A Strange Discovery
The next day the children went to make sure that their sail-signal was still safely tied to the signal-tree at the top of the cliff. It was. It flapped there steadily, a signal to any passing ship that there were people on the island who needed help.
"Suppose no help comes?" said Tom. "Shall we have to stay here all winter?"
"Yes—unless you like to try and swim dozens of miles back home!" said Andy.
The children looked at one another. Stay there for the winter! It was all very well having an adventure on. an island for three or four days—but to stay there all the winter, in the bitter cold and raging storms, was not a pleasant thought.
"Don't look so gloomy," said Andy. "We may be rescued any day. I can't think that no ship ever passes these islands. After all, there were people living here not so long ago—and they must have had supplies from time to time—so the ships must come by here some-times. And maybe there are people living on one of the other islands. I think perhaps at a very low tide we could cross to the next island by that line of rocks over there—and explore that. We may find dozens of people,??? all we know!"
Every one cheered up. Of course! There seemed to??? or six islands near to their own; people would surely be living on one or other of them, especially on the bigger ones. Their own island was so small that it was a wonder anyone had ever bothered to build a house there, and tried to get a living on the rocky soil.
They went to see if their boat was still held fast between the two rocks. Yes—there it was, all on one side, the tide washing right over its decks,
"Perhaps an extra strong tide might lift it off the rocks," said Andy. "If only it would—and we could mend it! I'd try to sail back home again."
"Well, there's nothing left in the boat that could be taken away now," said Tom. "I really think we've got everything movable—ropes, nets, even the oars!"
It was quite true. The boys had brought back with the oil everything in the locker. Ropes might never come in useful—but still, Andy thought they might as well take them. The children thoroughly explored the tittle island again, but found nothing interesting at all. They could see that the farm-people had used the level stretch of land on the more southerly side of the island for their fields. In one place, Jill found some runner beans growing over a tangle of brambles, and she called out in excitement:
"Beans! we'll eat them for dinner!"
The others came to look. "I expect these seeded themselves too," said Andy. "Maybe there was a bean-field just here. Well—we're not doing too badly, with potatoes and beans and fish!"
There was nothing to do that afternoon, except bathe and fish. The little shack was finished—there was nothing more to add to it. They could do nothing with their wrecked boat. It was of no use going for a ramble for the island was so small. So Tom suggested a bathe first, and fishing afterwards.
It was warm in the sunshiny sea. They swam through the big waves and splashed about lazily. Then they came out of the sea and lay in the sun to dry. After that, the boys sat on the rocks to fish and the girls went to hunt for prawns, shrimps, and shellfish.
The tide was very low that evening. The wind had completely dropped, and the sea was almost calm—as nearly calm as it ever could be on that rough, rocky coast. The children stood on a rocky ledge, looking to the north where the other islands lay, blue with a summery mist.
"They really look as if they are just floating on the water," said Jill dreamily. "They do look lovely. I wish we could visit them."
"Well, it would be quite easy if we chose low tide," said Andy, pointing to the line of rocks that were now uncovered, and which seemed to lead in a crooked line to the next island. "I'd like fine to go across those rocks to-morrow morning when the tide is low again. We could take food for the day—and see what war on the next island—and climb back across the rocks at low tide to-morrow night."
"Oh, do let's!" cried the twins, and Tom did a little war-dance on the rocky ledge in excitement. Who knew what they might find on the next island?
That night Jill cooked some potatoes in their skins, and let them go cold to take with them next day.
"We'll cook the sausages that are in the tin, let them go cold, and take those, too," said M. "We can catch some fish to-morrow night for our evening meal when we come home."
The next morning they ran to see if the tide had uncovered the rocks again. Yes—there they stretched grey and green, some quite bare, some covered with seaweed. Very deep rock-pools lay between. The sea itself lay pale blue and sparkling, beyond the line of rocks.
"Come on!" said Andy. "We'd better go now, before the tide turns."
They leapt down from the ledge and ran to the sandy shore. They jumped up on to the rocks, and then began to make their way carefully over them. Some were so slippery that once or twice the children nearly fell into the deep pools. These pools looked exciting. Quite big fish swam in them, and Andy said big edible crabs would be sure to be there.
"But we've no time for fishing about here," he said. "We shall be caught by the tide if we don't make haste."
Sure enough, the tide was on the turn—but before it could reach the jagged line of rocks over which the children were climbing, they had come to the end of them, and had waded through a pool to the sandy shore of the next island.
"Now we're on island number two!" said Tom, capering about. "Golly! I am hungry!"
So was every one. "Well, if we eat all our food now, we shall have to wait ages for our next meal, unless we can find something on this island," said Andy. But he was hungry, too—so they ate their cold sausages and potatoes, and sucked a toffee each.
Then they set off to explore the second island. They turned to climb the cliff s—and had a big surprise I
"Look! Caves!" said Tom, pointing to big black openings in the cliff. "Look at that! Caves of all lands and sizes and shapes! Let's have a look at them."
They made their way to the first cave—and just outside it Andy stopped and stared at something in the sand.
"What's up?" asked Tom.
"That!" said Andy, and he pointed to a cigarette-end that lay rolling a little in the breeze.
"A cigarette-end!" said Tom, looking all round, as if he were looking for the one who had smoked it. "Well! Somebody has been here all right—and not very long ago, either. But there's not a single house on this island, ruined or whole!"
"Perhaps the people live in these caves," said Jill, looking half-timidly at the first one.
"We'll go in and see," said Andy. He pulled a roll of oilskin from his pocket and out of it took a half-candle and a box of matches. Andy never ran any risk of his matches getting wet—and now the children were glad that he was so careful, for no one really wanted to go into the caves without a light of some sort.
Andy lighted the candle and thea, leading the way. he stepped into the first cave. The others followed him. The floor was thick with silvery sand, and the walls of the cave were high and smooth. It ran back a long way. and then narrowed into an archway. Through this the children went into another cave, the tiny light of the candle shining on rocky grey walls, and high, rough roof. The floor of the cave then began to go upwards, and became rocky instead of sandy. The cave narrowed into a passage, whose roof was at times so low that they bomped their heads against it.
And then they came to the Round Cave, which was the name they at once gave the last strange cave. It was almost perfectly round, and as the floor slanted down towards the middle, it felt like being inside a hollow ball!
But it wasn't the roundness of the cave that startled the four children—it was what it held!
Piled high, everywhere were boxes, sacks, and big tin chests with strange words on them! Some piles reached to the roof of the cave, others reached half-way.
"Golly! Look at that!" said Tom, in the greatest astonishment. "Whatever's in all those boxes and things—and why are they here?"
The little flame of the candle flickered on the strange array in the cave. Andy set the candle gently down on a flat piece of rock, and pulled the neck of a thick brown sack undone. It was lined with coarse blue paper inside. He undid that—and then gave a low cry of surprise.
"Sugar! Stranger and stranger! I was expecting treasure or something—and it's sugar! I wonder what's in the other sacks and boxes."
Some the children could not force open, but others were already opened, as if some one had taken from them some of the contents. The boxes were full of tins—there were tins of soup, meat, vegetables, fruit, sardines—everything one could think of. There was a chest of flour, a chest of tea, tins of salt, even tins of butter and lard, well-sealed and air-tight.
"Andy—I really don't understand this," said Jill in a puzzled voice. "How did all these come here? And who do you suppose they belong to? As far as we know there isn't a single person on the island."
"I don't know any more than you do, Jill," said Andy. "It's like a dream; but anyway we shan't need to starve whilst there's all this food stored here!"
"But may we take it, if it belongs to anyone else?" said Mary, frightened.
"We can pay the person it belongs to," said Andy. "My father and your mother will gladly pay, to keep us from starving, if we have to spend the winter here!"
"Well, come on then—let's take all we want," said Tom, feeling so hungry that he couldn't wait a minute longer. "we'll keep a careful account of everything we take, and pay the bill and a little more, when we find out who owns this very curious larder."
"You're right, Tom," said Andy, in a puzzled voice. "It is a very—curious-larder!"