chapter 11 on kirrin island again
george wanted to get her boat and go across to the island immediately. she was so furious at thethought of anyone else being there without permission that all she wanted to do was to chase themaway.
but julian said no. 'for one thing the boat won't be ready till two,' he said. 'for another thing we'vegot to consider whether it's a sensible thing to do, to go to the island if possible kidnappers are here,on the lookout for berta - lesley, i mean.'
'we could go without her,' said george. 'we could leave her safely with joan.'
'that would be a foolish thing to do,' said dick. 'anyone watching us coming across in the boatwould see that one of the five was missing, and would guess at once it was berta. if we go, all of usmust go.'
'actually i think it might be a good thing to go,' said julian. 'carry the war right into the enemy'scamp, so to speak - if there are enemies! it would be a most useful thing if we could see what they arelike and give a description to the police. i rather vote we go.'
'oh yes!' said dick. 'anyway, we'll have tim with us. he can deal with any bad behaviour on the partof the intruders!'
'i don't really think it's anybody but trippers,' said julian. 'i think we're making too much of the wholething just because someone gazed at the beach through glasses!'
'remember that i think i saw a light on the island last night,' anne reminded him.
'yes, i'd forgotten that,' said julian, looking at his watch. 'it's almost lunch-time. let's go and havesomething to eat, and then fetch the boat. james is working on it now. we'll give him a shout to see ifit will be ready at two.'
james was hailed, and he shouted back. 'yes, sir! be ready sharp at two o'clock, if you want her.
i've done one or two little jobs on her besides the rowlock.'
'that's good,' said dick, and they walked back to kirrin cottage. 'well - we'll soon find out who's onyour island, george - and if they are obstinate about leaving, we'll have a little fun with timmy! hecan round them up all right, can't you, tim!'
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'so could sally,' said berta. 'sally's teeth aren't very big, but they're sharp. she once went for a manwho accidentally pushed into me, and you should have seen the nips she gave him, all down his leg!'
'yes. sally would come in useful,' said dick. george looked rather scornful. 'that silly little poodle!'
she thought. 'a fat lot of good she would be! timmy's worth a hundred of her!'
joan had a fine lunch ready for them - ham and salad and new potatoes piled high in a big dish.
there were firm red tomatoes from the greenhouse, and lettuces with enormous yellow-green hearts,crisp radishes, and a whole cucumber ready for anyone to cut as they liked. slices of hard-boiled eggwere mixed in with the salad, and joan had put in tiny boiled carrots and peas as well.
'what a salad!' said dick. 'fit for a king!'
'and big enough for several kings!' said anne. 'how many potatoes, ju? small or large ones?'
julian looked at the piled-up dish. 'ha - i can really go for these potatoes!' he said. 'i'll have threelarge and four small.'
'what's for pudding?' asked berta. 'i like this kind of salad so much that i might not have room for astodgy sort of pudding.'
'it's fresh raspberries from the garden, sugar and home-made ice-cream,' said joan. 'i didn't thinkyou'd want a hot pudding. my sister came to see me this morning, so i got her to pick the raspberriesfor me.'
'i can't think of a nicer meal than this,' said berta, helping herself to the salad. 'i really can't. i likeyour meals better than the ones we have at home in america.'
'we'll turn you into a proper little english boy before you know where you are!' said dick.
they told joan about what they had seen that morning on the island. she took a grave view of it atonce.
'now you know what your aunt said, master julian,' she said. 'the police have got to have a report ofanything suspicious. you'd better ring them up.'
'i will when we've been over to the island and back,' said julian. 'i don't want to look an ass, joan. ifit's only harmless trippers who don't know any better there's no need to bother the police.
i promise to ring the police if we find anything suspicious.'
'i think you ought to ring them now,' said joan. 'and what's more i don't think you ought to go over tothe island if you're suspicious of the people there.'
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'we'll have timmy with us,' said dick. 'don't worry.'
'and sally too,' added berta at once.
joan said no more, but went out to get the raspberries and ice-cream, looking worried. she brought inan enormous glass dish of fresh red raspberries and another dish of creamy-looking ice-cream blocksfrom the refrigerator.
a sigh of admiration went up from everyone. 'who could want anything better?' said dick. 'and thatice-cream - how do you get it like that, joan - not too frozen and not too melty? just how i like it. i dohope some american doesn't get hold of you and whisk you away across the ocean -you're worth your weight in gold!'
joan laughed. 'you say such extravagant things, master dick - and all because of an ordinary dishlike raspberries and ice-cream. get along with you! master lesley will tell you there's nothing cleverabout raspberries and cream.'
'i agree with every word the others say,' said berta fervently. 'you're wunnerful, you're a honey,you're...'
but joan had run out of the room, laughing, very pleased. she didn't mind what she did for childrenlike these!
after they had finished lunch, they went down to the beach. james was still with the boat.
'she's finished!' he called. 'you going out in her now? i'll give you a hand down with her, then.'
soon all five children and the dogs as well were in george's boat. the boys took the oars and beganto pull hard towards the island. timmy stood at the prow as he loved to do, fore-paws on the edge ofthe boat, looking out across the water.
'he fancies himself as a figure-head,' said dick. 'ah, here comes sally - she wants to be one too.
mind you don't fall overboard, sally, and get your pretty feet wet. you'll have to learn to swim if youdo!'
sally stood close beside timmy, and both dogs looked eagerly towards the island - timmy becausehe knew there were hundreds of rabbits there, and sally because for her it was still quite an adventureto go out in a boat like this.
berta, too, gazed eagerly at the little island as they drew near. she had heard so many tales about itnow! she looked especially at the old castle rising up from it. it was in ruins, and berta thought itmust be very old indeed. like all americans, she loved old buildings and old customs. how luckygeorge was to own an island like this!
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rocks guarded the island, and the sea ran strongly over them, sending up spray and foam.
'however are we going to get safely to the shore of the island?' said berta, rather alarmed at the arrayof fierce-looking rocks that guarded it.
'there's a little cove we always use,' said george. she was at the tiller, and she steered the boatcleverly in and out of the rocks.
they rounded a low wall of very sharp rocks and berta suddenly saw the little cove.
'oh - is that the cove you mean?' she said. 'why, it's like a little harbour going right up to that stretchof sand!'
there was a smooth inlet of water running between rocks, making a natural little harbour, as bertasaid. the boat slid smoothly into the inlet and up to the beach of sand.
dick leapt out and pulled it up the shore. 'she's safe here,' he told berta. 'welcome to kirrin island!'
berta laughed. she felt very happy. what a truly wonderful place to come to!
george led the way up the sandy beach to the rocks behind, and they climbed over them. theystopped at the top, and berta exclaimed in amazement.
'rabbits! thousands of them! simply thousands. my, my, i never saw such tame ones in my life.
will they let me pick them up?'
'no,' said george. 'they're not as tame as that! they'll run away when we go near - but they willprobably not go into their holes. they know us - we've so often been here.'
sally the poodle was amazed at the rabbits. she couldn't believe her eyes. she stood close besideberta, staring at the scuttling rabbits, her nose twitching as she tried to get their smell. she simplycouldn't understand why timmy didn't run at them.
timmy stood quite still beside george, his tail down, looking very mournful. a visit to kirrin islandwas not such a pleasure to him as to the children, because he wasn't allowed to hunt the rabbits. whata waste of rabbits!
'poor old tim! look at him!' said julian. 'he looks the picture of misery. look at sally, too -she's longing to go after the rabbits, but she doesn't think it's good manners to chase them till timmydoes!'
good manners or not, little sally could bear it no longer! she suddenly made a dart at a rabbit whohad come temptingly near, and it leapt into the air in fright.
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'sally!' called george, in a most peremptory manner. 'no! you're not to chase my rabbits! tim -go and fetch her here!'
timmy went off to sally and gave a tiny little growl. sally looked at him in amazement. could herfriend timmy really be growling at her? timmy began to push himself against her and she foundherself shepherded over to george.
'good dog, timmy,' said george, pleased to have shown everyone how obedient he was. 'sally, youmustn't chase these rabbits, because they are too tame! they haven't learnt to run away properly yet,because not many people come here and frighten them.'
'whoever was here this morning scared them all right,' said julian, remembering. 'gosh, don't let'sforget there may be people here. well - i can't see anyone so far!'
they went cautiously forward, towards the old castle. timmy running ahead. then julian stoppedand pointed to the ground.
'cigarette ends - look! fresh ones, too. there are people here, that's certain. walk ahead of us, tim.'
but at that moment there came the sound that anne had heard the night before - the sound of amotor-boat's engine. r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!
'they're escaping!' cried dick. 'quick, run to the other side of the island! we may see them then!'
