chapter fourteen disturbance in the night
it was dark in the cave, not really quite dark enough to light a candle, but the cave looked so nice bycandlelight that it was fun to light one. so anne took down the candle-stick and lighted the candle. atonce queer shadows jumped all round the cave, and it became a rather exciting place, not at all likethe cave they knew by daylight!
"i wish we could have a fire," said anne.
"we'd be far too hot," said julian. "and it would smoke us out. you can't have a fire in a cave likethis. there's no chimney."
"yes, there is," said anne, pointing to the hole in the roof. "if we lighted a fire just under that hole, itwould act as a chimney, wouldn't it?"
"it might," said dick, thoughtfully. "but i don't think so. we'd simply get the cave full of stiflingsmoke, and we wouldn't be able to sleep for choking.""well, couldn't we light a fire at the cave entrance then?" said anne who felt that a real home oughtto have a fire somewhere. "just to keep away wild beasts, say! that's what the people of old timesdid. it says so in my history book. they lighted fires at the cave entrance at night to keep away anywild animal that might be prowling around.""well, what wild beasts do you think are likely to come and peep into this cave?" asked julian, lazily,finishing up a cup of cocoa. "lions? tigers? or perhaps you are afraid of an elephant or two."everyone laughed. "no - i don't really think animals like that would come," said anne. "only - itwould be nice to have a red, glowing fire to watch when we go to sleep.""perhaps anne thinks the rabbits might come in and nibble our toes or something," said dick.
"woof!" said tim, pricking up his ears as he always did at the mention of rabbits.
"i don't think we ought to have a fire," said julian, "because it might be seen out at sea and give awarning to anyone thinking of coming to the island to do a bit of smuggling.""oh no, julian - the entrance to this cave is so well-hidden that i'm sure no one could see a fire out tosea," said george, at once. "there's that line of high rocks in front, which must hide it completely. ithink it would be rather fun to have a fire. it would light up the cave so queerly and excitingly."64
"oh good, george!" said anne, delighted to find someone agreeing with her.
"well, we can't possibly fag out and get sticks for it now," said dick, who was far too comfortable tomove.
"you don't need to," said anne, eagerly. "i got plenty myself today, and stored them at the back ofthe cave, in case we wanted a fire."
"isn't she a good little house-wife!" said julian, in great admiration. "she may go to sleep when she'slook-out, but she's wide-awake enough when it comes to making a house for us out of a cave! allright, anne - we'll make a fire for you!"they all got up and fetched the sticks from the back of the cave. anne had been to the jackdaw towerand had picked up armfuls that the birds had dropped when making their nests in the tower. theybuilt them up to make a nice little fire. julian got some dried seaweed too, to drop into it.
they lit the fire at the cave entrance, and the dry sticks blazed up at once. the children went back totheir heather-beds, and lay down on them, watching the red flames leaping and crackling.
the red glow lit up the cave and made it very weird and exciting.
"this is lovely," said anne, half-asleep. "really lovely. oh timmy, move a bit do. you're so heavyon my feet. here, george, pull timothy over to your side. you're used to him lying on you.""good-night," said dick, sleepily. ''the fire is dying down, but i can't be bothered to put any morewood on it. i'm sure all the lions and tigers and bears and elephants have been frightened away.""silly!" said anne. "you needn't tease me about it - you've enjoyed it as much as i have! goodnight."they all fell asleep and dreamed peacefully of many things. julian awoke with a jump. some queernoise had awakened him. he lay still, listening.
timothy was growling deeply, right down in his throat. "r-r-r-r-r-r-r," he went. "gr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!"george awoke too, and put out her hand sleepily. "what's the matter, tim?" she said.
"he's heard something, george," said julian, in a low voice from his bed on the other side of thecave.
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george sat up cautiously. timmy was still growling. "sh!" said george and he stopped. he wassitting up straight, his ears well cocked.
"perhaps it's the smugglers come in the night," whispered george, and a funny prickly feeling randown her back. somehow smugglers in the day time were rather exciting and quite welcome- but at night they seemed different. george didn't at all want to meet any just then!
"i'm going out to see if i can spy anything," said julian, getting off his bed quietly, so as not to wakedick. i'll go up the rope to the top of the cliff. i can see better from there.""take my torch," said george. but julian didn't want it.
"no, thanks. i can feel the way up that knotted rope quite well, whether i can see or not," he said.
he went up the rope in the dark, his body twisting round as the rope turned. he climbed up on to thecliff and looked out to sea. it was a very dark night, and he could see no ship at all, not even thewreck. it was far too dark.
"pity there's no moon," thought julian. "i might be able to see something then."he watched for a few minutes, and then george's voice came through the hole in the roof, coming outqueerly at his feet.
"julian! is there anything to see? shall i come up?""nothing at all," said julian. "is timmy still growling?""yes, when i take my hand off his collar," said george. "i can't imagine what's upset him."suddenly julian caught sight of something. it was a light, a good way beyond the line of rocks.
he watched in excitement. that would be just about where the wreck was! yes - it must be someoneon the wreck with a lantern!
"george! come up!" he said, putting his head inside the hole.
george came up, hand over hand, like a monkey, leaving timothy growling below. she sat by julianon the cliff-top. "see the wreck - look, over there!" said julian. "at least, you can't see the wreckitself, it's too dark - but you can see a lantern that someone has put there.""yes - that's someone on our wreck, with a lantern!" said george, feeling excited. "oh, i wonder ifit's the smugglers - coming to bring more things.""or somebody fetching that trunk," said julian. "well, we'll know tomorrow, for we'll go and see.
look! - whoever is there is moving off now - the light of the lantern is going lower - they must begetting into a boat by the side of the wreck. and now the light's gone out."66
the children strained their ears to hear if they could discover the splash of oars or the sound of voicesover the water. they both thought they could hear voices.
"the boat must have gone off to join a ship or something," said julian. "i believe i can see a faintlight right out there - out to sea, look! maybe the boat is going to it."there was nothing more to see or hear, and soon the two of them slid down the knotted rope back tothe cave. they didn't wake the others, who were still sleeping peacefully. timothy leapt up andlicked julian and george, whining joyfully. he did not growl any more.
"you're a good dog, aren't you?" said julian, patting him. "nothing ever escapes your sharp ears,does it?"
timothy settled down on george's feet again. it was plain that whatever it was that had disturbed himhad gone. it must have been the presence of the stranger or strangers on the old wreck. well, theywould go there in the morning and see if they could discover what had been taken away or broughtthere in the night.
anne and dick were most indignant the next morning when they heard julian's tale. "you might havewaked us!" said dick, crossly.
"we would have if there had been anything much to see," said george. "but there was only just thelight from a lantern, and nothing else except that we thought we heard the sound of voices."when the tide was low enough the children and timothy set off over the rocks to the wreck.
they clambered up and stood on the slanting, slippery deck. they looked towards the locker wherethe little trunk had stood. the door of the locker was shut this time.
julian slid down towards it and tried to pull it open. someone had stuffed a piece of wood in to keepthe locker from swinging open. julian pulled it out. then the door opened easily.
"anything else in there?" said george, stepping carefully over the slimy deck to julian.
"yes," said julian. "look! tins of food! and cups and plates and things - just as if someone wasgoing to come and live on the island too! isn't it funny? the trunk is still here too, locked as before.
and here are some candles - and a little lamp - and a bundle of rags. whatever are they here for?"it really was a puzzle. julian frowned for a few minutes, trying to think it out.
"it looks as if someone is going to come and stay on the island for a bit - probably to wait there andtake in whatever goods are going to be smuggled. well - we shall be on the look-out for them, day ornight!"
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they left the wreck, feeling excited. they had a fine hiding-place in their cave - no one couldpossibly find them there. and, from their hiding-place they could watch anyone coming to and fromthe wreck, and from the wreck to the island.
"what about our cove, where we put our boat?" said george, suddenly. "they might use that cove,you know - if they came in a boat. it's rather dangerous to reach the island from the wreck, if anyonetried to get to the rocky beach nearby."
"well - if anyone came to our cove, they'd see our boat," said dick, in alarm. "we'd better hide it,hadn't we?"
"how?" said anne, thinking that it would be a difficult thing to hide a boat as big as theirs.
"don't know," said julian. "we'll go and have a look."all four and timmy went off to the cove into which they had rowed their boat. the boat was pulledhigh up, out of reach of the waves. george explored the cove well, and then had an idea.
"do you think we could pull the boat round this big rock? it would just about hide it, though anyonegoing round the rock would see it at once."the others thought it would be worth while trying, anyway. so, with much panting and puffing, theyhauled the boat round the rock, which almost completely hid her.""good!" said george, going down into the cove to see if very much of the boat showed. "a bit of herdoes show still. let's drape it with seaweed!"so they draped the prow of the boat with all the seaweed they could find at hand, and after that,unless anyone went deliberately round the big rock, the boat really was not noticeable at all.
"good!" said julian, looking at his watch. "i say - it's long past tea-time - and, you know, while we'vebeen doing all this with the boat, we quite forgot to have someone on the look-out post on the cliff-top. what idiots we are!"
"well, i don't expect anything has happened since we've been away from the cave," said dick,putting a fine big bit of seaweed on the prow of the boat, as a last touch. "i bet the smugglers willonly come at night."
"i dare say you're right," said julian. "i think we'd better keep a look-out at night, too. the lookoutcould take rugs up to the cliff-top and curl up there.""timmy could be with whoever is keeping watch," said anne, "then if the look-out goes to sleep bymistake, timmy would growl and wake them up if he saw anything."68
"you mean, when you go to sleep," said dick, grinning. "come on - let's get back to the cave andhave some tea."
and then timothy suddenly began to growl again!
