27

escape

‘sh!’ said jack fiercely, and pointed over his shoulder towards the guard. but it was too late. theman awoke with a jump, as the shouting penetrated into his dreams. he sat up blinking, and then,seeing the brilliant light streaming up from the open hatch, he leapt to his feet.

bill had the sense to switch off the light. now all was darkness. bill began to climb up thehatchway, and the guard began to shout.

‘what’s all this? hi, what are you doing? who’s there?’

philip sprang at him and tried to push him overboard, but the man was strong and began tostruggle. in the end it was poor philip who was thrown overboard, with a most terrific splash. thenbill came up and, guided by the sound of the panting of the guard, hit out with his right fist. thesurprised guard felt the sudden blow and reeled over. bill put out a foot, hoping to trip him, anddown he went to the deck. in a trice bill was on top of him, and jack came to help. ‘who was thatgoing overboard?’ panted bill.

‘philip,’ answered jack, sitting firmly on the guard’s legs. ‘he’s all right. he can swim to theother boat.’

‘get the guard down into the cabin,’ ordered bill. ‘where’s the other fellow – tipperlong? theidiot spoilt the whole show.’

horace was standing well out of the way, wondering what was happening. he could hear pantsand groans and strugglings, and he was scared. then there came another yell from the guard, anddown the man went into the cabin, slithering sideways down the steps.

bang! the hatch shut down on him and bill slid the bolt across.

‘he’s safe for the moment,’ said bill grimly. ‘now let’s get the boat going, quick! we’ll be offbefore the enemy know what we’re up to!’

‘that’s what i planned we’d do!’ panted jack, thrilled that his wildest hopes seemed to becoming true. ‘how do we start up the engine? blow this darkness! i haven’t a torch on me.’

the guard below was kicking up a terrific row. he was yelling and banging for all he wasworth. bill made his way in the darkness to the wheel of the boat.

and then things began to happen. lights sprang up on shore, and voices began to shout. therecame the sound of running feet.

‘we shan’t have time to get her free from her moorings and start her up before they’re on us,’

groaned bill. ‘did you say you’ve got another boat here, jack? where is it? and what aboutphilip? quick, answer me!’

‘yes – there’s a boat off the end of the jetty there – with the girls in it – and philip will probablybe there by now, too,’ said jack, his words falling over one another in his excitement. ‘we’d betterswim for it!’

‘overboard then!’ said bill. ‘tipperlong, where are you? you’d better come too.’

‘i c-c-c-can’t swim,’ stammered poor horace.

‘well, jump overboard and i’ll help you,’ commanded bill. but the thought of leaping into thedark cold water in the middle of the night, with enemies all round, was too much for horace. hecrawled into a corner and refused to move.

‘well, stay where you are, then,’ said bill scornfully. ‘i’ll have to go with these kids – can’t letthem down now!’

overboard went bill and jack. horace heard the splashes and shivered. nothing would haveinduced him to do the same. he trembled in his corner, waiting for the enemy to come poundingdown the jetty.

and come they did, with torches flashing, and voices that urgently demanded from the guardwhat all the noise was about. they swarmed on board the motor-boat, and found horace at once,shivering in the corner. they dragged him out.

the guard was still hammering down in the cabin, getting hoarse with fury. the enemy, notreally certain of what had happened, flung questions at poor horace.

bill and jack, swimming swiftly through the dark water, heard the excited voices, and prayedthat horace would not give them away. the guard would soon tell them all they wanted to know,but perhaps the few minutes’ start they had would be all they needed.

philip was already on board the boat, reassuring the two frightened girls. when he heard thesplash of bill and jack jumping overboard from the other boat, he strained his eyes to watch forthem. as he caught the sound of their swift armstrokes through the water, he cautiously held historch down over the sea, and flicked it on once or twice, to mark their way for them.

they saw the slight flashes of light and thankfully swam towards them. jack had been afraid ofmissing the boat altogether in his excitement. soon they were clambering up, and lucy-ann anddinah caught hold of bill’s wet, hairy arms, so strong and firm and comforting.

‘come on – we must get going,’ said bill, giving each girl a quick pat. ‘my, what a row there ison that boat! they’ve let the guard out now. come on, before they know where we are.’

‘the engine will tell them, when we start it up,’ said jack. ‘we’ve got oars. shall we row?’

‘no,’ said bill. ‘we must get away as quickly as possible. they’ll chase us, and we must get agood start. you girls lie flat on your tummies, and you boys lie on top of them. there’ll be bulletsflying after me in a tick!’

bill started up the engine. lucy-ann and dinah lay down flat. the boys lay on top of them,almost squeezing the breath out of the girls. it was most uncomfortable.

oddly enough not one of the children felt frightened. they all felt a terrific excitement, andlucy-ann had a mad feeling that she would like to yell and dance about. it was hard to have tokeep flat on the deck, with jack squashing her breath out of her.

as soon as the engine of the motor-boat started up, there came an astonished silence on boardthe other boat. plainly the guard had not gathered that there was a second boat not far off, and hadnot told his friends about it. the enemy had thought that bill and his rescuers were swimmingsomewhere about, and they were still quite in the dark about what had happened.

but when the engine of bill’s (or rather horace’s) boat purred out in the night, the enemy knewthat they must stop it somehow. that boat could not be allowed to get away!

crack! somebody’s revolver went off, and a bullet sped over the sea, towards the boat.

crack! crack! crack! bill crouched as low as he could by the wheel, as he heard a bullet whizzmuch too near the boat for his liking.

‘keep down, you kids!’ he ordered anxiously. ‘we’ll soon be out of reach.’

crack! another bullet went pinging by, and struck the water beyond the boat. bill said severalthings under his breath, and wished the motor-boat would go a little faster.

r-r-r-r-r-r-r went the engine steadily, and the boat swung over the waves out to sea.

crack! crack!

there came a sudden squeal from kiki, who was sitting on top of jack, puzzled by all the noiseand excitement. then she screeched wildly.

‘oh! kiki’s hit!’ shouted jack, and sat up in anxiety, feeling for his beloved parrot.

kiki didn’t say a single word, but continued to screech as if she was in the most terrible pain.

jack was beside himself with grief.

‘keep down, you idiot!’ roared bill, sensing that jack was not lying flat. ‘do you hear what isay?’

‘but kiki,’ began jack, only to be drowned by an even more furious roar from bill.

‘kiki’s all right! she couldn’t screech like that if she was really hurt. lie down flat, and do asyou’re told!’

jack obeyed orders. he lay down again, and listened with anxiety to kiki’s screeching. theothers, quite certain that the bird was wounded, were very anxious too.

lucy-ann wondered what had happened to huffin and puffin. she had not heard them sayarrrrr for a long time. perhaps they were shot too! oh dear, when would they be out of reach ofthe enemy, and safe?

the shooting stopped – but another noise came, sounding faintly over the chugging of their ownboat. bill’s sharp ears heard it.

‘they’re after us!’ he called. ‘they’ve started up their own boat. thank goodness it’s a darknight. we must just go on and on till our petrol gives out, and hope for the best.’

the motor-boat chasing them switched on a powerful searchlight. it swept the sea all round.

‘we’re just out of reach,’ said bill thankfully. ‘this little boat can certainly get a move on. kiki,shut up screeching! you’re not hurt!’

‘bill, we might have enough petrol to get to the island we came from, over to the east there,’

said jack suddenly. ‘the men would probably think we’d try and make for safety miles away, andif we do, we shall certainly be overtaken. their boat is more powerful than ours, and as soon as weget within the range of their searchlight, we’ll be seen. let’s swing off to the left.’

‘what island did you come from?’ demanded bill. ‘and what’s been happening to you all sincei was fool enough to let myself get captured? i’ve been worrying my head off about you!’

‘we were worried about you, too,’ said jack. ‘swing her to port, bill – we’ll make for thelagoon-island, and hope that the men won’t guess we’re there.’

the boat set course for the other island, across the dark, heaving sea. far behind them thesearchlight was still sweeping the waters, but it was plain that the enemy’s motor-boat was nowgoing off in the other direction. another few minutes and they would be out of sight and hearing.

‘arrrrrrr!’ said a guttural voice from just beyond bill. he jumped. then he laughed.

‘my goodness – have you still got huffin and puffin? now don’t start screeching again, kiki.

i’m absolutely certain you’re not hurt.’

‘can i sit up now and just feel if kiki is hurt?’ begged jack anxiously. ‘they’re not doing anymore shooting.’

but before bill could answer, the engine of the motor-boat gave a series of coughs and wheezes,and then, with a curious sound like a tired sigh, stopped altogether.

‘petrol’s run out,’ said bill bitterly. ‘it would, of course! now we’ll have to row, and it won’t belong before the enemy catch us up!’