7

on the sea at last

the journey was half over before the children awoke again. bill banged on the walls, and theywoke with a jump. they dressed and walked staggeringly along to the restaurant car, feeling veryhungry. lucy-ann didn’t much like walking across the bits that joined two carriages together. sheclutched bill’s hand then.

‘i’m always afraid the train might come in two, just when i’m walking through the bit wheretwo carriages are joined,’ she explained. bill quite understood, though the others were veryscornful of lucy-ann’s extraordinary idea.

kiki behaved very badly at breakfast, throwing the toast about, and squawking because she wasnot allowed any of the rather small helping of marmalade. she made rude noises at the sunflowerseeds jack offered her. the other passengers were amused at her and laughed – but that only madekiki show off all the more.

‘stop it, kiki,’ said bill, exasperated, and tapped her smartly on the beak. kiki screeched andmade a pounce at his beard. a vicious tug and some of it came away. kiki hadn’t been able tounderstand why bill had arrived with a strange mass of hair under his chin, and round his cheeks.

now, having got some of it, she retired under the table and began to peck it gently, separating thehairs one by one and murmuring to herself all the time.

‘let her be,’ said bill. ‘she’ll be happy pulling that bit of my beard to pieces.’ he rubbed hischin. ‘that hurt. i hope i don’t look too peculiar now?’

‘oh no – it doesn’t really show much,’ jack assured him. ‘kiki always gets excited on a journeylike this. she’s awful when i bring her back from school – whistles like the guard, and tells all thepeople in the carriage to blow their noses and wipe their feet, and screeches in the tunnels tillwe’re almost deafened.’

‘but she’s a darling really,’ said lucy-ann loyally, and didn’t say a word about kiki undoingher shoe-laces and pulling them out of her shoes at that very moment!

the journey was a long one. there was a change to be made at a very big and noisy station. thenext train was not quite so long as the first one and did not go so fast. it took them to a place onthe coast, and the children were delighted to see the blue sea shining like a thin bright line in thedistance. hurrah! they all loved the sea.

‘now i feel that our holiday has really begun,’ said lucy-ann. ‘now that we’ve seen the sea, imean. it gives me a proper holiday feeling.’

everyone felt the same, even kiki, who leapt about like a warrior doing a war-dance on theluggage-rack above the children’s heads. she flew down to jack’s shoulder when they got out ofthe train at a big seaside town.

the strong breeze blew in their faces, and the girls’ hair streamed back. bill’s beard blew backtoo, and kiki was careful to stand with her beak to the wind. she hated her feathers being ruffledthe wrong way.

they had a very good meal in a hotel, and then bill went down to the harbour to see if hismotor-boat was there. it had just come in. the man who brought it knew bill very well, and hadbeen told in what disguise he was to be seen.

‘morning, dr walker, sir,’ he said in loud tones. ‘fine weather for your expedition.

everything’s ready, sir.’

‘plenty of provisions, henty?’ asked dr walker, blinking though his thick glasses.

‘enough to stand a siege, sir,’ said henty. ‘i’m to pilot you out, sir – i’ve got a boat behind.’

everyone went on board. it was a fine motor-boat, with a little cabin in front. jack’s eyesgleamed when he saw the stock of food – tins, tins, tins! the little refrigerator was full of stuff too.

good! there would be plenty to eat anyway, and that, in jack’s opinion, was one of the mainthings to be planned for, on a holiday. people always got so terribly hungry when they wereholidaying. henty piloted them out of the harbour, his tiny boat bobbing about. when they werebeyond the harbour henty saluted and got into his boat.

‘well – good luck, sir,’ he said. ‘the wireless is ok, sir – we’ll be expecting a messageregularly, to know you’re all right. there are extra batteries, and a repair set as well. good luck,sir. i’ll be here in two weeks’ time to pick up the kids.’

he rowed off, his oars making a soft plash-plash-plash in the water. he soon looked very smallindeed, as bill’s motor-boat sped away.

‘well – we’re off!’ said bill, with great satisfaction. ‘and my beard can come off too – and myglasses, thank goodness. and my coat. here, philip, you know how to steer a motor-boat, don’tyou? take the wheel whilst i make myself presentable again. no one is likely to see me now.

keep her going north-north-west.’

proudly philip took the wheel. the engine of the boat purred smoothly, and they sped fast overthe blue water. it was a wonderful day, almost as hot as summer. the may sun shone down out ofa sky flecked with tiny curly clouds, and little points of light danced on the waves.

‘gorgeous!’ said jack, sitting down with a grunt of joy near philip. ‘simply absolutely perfectlygorgeous.’

‘i’ve got such a lovely feeling,’ said lucy-ann, looking the picture of happiness. ‘you know –that feeling you get at the very beginning of a lovely holiday – when all the days spread out beforeyou, sunny and lazy and sort of enchanted.’

‘you’ll end up by being a poet if you don’t look out,’ said philip, from the wheel.

‘well, if a poet feels like i feel just exactly at this moment, i wouldn’t mind being one for therest of my life, even if it meant having to write poetry,’ said lucy-ann.

‘three blind mice, see how they run,’ remarked kiki, and for one moment everyone thoughtthat kiki was joining in the talk about poetry, and giving what she thought was an example. butshe was merely referring to the three tame rats that had suddenly appeared on philip’s shoulders.

they stood there daintily, their pink noses raised, sniffing the salt sea air.

‘oh, blow you, philip!’ said dinah, from her seat near jack. ‘i was hoping against hope youhadn’t brought those detestable little creatures. i only hope the gulls eat them.’

but even dinah couldn’t feel annoyed for long as they glided over the green waves, leaving awhite wake behind them, like a long feathery tail. when bill appeared from the little cabin, theyall hailed him in delight.

‘bill! dear old bill, you look like yourself again!’

‘oh, bill – never wear a beard again. it does spoil your beauty.’

‘hurrah! we’ve lost dr walker for ever. silly fellow, i never liked him.’

‘bill, you look nice again. i can see your mouth when you smile.’

‘pay the bill, pay the bill!’

‘shut up, kiki, or the gulls will get you!’

‘ah, this is something like,’ said bill happily, taking the wheel from philip. ‘golly, if we getthis weather we’ll all be quite sun-burnt in a day or two. better keep your shirts on, boys, or you’llget blistered.’

everyone had discarded coats and wraps at once. the breeze was cool, but the sun was reallyhot. the sea, in the distance, was unbelievably blue, the colour of cornflowers, lucy-ann thought.

‘now, my friends,’ said bill, his white shirt billowing in the breeze, ‘this is a holiday, not ahair-raising adventure. you’ve had enough of adventures. we’ve had three together, and this timei want a holiday.’

‘right,’ said jack. ‘a holiday it shall be. adventures keep out!’

‘i don’t want any adventures either,’ said lucy-ann. ‘i’ve had plenty. this is adventure enoughfor me. i like this kind best – not the kind where we have to hide, and creep through secret tunnelsand live in caves. i just want a sunny, lazy, windy time with the people i like best. it would be niceif aunt allie was here too – but perhaps she wouldn’t enjoy it very much.’

‘i hope she’s feeling better,’ said dinah. ‘i say, where’s the land? i can’t see a bit – not even anisland!’

‘you’ll see plenty tomorrow,’ said bill. ‘you can choose one for your own.’

that was a wonderful afternoon and evening. they had a fine tea on board, prepared by the twogirls, who found new bread, strawberry jam and a big chocolate cake in the cabin larder.

‘make the most of this,’ said bill. ‘you won’t get new bread often now. i doubt if we shall findany farmhouses at all, among the lonely islands we shall visit. but i’ve brought tins and tins ofbiscuits of all kinds. and as for this chocolate cake, eat it up and enjoy it – i don’t think you’ll getany more for two weeks.’

‘i don’t care,’ said dinah, munching away. ‘when i’m hungry i simply don’t mind what i eat –and i can see i’m always going to be hungry on this holiday.’

the sun went down in a great golden blaze, and the tiny curly clouds turned a brilliant pink.

still the motor-boat went on and on and on, over a sea that blazed pink and gold too.

‘the sun has drowned itself in the sea,’ said lucy-ann at last, as it disappeared. ‘i watched thevery very last little bit go down into the water.’

‘where are we going to sleep tonight?’ asked jack. ‘not that i mind – but it would be fun toknow.’

‘there are two tents somewhere in the bow,’ said bill. ‘i thought, when we came to an islandwe liked the look of, we’d land, put up the tents and sleep there for the night. what do you say?’

‘oh yes,’ said everyone. ‘let’s look for an island – a really nice wild one!’

but at the moment there was no land in sight, not even a small rocky island. bill gave the wheelto jack, and looked at the chart. he pointed with his finger. ‘we’ve been running in this direction.

we should come on these two islands presently. one has a few people on it, and, i believe, a tinyjetty. we’d better go there tonight, and then set off to the unknown tomorrow. it’s getting too lateto go hunting for islands further away. it would be dark before we got there.’

‘it’s still very light,’ said philip, looking at his watch. ‘at home it would be getting dark.’

‘the further north you go, the longer the evening light is,’ said bill. ‘don’t ask me why at themoment. i don’t feel capable of a lecture just now.’

‘you don’t need to tell us,’ said philip loftily. ‘we learnt all about it last term. you see, owingto the sun being . . .’

‘spare me, spare me,’ begged bill, taking the wheel again. ‘look, one of your inquisitive littlerats is sniffing at kiki’s tail. there will be murder done in a moment if you don’t remove him.’

but kiki knew better than to hurt any of philip’s pets. she contented herself with cracking herbeak so loudly in squeaker’s ear that he ran back to philip in alarm, scampering up his bare legsand into his shorts in a trice.

gradually the sea lost its blue, and became greygreen. the breeze felt cold and everyone put onjerseys. then far away in the distance a dark hump loomed up – land!

‘that’s it, that’s one of the islands we want for tonight,’ said bill, pleased. ‘i consider i’ve donepretty well to head so straight for it. we’ll soon be there.’

it certainly was not long before they were nosing alongside a simple stone jetty. a fishermanwas there, in a long blue jersey. he was astonished to see them.

bill explained in a few words. ‘och, so it’s bairds ye’re after,’ said the fisherman. ‘weel, there’splenty for you out yon,’ and he nodded towards the sea. ‘where will you be sleeping the night?

my bit cottage won’t tak’ sae mony.’

lucy-ann couldn’t understand him, but the others gathered what he meant. ‘bring the tents,’

ordered bill. ‘we’ll soon have them up. we’ll ask the fisherman’s wife to give us a meal. it willsave our own provisions. maybe we can get some cream too, and good butter.’

by the time that darkness came at last they had all had a good meal, and were bedded down inthe two tents, comfortable on ground-sheets and rugs. the fresh air had made them so sleepy thatthe girls fell asleep without even saying goodnight.

‘they’re a’ daft,’ said the fisherman to his wife. ‘wasting a fine boat like yon, looking forbairds. bairds! when there’s good fish to be got! well, they’ll soon see bairds in plenty. och,they’re a’ dafties!’