The End of the Adventures
THE seaplane flew over the water, and at last came to the shores of the little fishing-village where Andy lived, and the other three children had been staying. It glided down to the water, and rested there, its great wings spread out beside it.
The little beach was soon crowded with people-fishermen and their wives, children, visitors—all shouting and cheering. The news had gone round that the fout missing children had been found!
A boat set off to fetch the children from the plane. It was rowed by Andy's father! How Andy shouted to see him!
"Dad! We're back again!"
The bearded man in the boat smiled and waved. He had been terribly worried about Andy and the children—but now his heart was glad. They were safe!
The children tumbled into the boat, all talking at once. Andy's father patted his boy on the shoulder and smiled at him out of eyes as blue as Andy's. Neither of them said very much, but their hands pressed one another joyfully. Tom's father came with them. He had two days' leave and was going to spend it with his wife and children.
The people on the beach cheered and shouted. The little boat grounded and was pulled up the shore by willing hands. Every one wanted to shake hands and say how glad they were to see the children back. And then the children saw their mother! They rushed to her and hugged her like bears, shouting and laughing.
"Now, now, give me a look in," said their father, smiling, and the whole family went up the beach together. Andy went off with his father. He had no mother, so he thought twice as much of his father.
What a talking and chattering there was that evening! The children's mother made them all strip off their dirty clothes and have a good bath before they did anything.
"I don't know you when you look so dreadfully dirty!" she said. "Put on clean clothes, for goodness' sake!"
Soon they were all clean and dressed in other clothes. It felt nice to be tidy and fresh again. They hung round their mother and tried to tell her all their adventures at once.
"Andy was marvellous," said Tom. "We could never have done what we did if it hadn't been for him. The girls were pretty brave too—I was proud of them."
"And old Tom didn't do so badly—except that he left his precious camera behind and got us all into a fix!" said Jill. "He was as brave as could be."
"Well, I'm proud of you all," said their mother, hugging them. "But oh, I was so awfully worried when you didn't come back. J sent a message to your father and he came in his seaplane and hunted for you for days. He wouldn't give up hunting—and it's a good thing he didn't, for he found you just in time I You and Andy would never, never have got home on that little raft, you know, Tom."
"Wouldn't we?" said Tom, surprised. "I thought we really might."
"I don't think Andy thought there was much hope," said the children's father, "but he knew it was your only chance—and he knew, besides, that it was his duty to tell someone the great secret you had discovered. It means a lot to our country to know the secret of those desolate little islands."
There was a dull booming sound as the children's father finished speaking. Tom looked at his father.
"Is that guns?" he asked.
"Yes. It will be the end of those hateful submarines," said his father gravely. "There will be no more of our ships sunk without warning by that nest of submarines I And I rather think that our aeroplanes will drive off any seaplanes round about those islands—those that are not destroyed will fly to their own country in fear! They are no match for our pilots!"
The children were silent as they listened to the guns booming far away again. They were all imagining the islands echoing to-the terrific sound of gun-fire. Mary began to cry.
Her father put his arm round her. "Yes, Mary," he said, "it is something to cry about, to think that we have to fight so much evil and wickedness. It is right against wrong and we have to be strong and courageous when we fight such a powerful and evil enemy as ours. But dry your eyes—you are on the right side and that is something to be proud of!"
Andy came tearing up to the cottage. "I say!" he yelled. "Do you hear the guns? I guess they are waking up the islands! What a shock for the enemy!"
"Andy, was your father angry about his fishing-boat being lost?" asked Tom, who knew how much Andy was dreading what his father might say about that.
"He hasn't said a word about it," said Andy. "Not a word. He's been fine about it. We're going to fish with my uncle, now that we've lost our own boat. Maybe one day we'll save enough money to get a boat again."
"I wouldn't worry about that, if I were you," said Tom's father unexpectedly. "I rather think there is a surprise coming for you to-morrow!"
"Oh, what?" cried all the children, and Andy stared at Tom's father in surprise.
"Wait and see," was the answer. So they had to wait—and the next day the surprise ai rived!
Andy saw it first. He was on the beach, mending" nets, and the other children were helping him. Andy happened to look up—and he saw a fishing-boat rounding the corner of the cliff.
"Hallo!" said Andy. "Whose boat is that? I haven't seen it before! My word, what a smart one! Look at its red sail!"
The children stood up and watched the little fishing-boat drawing in to shore. It was a real beauty, fresh with new paint, and with its red sail billowing out in the breeze.
It came in to the beach and a man jumped out. He saw the children and hailed them. "Hie, give a hand here!"
They ran to help. "Whose boat is ibis?" asked Tom.
"I've got to find the owner," said the man. "It's for the boy whose name has been given to the boat."
The children looked at the name on the boat. There, painted boldly, was Andy's own name—ANDY!
"Andy! The boat is called Andy!" squealed Jill. "Oh, Andy, does that mean it's for you?"
Andy stared at the boatman in astonishment and joy. "It can't be for me!" he said.
"Well, if you're Andy, it's yours," said the boatman. "I understand that it's a little reward from the Government of our country for good services; wasn't it you who discovered the secret of those islands, and lost your own boat in doing so?"
"Golly!" said Andy, and could say no more. He stood and stared at the lovely boat in delight and pride. It was the finest in the bay. It was beautiful all over. Never, never could Andy ever have saved enough money to buy a boat like this!
The other three children were full of joy. They had been so sorry for Andy when his boat had been lost, for they knew that he and his father got their living from fishing. And now Andy had a much better boat—they couldn't keep back their joy. They danced and shouted and clapped Andy on the back till the boy almost fell over.
"You must share the boat with me," said Andy, suddenly finding his tongue again. "It shall belong to all of us!"
"Well, we have to go back to school again soon," said Tom, rather sadly. "But we're to come here for holidays always, Andy—so we can share it then. Can't we go out in it now?"
Many people had come down to the beach to look at the fine new fishing-boat. Andy's father and uncle came running down—and when they heard the news they could not believe their ears!
"It's called Andy," said Tom proudly. "Isn't it a fine boat? It's because Andy was so brave and helped his country such a lot. And he's going to share k with us when we come here for our holidays."
Andy's father got into the boat and looked at it carefully. His blue eyes gleamed with joy. "Ah, Andy lad," he said, "this is a boat fit for the King himself, if he wanted to go fishing! We'll go out on the tide this evening, and do a wee bit of fishing together! And you must write to the King and his Government to thank them for their bonny present! It's most generous of them!"
Andy was not a good writer, so Tom wrote the letter for him and posted it. And then Andy, his father, and the three children all got into the fishing-boat that evening to go the first trip together.
The red sail billowed out against the sky, as the evening breeze filled it. Like a sea-bird the little boat bobbed gracefully on the water—and then raced away on the tide. The Andy was away on her first trip!
"Now don't get lost on any more adventures!" shouted the children's father, who had come down to the beach to watch. "Just go fishing now—and bring me back something for breakfast! I don't want submarines and seaplanes this time!"
Every one laughed. The sail flapped happily, and the boat sped on like a live thing towards the fishing-grounds.
"She feels a good boat, bonny and brave!" said Andy's father.
"The Andy is like her master then!" cried Tom. "For he's just the same. Good luck to the Andy, so bonny and brave—and good luck to you too, Andy!"
And there we will leave them all, scudding along in the Andy—and we'll say the same—good luck to you, Andy, and your red-sailed boat! Good luck!