13

what happened in the night?

the next morning everything seemed all right. the children had forgotten their fears of the nightbefore, and bill joked and laughed as merrily as the others.

but all the same he was worried – and when an aeroplane appeared and flew two or three timesover the islands, he made the children lie down flat, in the middle of the puffin colony, where theyhappened to be at that moment.

‘i don’t think our tents can be seen,’ he said. ‘i hope not, anyway.’

‘don’t want anyone to know we’re here, bill?’ asked jack.

‘no,’ said bill shortly. ‘not at present, anyway. if you hear a plane, bob down. and we won’tlight a fire to boil a kettle. we’ll have ginger-beer or lemonade instead.’

the day passed happily enough. it was very hot again and the children went to bathe half adozen times, lying in the sun to dry afterwards. kiki was jealous of huffin and puffin because theycould go into the water with the children. she stood on the sandy beach, her toes sinking in,shouting loudly.

‘polly’s got a cold, send for the doctor! a-tish-ooooo!’

‘isn’t she an idiot?’ said jack, and splashed her. she was most annoyed and walked a bit fartherback. ‘poor kiki! what a pity! poor pity, what a kiki!’

‘yes, what a kiki!’ shouted jack, and dived under the water to catch bill’s legs.

they took a good many photographs, and huffin and puffin posed beautifully, staring straight atthe camera in a most solemn manner.

‘i almost feel they’ll suddenly put their arms round one another,’ said jack, as he clicked thecamera. ‘thank you, huffin and puffin. very nice indeed! but i wish you’d smile next time. kiki,get out of the way – and leave that tent peg alone. you’ve already pulled up three.’

that night the sky was full of clouds and the sun could not be seen. ‘looks as if that stormmight be coming soon,’ said bill. ‘i wonder if our tents will be all right.’

‘well, there’s nowhere else to go,’ said jack. ‘sleepy hollow is about the most sheltered placeon this island. and, as far as i’ve seen, there are no caves or anything of that sort.’

‘perhaps the storm will blow over,’ said philip. ‘phew, it’s hot! i really think i must have onelast bathe.’

‘you’ve had eight already today,’ said dinah. ‘i counted.’

darkness came earlier that night, because of the clouds. the children got into their rugs,yawning.

‘i think,’ said bill, looking at the luminous face of his wrist-watch, ‘i think i’ll slip along to theboat and send a message or two on my transmitter. i might get some news too, for myself. you goto sleep. i shan’t be long.’

‘right,’ said the boys, sleepily. bill slipped out of the tent. the girls were already asleep anddid not hear him go. philip fell asleep almost before bill was out of the tent. jack lay awake a fewminutes longer, and pushed kiki off his middle for the fifth time.

she went and stood on philip’s middle, and waited for a lump to come near her feet, which sheknew would be one of the tame rats. when one did venture near, raising a little mound under therug, kiki gave a sharp jab at it. philip awoke with a yell.

‘you beast, kiki! jack, take her away! she’s given me an awful peck in my middle. if i couldsee her i’d smack her on the beak.’

kiki retired outside the tent till the boys were asleep again. she flew to the top of it, and perchedthere, wide awake.

meanwhile bill was in the cabin of the boat tuning in on the radio. but because of the comingstorm it was difficult to hear anything but atmospherics.

‘blow!’ said bill at last. ‘i shan’t get my messages through at this rate. i’ve a good mind to takethe boat to the little channel – what is it the children call it? – hidden harbour. maybe i could getthe radio going better there – it’s so sheltered.’

it was very important to bill to be able to use the radio that night. he set the engine of the boatgoing, and was soon on his way to hidden harbour. he nosed in carefully and moored the boat.

then he set to work on his radio again. after a while he thought he heard some noise out to sea– a noise getting nearer and nearer. bill turned off his radio and listened, but the wind was gettingup, and he heard nothing but that.

he tuned the knobs again, listening intently for any message. he had got one through, and nowhe had been told to stand by and wait for an important announcement from headquarters.

the radio fizzed and groaned and whistled. bill waited patiently. then, suddenly hearing asound, he looked up, startled, half expecting to see one of the boys coming down into the cabin.

but it wasn’t. it was a hard-faced man with a curious crooked nose who was staring down athim. as bill turned and showed his face, the man uttered a cry of the utmost astonishment.

‘you! what are you doing here? what do you know of . . .’

bill leapt up – but at the same moment the man lunged out at him with a thick, fat, knobblystick he held in his hand – and poor bill went down like a ninepin. he struck his head against theedge of the radio, and slid to the floor, his eyes closed.

the man with the crooked nose whistled loudly. another man came to the small cabin andlooked in.

‘see that?’ said the first man, pointing to bill. ‘bit of a surprise, eh, to find him up here? do yousuppose he guessed anything?’

‘must have, if he’s here,’ said the second man, who had a short thick beard hiding a very cruelmouth. ‘tie him up. he’ll be useful. we’ll make him talk.’

bill was tied up like a trussed chicken. he did not open his eyes. the men carried him out, andtook him into a small boat, moored beside the lucky star. it was a rowing-boat. into it went poorbill, and the men undid their rope, ready to row back to their own motor-boat, which lay, perfectlysilent, a little way beyond the island.

‘do you suppose there’s anyone else with him?’ asked the man with the crooked nose. ‘therewas no one on board but him.’

‘no. when his boat was sighted yesterday, we only saw one man aboard – and it was him allright,’ said the man with the beard. ‘if there’d been anyone else we’d have seen them. he’s allalone. ho! he didn’t know he was being watched all the way back here last night.’

‘i suppose there really isn’t anyone else here,’ said the first man, who seemed very reluctant togo. ‘hadn’t we better smash up the boat – just in case?’

‘all right – and the radio too,’ said the man with the beard. he found a hammer and soon therewere crashing sounds as the engine of the motor-boat was damaged and the beautiful little radiowas smashed to bits.

then the men set off in their rowing boat with the unconscious bill. they reached their motor-boat, and soon the purring of its engine getting fainter and fainter sounded in the night. butnobody on puffin island heard it except kiki and the sea-birds.

the children had no idea at all that bill had not returned that night. they slept peacefully, hourafter hour, dreaming of huffins and puffins, big waves and golden sands.

jack awoke first. kiki was nibbling at his ear. ‘blow you, kiki!’ said jack, pushing the parrotaway. ‘oh, goodness, here’s huffin and puffin too!’

so they were. they waddled over to philip and stood patiently by his sleeping face. ‘arrrrrr!’

said huffin lovingly.

philip awoke. he saw huffin and puffin and grinned. he sat up and yawned. ‘hallo, jack!’ hesaid. ‘bill up already?’

‘looks like it,’ said jack. ‘probably gone to bathe. he might have waked us up though! comeon. let’s wake the girls and go and bathe too.’

soon all four were speeding to the sea, expecting to see bill in the water. but he wasn’t.

‘where is he, then?’ said lucy-ann, puzzled. ‘and good gracious – where’s the boat?’

yes – where was the boat? there was no sign of it, of course. the children stared at the cove,puzzled and dismayed.

‘he must have taken it round to hidden harbour,’ said jack. ‘perhaps the radio wouldn’t workor something. it still feels stormy, and that might have upset it.’

‘well, let’s go to hidden harbour then,’ said philip. ‘perhaps bill got sleepy down there in theboat and thought he’d snuggle up in the cabin.’

‘he’s probably there,’ said dinah. ‘fast asleep too! let’s go and give him a shock. we’ll halloodown into the cabin and make him jump. the sleepy-head!’

‘oh, i do hope he’s there,’ said lucy-ann, shivering as much with worry as with cold.

they dressed quickly, shivering a little, for the sun was hidden behind angry-looking clouds. ‘ido hope the weather isn’t going to break up, just as we’ve begun such a lovely holiday,’ saiddinah. ‘oh, huffin, i’m sorry – but you got right under my feet. did i knock you over?’

the puffin didn’t seem to mind having dinah tread on it. it shook out its wings, said, ‘arrrrr!’

and hurried on after puffin, who was trying to keep pace with philip.

they went across the puffin colony, and came to the cleft in the cliffs. there, below them, laythe motor-boat, swaying very gently as waves ran up under her, and then ran back again.

‘there she is!’ said dinah in delight, ‘bill did take her round to the harbour!’

‘he’s not on deck,’ said jack. ‘he must be in the cabin. come on.’

‘let’s call him,’ said lucy-ann suddenly. ‘do let’s. i want to know if he’s there.’

and before the others could stop her she shouted at the top of her voice, ‘bill! oh, bill,are you there?’

no bill came out from the cabin, and for the first time a little uneasiness crept into thechildren’s minds.

‘bill!’ yelled jack, making everyone jump violently. ‘bill! come on out!’

no sound from the boat. suddenly panic stricken, all four children stumbled down the rockyledge to the boat. they jumped on board and peered down into the little cabin.

‘he’s not there,’ said dinah, scared. ‘well, where is he, then?’

‘he must be somewhere about, as the boat is still here,’ said jack sensibly. ‘he’ll come alongsoon. maybe he’s exploring somewhere on the island.’

they were just turning away when philip caught sight of something. he stopped and clutchedjack, turning very pale.

‘what?’ said jack, frightened. ‘what’s up?’

silently philip pointed to the radio. ‘smashed!’ he said, in a whisper. ‘smashed to bits! who didit?’

lucy-ann began to cry. jack went up on deck and had a look round, feeling sick and upset.

then philip gave an anguished howl from the cabin that sent the others running to his side.

‘look! the engine of the boat is smashed up too! absolutely destroyed. my goodness – what’sbeen happening here?’

‘and where is bill?’ said dinah, in a husky whisper.

‘gone. kidnapped,’ said philip slowly. ‘someone came for him in the night. they don’t knowwe’re here, i suppose – they just thought bill was alone. they’ve got him – and now we’reprisoners on puffin island and we can’t get away!’