thin* you )an *ee! your heads$ and$ when the water )omes$ #o u! the shaft'holewith it/

+6es$/ said the %oys !lu)*ily. :a)* turned and loo*ed nervously down the !assa#e.He )ould see the %la)* water in the distan)e$ #leamin# in the li#ht of Bill-s tor)h. It

loo*ed very horri%le$ somehow. +That-s the end of these mines$ then$ Bill$ isn-t it/ said hili!. +No'one will ever %e

a%le to )ome down here a#ain./ +0ell$ they were wor*ed out anyway$/ said Bill. +:a)* was lu)*y to find a nu##et to

ta*e %a)* to show everyone. It was !ro%a%ly hidden %y a lon#'a#o miner who for#otwhere he had hidden it(and years and years afterwards :a)* found it./

+I must ta*e it %a)* with me$/ said :a)*. +I sim!ly must. But I *now I )an-t hold itand swim too. It-s too heavy./

Bill stri!!ed off his 2ersey and his vest. He wra!!ed the nu##et in his vest$



*notted it$ then tied a thi)* !ie)e of strin# round it. He !ut his 2ersey on a#ain andthen hun# the nu##et round his ne)*.

+Bit heavy$/ said he$ with a #rin$ +%ut 1uite safe. 6ou )arry 7i*i$ I-ll )arry thenu##et./

+Than*s awfully$/ said :a)*. +Sure it won-t dra# you down under the water/ +I hardly thin* so$/ said Bill$ who was immensely stron#.

+The water-s )omin# nearer$/ said hili! uneasily. +9oo*3/ They all loo*ed. It was advan)in# near to the little %it of risin# #round under the

shaft where they stood.

+Isn-t it awfully %la)*/ said :a)*. +I su!!ose it-s the dar*ness that ma*es it loo*

so %la)*. It loo*s sim!ly horrid./ +It will ta*e a %it of time to #et to our shaft$/ said Bill. +9et-s sit down and rest a

%it whilst we-ve a )han)e./ They sat down. hili!-s mouse ran out of his sleeve$ and then sat u! on its hind

le#s$ sniffin#. 7i*i saw it and #ave a s1ueal. +0i!e your feet$ I tell you3/ she said.

+Now$ don-t you fri#hten 0offly$/ said hili!. The three of them wat)hed the anti)sof the mouse whilst they waited. The water la!!ed nearer$ su)*in# and #ur#lin# in

the !assa#es.

+It must %e a%solutely pourin% down the hole in the roof of the under'sea!assa#e$/ said hili!. +I say$ Bill(will the water rush the other way too(down theundersea !assa#e to ,ra##y'To!s(and ma*e the well salt/

+0ell$ yes(I su!!ose it will$/ said Bill$ )onsiderin#. +The well is %elow sea'level$ of )ourse(so the sea is %ound to !our into it$ throu#h the entran)e in the well'shaft.

That-s %ad$ hili!. It will mean that you and your !eo!le won-t have well'water anymore(I )an-t thin* what you-ll do./

+Here )omes the water to our feet now$/ said :a)*$ wat)hin# a wave swee! u! tothem. +7i*i$ do sit still on my shoulder. Tufty$ where-s 0offly/

+5own my ne)* now$/ said hili!. +Ooh$ isn-t the water )old3/ The mines were hot$ so the water did feel )old(i)y')old. hili!$ :a)* and Bill stood

u! and wat)hed it swirlin# round their an*les. It rose #radually to their *nees. It rose

a%ove them.The three were standin# ri#ht under the shaft$ waitin# for the moment to )ome

when the water would lift them u!$ ena%lin# them to swim$ or tread water. +I-m fro&en$/ said hili!. +I never *new su)h )old water./

+It isn-t really )old$/ said Bill$ +%ut we feel so hot down here that the water stri*esus as very )old. It hasn-t had time to warm u! yet./

The water rose to their waists and then more ra!idly to their shoulders.

+God save the 7in#3/ said 7i*i$ in a horrified tone$ loo*in# down from :a)*-sshoulder at the restless %la)* water %elow her.

Soon Bill and the %oys were lifted off their feet$ and swam with diffi)ulty on thesurfa)e of the water in the shaft. +There-s so little room$/ !anted 2a)*. +0e-re all on

to! of one another./ They were )ertainly very )rowded and it was tirin# wor* tryin# to *ee! afloat

when there was really no room for swimmin#. The water rose steadily. Bill had ta*enhili!-s little tor)h and !la)ed it %etween his teeth$ so that its li#ht shone round on

the shaft'wall. He wanted to see whether the ladder was still smashed$ far u! theshaft$ or whether the men had only dama#ed the lower !art.

He too* the tor)h from his mouth at last. +0e-re all ri#ht$/ he said. +The ladder-snot smashed here. 0e have risen some way u! the shaft with the water$ and now we

)an #et on to the ladder. I-ll hel! you ea)h u!. Go first$ :a)*$ with 7i*i. She-s #ettin#so s)ared./

:a)* s!lashed his way to the side of the shaft where the ladder was. Bill shone the



tor)h there. :a)* )lun# to the run#s and %e#an to haul himself u!. Then$ when hehad )lim%ed a #ood way u!$ hili! followed. 9ast of all Bill hauled himself u!$ feelin#

the dra# of the heavy )o!!er nu##et on his ne)*. It had %een extremely diffi)ult to*ee! afloat with it$ %ut somehow he had mana#ed.

4! they went(and u! and u!. It seemed a#es %efore they were anywhere nearthe to!. They soon sto!!ed shiverin#$ and #ot hot with )lim%in#. Their wet )lothes

stu)* to them un)omforta%ly. 7i*i tal*ed in :a)*-s ear$ very sorry for herself. She didnot li*e this !art of the adventure at all.

hili!-s mouse didn-t li*e it either. It had )lun# to hili!-s ear durin# his stay in the

water$ when the %oy-s head had %een the only thin# a%ove the surfa)e(and now it

didn-t at all a!!rove of su)h wet )lothes. It )ouldn-t seem to find a ni)e$ dry$ warm!la)e anywhere.

+0e-re almost there$/ :a)* shouted down at last. +Not far now./ That was )heerful news. They hurried on$ feelin# new stren#th in their arms and

le#s now that they *new their lon# and tirin# )lim% was nearin# an end.:a)* )lim%ed out first$ 7i*i flyin# off his shoulder with a #lad s1ueal. Then he

sto!!ed in astonishment. A man was sittin# 1uietly %y the head of the shaft$ arevolver in his hand.

+Hands u!3/ said the man$ in a stern voi)e. +5on-t dare to warn anyone followin#

you. Stand there. Hands u!$ I said3/

Chapter 2A99-S 0E99 THAT EN5S 0E99

:A,7 stood with his hands a%ove his head$ his mouth o!en in horror. Had they

es)a!ed only to #et )au#ht a#ain He did not dare to shout.hili! )lim%ed out and was treated in the same way= he too was sho)*ed and

dismayed. The man with the revolver waited in silen)e$ )overin# the %oys with hiswea!on$ wat)hin# to see who would )ome out next.

Bill )lim%ed out$ his %a)* to the man. He re)eived the same order.

+Hands u!3 5on-t dare to warn anyone followin#. Stand there3/ Bill swun# round. He !ut his hands u! at on)e$ %ut now he !ut them down and

#rinned. +It-s all ri#ht$ Sam$/ he said. +ut u! your #un./

Sam #ave an ex)lamation$ and !ut his revolver into his %elt. He held out his handto Bill.

+It-s you*” he said. +I was left here in )ase any more fellows of the #an# )ame u!.

I didn-t ex!e)t you to %o% u!./ The %oys stared$ o!en'mouthed. 0hat was all this

+5id you #et a sho)*/ said Bill$ noti)in# their sur!rise. +This is Sam(one of ourdete)tives(#reat friend of mine. 0ell$ Sam(seein# you here #ives me #reat ho!es.

0hat-s ha!!ened/ +,ome and see$/ said Sam$ with a #rin$ and he led the way. They all went throu#h

the !ass in the hills$ followin# the %urly Sam. They )ame out on to o!en #round$ andmade their way towards the )oast.

They )ame suddenly on a truly interestin# si#ht. 9ined u! in a row$ their fa)essullen$ were all the men from the mines. :o':o was there too$ fier)e an#er in his fa)e.

Two men stood near %y$ ea)h with a revolver. All wea!ons had %een ta*en from the!risoners.

+There-s /o0/o*” )ried hili!. :o':o loo*ed at him with a s)owl that turned tosur!rise. So the %oys and their friend had es)a!ed I :o':o was immensely sur!rised

and ra)*ed his %rains to thin* how anyone )ould have #ot out of a lo)*ed )ave in a



flooded mine and u! a shaft whose ladder was )om!letely smashed at the %ottom. +How were they )au#ht/ as*ed :a)*$ in wonder. 7i*i saw :o':o and flew round his

head$ s)ree)hin# and hootin# and yellin#. She re)o#nised her old enemy$ and *newhe )ould no lon#er harm her.

Sam #rinned at :a)*-s wonder. +0ell$ Bill ,unnin#ham here$/ he said with a nodtowards Bill$ +he mana#ed to tell us a #ood %it over the radio last ni#ht$ and we !ut

two and two to#ether$ and re)*oned we-d %etter #et #oin#. So we #ot #oin# and)ame over to this island as fast as we )ould. 0e found :o':o-s %oat here$ and si#ns of an early de!arture(sta)*s of dud notes in )rates on the %ea)h(and all *inds of

other interestin# do)uments./

+How did you #et here so 1ui)*ly There are no %oats near on this )oast$/ saidhili!.

+0e-ve #ot a few fast motor'%oats of our own$/ said Sam. +0e too* two of themand )ame alon# here to! s!eed$ down alon# the )oast. There they are./

The %oys turned$ and saw two %i# and smart motor'%oats %o%%in# on the waternear the )ove$ ea)h one in )har#e of a me)hani). Near %y was :o':o-s own %oat.

+As soon as we s!otted that the #an# had wound u! their %usiness and were#oin# to #o off with their dud money$ we saw our )han)e$/ #rinned Sam. +So we

!osted a man at ea)h of the shaft'holes(we didn-t *now whi)h one the #an# used$

you see(and then$ u! one of them )ame the whole of the #an#$ one %y one. And we#ot them ni)ely./

+:ust li*e you #ot us$/ said :a)*. +That was smart wor*. 0hat are we #oin# to do

now/ +Bill ,unnin#ham is head of this show$/ said Sam$ and turned an en1uirin# fa)e to

Bill. Bill loo*ed at the %oys a!olo#eti)ally. +Sorry I had to #ive you a wron# name$/ he said. +But my own name is a %it too

well *nown in some 1uarters to #ive away when I-m on a 2o% of this sort. So I was 2ust Bill Smu#s to you./

+6ou always will %e$/ said hili!. +I shall never thin* of you as anythin# else$ Bill./ +8i#ht$/ said Bill$ #rinnin#. +Bill Smu#s I am. Now(what a%out #ettin# these

!retty #entlemen safely into the motor'%oats/

The #an# of fier)e'loo*in# men were !ushed into the two %oats. :a*e still wore his%la)* !at)h$ %ut he #lared so fier)ely at 7i*i with his one free eye that :a)* )alled the

!arrot to his shoulder. If loo*s )ould *ill$ 7i*i would )ertainly have died under that#lare of :a*e-s. The man was remem%erin# how the %ird had %een lo)*ed u! instead

of the %oy. That mista*e had !ro%a%ly led to all this %ad lu)*. +I thin* we(ll sail dear :o':o-s %oat home$/ said Bill to the %oys. +,ome on. 9et the

motor'%oats #o first and then we-ll follow. Hi$ Sam3 "a*e for that house(you *now(

,ra##y'To!s. There-s a #ood moorin#'!la)e there./ +8i#ht$/ said Sam$ and off the motor'%oats went$ ma*in# a terrifi) roarin# noise

over the sea. Then Bill and the %oys set off in :o':o-s %oat$ and all three %oats wentsafely out of the #a! in the ro)*s and on to the o!en sea %eyond.

+0ell$ all-s well that ends well$/ said Bill$ as they !ut u! the sail and set )ourse forhome. +But there were a few moments when I didn-t thin* we were #oin# to end u!

as well as we hae done./ The %oys thou#ht so too. hili! wondered how the #irls were #ettin# on. They

would %e worried %y now. +I-m 2olly hun#ry$/ said :a)*. +It-s a#es sin)e I had a #ood meal(really a#es./

+It must %e$/ said Bill. +Never mind(soon %e %a)* now(then you )an tu)* in toyour heart-s )ontent./

The #irls and Aunt olly heard the sound of the motor'%oats lon# %efore they)ame to shore. They went out to see what was ma*in# the noise. They were filled

with astonishment to see two %i# motor'%oats !a)*ed with men$ and a sailin#'%oat



whi)h loo*ed li*e :o':o-s$ all ma*in# for ,ra##y'To!s. +0hatever does it all mean/ said Aunt olly$ who was still loo*in# white and ill.

+Oh dear3(my heart will never stand all this ex)itement./ The motor'%oats nosed to the moorin# !osts in the little har%our. The #irls ran

down$ and were ama&ed to see :o':o amon# the men. They stared at them$ tryin# tofind the %oys.

+Hallo$ there3/ )alled Sam. +Are you loo*in# for Bill 0hat-s'his'name and the%oys They-re followin# after us in the other %oat. Have you #ot a tele!hone here$ %yany )han)e/

+6es$ we have$/ said 5inah. +0hat are all these men 0hy is :o':o with them/

+Tell you everythin# soon$/ said Sam$ #ettin# out of the %oat. +I must tele!hone%efore I do anythin#. 6ou show me the !hone$ there-s a #ood #irl./

Sam !ut throu#h a )all$ as*in# for four or five motor)ars to %e sent to ,ra##y'To!s at on)e$ to ta*e away the !risoners. Aunt olly$ her heart %eatin# fast$ listened

in the #reatest sur!rise. 0hat could all this meanShe soon understood when the sailin#'%oat arrived$ and Bill and the %oys )ame

into the house. They told her the whole story$ and she san* %a)* on the )ou)h inhorror when she heard what a wi)*ed and dan#erous fellow :o':o was.

+As )lever as a %a#ful of mon*eys$/ said Bill. +But he-s not #ot away with it this

time(than*s to these four smart )hildren./ +It-s funny$/ said :a)*. +0e went to the island to find a Great Au*(and we found

instead a whole #an# of men wor*in# at hidden !rintin#'ma)hines down in the

mines./ +If I-d *nown you were doin# thin#s li*e that$ I-d have sent you all to %ed$/ said

Aunt olly severely. That made everyone lau#h. +Oh$ nau#hty #irl$ nau#hty #irl$ olly3/ )ried 7i*i$ flyin# to Aunt olly-s shoulder.

The )ars arrived as the %oys and Bill were in the middle of a most enormous meal.The men were !a)*ed into them and driven off swiftly. Sam said #ood'%ye and

de!arted with them. +Good wor*$ Bill3/ he said as he went. +And those *ids want a !at on the %a)*

too./

They #ot !lenty of !ats. The next day or two were so ex)itin# that not one of the)hildren sle!t !ro!erly at ni#ht.

For one thin# they were ta*en to the nearest %i# town$ and had to tell all they*new to two or three very solemn #entlemen.

+Bi# 0i#s$/ said Bill mysteriously. +?ery %i# wi#s. :a)*$ have you #ot the!hoto#ra!h of that !ile of tins you saw on the island :o':o denies that he ever too*

su!!lies there$ and we-ve found some em!ty tins in the )ellar at ,ra##y'To!s whi)h

we may %e a%le to identify %y means of your sna!./ So even the little !hoto#ra!h of the tins )ame in useful$ and was a %it of what Bill

)alled the +eviden)e a#ainst the !risoners./ Another little %it of ex)itement was :a)*-s nu##et. The %oy was disa!!ointed to

hear that it was not valua%le(%ut as a )uriosity$ a memory of a #reat adventure$ itwas thrillin#.

+I shall ta*e it %a)* to s)hool with me and !resent it to the museum we havethere$/ said :a)*. +All the %oys will love to see it and handle it and hear how I #ot it.

0on-t they %e envious3 It isn-t every%ody who #ets lost in old )o!!er'mines and findsa nu##et hidden away. The only thin# is(I-m awfully disa!!ointed it-s not valua%le$

%e)ause I did want to sell it and share the money %etween us./ +6es$/ said 9u)y$ +that would have %een lovely. Tufty-s share of it would have !aid

for his and 5inah-s s)hoolin#$ so that their mother and aunt )ould have had a rest$and not had to wor* so hard. It-s a !ity we )ouldn-t have #ot a lot of money for it./

But that didn-t matter a %it$ %e)ause$ most unex!e)tedly$ a very lar#e sum )ame



to the four )hildren from another sour)e. A reward had %een offered to anyone #ivin#information that would lead to the dis)overy of the )ounterfeiters(and it was

naturally !resented to the four )hildren$ thou#h Bill had his share of it too.hili!-s mother )ame to ,ra##y'To!s when she heard all a%out the stran#e and

thrillin# adventure and its unex!e)tedly marvellous results. :a)* and 9u)y'Ann lovedher. She was !retty and *ind and merry$ everythin# a mother should %e.

+She-s 2ust wasted as a %usiness woman$ I thin*$/ said :a)* to hili!. +She-s amother$ and she ou#ht to live li*e a mother$ and have a ni)e home of her own andyou and 5inah with her./

+0e-re #oin# to$/ said 5inah$ her eyes #lowin#. +At last we-re #oin# to. There-s

enou#h money now for "other to ma*e a home for us herself$ and sto! her hardwor*. 0e-ve re)*oned it all out. And what a%out you and 9u)y'Ann )omin# to live

with us$ Fre)*les 6ou don-t want to #o %a)* to your )rusty old un)le and horrid oldhouse*ee!er$ do you/

“-h*” said 9u)y'Ann$ her #reen eyes shinin# li*e stars. She fell on hili! andhu##ed him ti#htly. 5inah never did that$ %ut hili! found that he li*ed it. “-h*

Nothin# )ould %e ni)er3 0e-d share your mother$ and we-d have such fun to#ether.But do you thin* your mother will have us/

+Of )ourse$/ said 5inah. +0e !arti)ularly as*ed her that. She says if she-s #ot to

!ut u! with two )hildren$ she mi#ht as well !ut u! with four./ +And 7i*i too/ as*ed :a)*$ a sudden dou%t )ree!in# into his mind. +0ell$ of )ourse3/ said 5inah and hili! to#ether. It was unthin*a%le that 7i*i

should not live with them all. +0hat-s #oin# to ha!!en to your Aunt olly and 4n)le :o)elyn/ as*ed :a)*. +I-m

sorry for your aunt(she ou#htn-t to live in this ruined old house$ slavin# away$loo*in# after your un)le$ %ein# lonely and misera%le and ill. But I su!!ose your un)le

will never leave ,ra##y'To!s/ +0ell$ he-s #ot to now(and do you *now why/ said 5inah. +It-s %e)ause the well'

water is salt. The sea did #o into it$ enterin# it from the old !assa#e down there(soit-s undrin*a%le. It would )ost too mu)h to !ut the well ri#ht$ so !oor old 4n)le had

to )hoose %etween stayin# at ,ra##y'To!s and dyin# of thirst$ or leavin# it and #oin#

somewhere else./ Everyone lau#hed. +0ell$ :o':o did some #ood after all when he flooded the

mines$/ said hili!. +It has for)ed 4n)le :o)elyn to ma*e u! his mind to move(andAunt olly will %e a%le to #et the little )otta#e she has always wanted$ and live there

in !ea)e$ instead of in this #reat ruin(with no :o':o to do the rou#h 2o%s./ +Oh(that horrid :o':o3/ said 9u)y'Ann$ with one of her shivers. +How I did hate

him3 I-m #lad he-s lo)*ed away for years and years. I shall %e #rown u! when he

)omes out of !rison$ and I shan-t %e afraid of him any more./ Bill arrived in his )ar$ %rin#in# with him a )rate of #in#er'%eer$ for now no'one

)ould drin* the well'water. The )hildren )heered. It was ni)e to have #in#er'%eer for%rea*fast$ dinner and tea. Bill !resented Aunt olly and hili!-s mother with a most

enormous thermos flas* full of hot tea. +Oh$ 'ill*” said hili!-s mother$ with a little s1ueal that 7i*i !rom!tly imitated$

+what an enormous flas*3 I-ve never seen su)h a #iant. Than* you so mu)h./ Bill stayed to su!!er. It was very hilarious$ es!e)ially when hili!-s mouse ran out

of his sleeve on to the ta%le to 5inah-s !late. That u!set 5inah and made everyonelau#h. 9u)y'Ann loo*ed round at the lau#hin# )om!any and felt #lad. She was #oin#

to live with a #rown'u! she would love$ and )hildren she was fond of. Everythin# wasfun. Everythin# had turned out ri#ht. 0hat a #ood thin# she and :a)* had es)a!ed

from "r. 8oy all those wee*s a#o$ and run away with hili! to ,ra##y'To!s3 +It-s %een a #rand adventure$/ said 9u)y'Ann out loud. +But I-m #lad it-s over.

Adventures are too ex)itin# when they-re ha!!enin#./



+Oh no,” said hili! at on)e. +That-s the %est !art of an adventure(when it-sha!!enin#. I thin* it-s a #reat !ity it-s all over./

+0hat a !ity$ what a !ity3/ said 7i*i$ havin# the last word as usual. +0i!e yourfeet and shut the door. ut the *ettle on. God save the 7in#3/

THE EN5

Documents

Enid Blyton - The Island of Adventure