The Adventurous Four Part 9

"I'll take the gramophone too! And the one record!"

The girls stared at him. "The gramophone!" said Jill at last. "Whatever for? Are you mad!"

"It does sound rather mad, I know," said Andy. "But I want it for something. I'll tell you afterwards. It won't sound quite so mad then!"

Andy had a very good meal, for he was awfully hungry. Then he settled down to sleep, for, as he said, he would not have much of a night that night!

The next night, after midnight, the boy went over the rocks again, carrying the pieces of rough wood with nails in, and the gramophone slung carefully over his shoulder. He reached the sh.o.r.e safely and made his way cautiously up the cliff.

And very soon Tom, half asleep, heard the queer hollow voice rumbling round his cave once more. "Tom! Are you asteep?"

Tom climbed on the chest and put his head to the hole. "Hallo, Andy!" he said. "I'm not asleep. I've been waiting and waiting for you!"

"There's a bit of wood with nails in coming down the hole," said Andy. "Sc.r.a.pe at your end with it and try your best to make the hole larger. I've got one too. I'll sc.r.a.pe my end. Look out that you don't get your eyes full of bits falling down."

The two boys set to work. Both of them sc.r.a.ped and dug for all they were worth. The soil was very dry and sandy, and was easy to move. Heaps of it fell down to Tom's end and he had to dodge it every now and again.

At last Andy's hole was quite big enough to get into. He called softly to Tom. "How are you getting on? My end is big enough for you to get out. IVe got a rope I can let down to you if you are ready."

"I'm nearly ready," answered Tom, sc.r.a.ping hard. "Just a minute or two more!"

And then, at last, his end was large enough to climb into! The boy put another chest on the top of the one he was standing on and knelt upon it. His head and shoulders were right in the hole-he stood up and almost disappeared in the long narrow funnel.

"Wait a minute, Tom," said Andy. "I've got something I want to let down on the rope. It's the gramophone."

"The what?" asked Tom, in astonishment, thinking he couldn't have heard aright.

"The gramophone," said Andy. "I'm afraid, Tom, you may make rather a noise climbing down the cliff, and the sentry might think you had escaped-but if I set the gramophone going, singing that silly lullaby you sang yesterday, he will think it's you still in the cave-and he won't come and see what the matter is. So I'm going to let it down, and you must set it right, and tie a bit of string to it so that I can pull the switch and set the record going when I think it's best to."

"Golly!" said Tom. "You think of everything!" The gramophone came b.u.mping down the hole, on the end of the rope. Tom put it carefully behind a big chest and set the needle ready on the outside edge of the record. He tied a long piece of string to the starting-switch, and then tied the other end to the rope that Andy had let down with the gramophone.

"Pull it up, Andy," he said. "But carefully, please, because the string's on the rope and we don't want to break the needle by jerking the string too hard!"

Andy drew up the rope, untied the string on the end of it, and tied it to a heavy stone for safety. Then he called to Tom, "That's done. Come along up now, Tom. Don't brush against the gramophone string more than you can help. Here's the rope. Tie it round your Waist and I'll help you up the hole by pulling-and I say, don't forget your camera!"

Tom stood up on the highest chest and began to scramble up the hole. There were plenty of rough ledges each side where he could put his feet. Andy hauled strongly on the rope, and Tom's head suddenly appeared through the hole by Andy's feet!

"Good!" said Andy. "Climb out!"

Tom climbed out. He sniffed the fresh breeze with delight, for it had been rather stuffy down in the cave. Andy undid the rope from round Tom's waist. "Now you must get down the cliff as best you can without noise," he said. "Wait for me at the edge of the rocks, won't you. I'll give you a hand over those because I know them better than you do now."

Tom went to the cliff and began to climb down. Halfway down he slipped, and kicked out quickly to prevent himself'from falling. A whole shower of stones fell down the cliff. The sentry, half-dozing, shouted at once.

Andy knew it was time to pull the string that was tied to the gramophone! He jerked it. The switch slid to one side and the record began to go round on its disc. The needle ran over the record and the lullaby began to sound in the cave. "Hush! Hush! Hush!"

The sentry heard it and thought it was Tom singing. He felt satisfied that his prisoner was still in the cave, as the song went on, and settled himself down again in a comfortable position. It must have been a rabbit that sent stones down the cliff, he thought!

Andy slipped down the cliff after Tom, glad that the sentry had heard the lullaby and had thought it must be Tom. Tom was waiting for him by the line of rocks.

"Didn't I make a row?" he whispered. "But I couldn't help it."

"It's all right! I set the record going and the sentry thinks you are busy in the cave, singing yourself to sleep," said Andy with a low chuckle. "Come on-we've no time to lose!"

CHAPTER 18.

Heave-Ho! Heave-Ho!

OVER the line of rocks the boys slipped and climbed. Tom following Andy closely, for Andy now knew the best way very well indeed. Big waves wetted them, but they did not care. All they wanted was to get back to the girls safely.

"The sentry won't look in at me to-night, I'm sure," said Tom, as they at last reached the sandy sh.o.r.e of the beach. "And the one that comes in the morning may not go into the cave to see me at all-he is a surly fellow."

"Well-that gives us a little time to think what to do next," said Andy. "Though I'm blessed if I know what will be best to do!"

They made their way to the shack, which was in darkness, for Andy had forbidden the girls to show a light of any sort in case the enemy saw it. Mary and Jill were lying together on their heather bed in the darkness, fast asleep.

Mary heard the boys come in and she sat upright in bed at once. "Is. that you, Andy?"

"Yes-and Tom tool" said Andy. Jill awoke then, and the four of them sat on one bed, hugging one another for joy. Now they were all together again! It was lovely.

"I was an awful idiot to try and get my camera back," said Tom. "I never thought of being caught. Now our boat is gone and it's going to be difficult to know what to do."

There's only one thing to do," said Andy. "And flat is to get our fishing-boat off the rocks early tomorrow morning somehow-and refloat her. I've noticed she seems to have moved a bit, and it may be that the tides have loosened her. Perhaps the two rocks that held her are not holding her quite so fast now. Anyway, it's our only chance."

"Yes-we'll try and do that," said Jill. "Tom's escape is sure to be discovered sometime to-morrow, and this time such a search will be made mat I know we'll all be found."

"Well, let's sleep for an hour or two till dawn," said Andy. "We can't do anything at the moment."

So they all lay down on their beds and slept until Andy awakened them two hours later, Now dawn was in the sky and soon the sun would rise.

The children slipped across the island and came to the beach where they had first landed, after their wreck. They looked at their poor fishing-boat, still jammed between the rocks. Certainly it had moved a little-it was not leaning so much to one side.

They stood and looked at it. The tide was not very high yet, and it was possible to reach the boat without too much difficulty.

It was not long before all the children had reached their boat, and were clambering up the wet and slippery deck. Seaweed lay across it now, thrown there by the waves. The boat looked old and miserable-not at all like the smart Jittle ship in which they had started out so gaily.

The boys went down into the little cabin. It had water lying at the bottom. Andy ripped up the planks and examined the boat underneath the floor of the cabin.

Then he came out and let himself down the side of the ship, disappearing under the water to feel the bottom of the boat. The girls and Tom watched him anxiously.

"We must mend the boat somehow," said Tom. "It's our only chance!"

When Andy joined them on the slanting deck he looked very cheerful.

"Do you know, there's not much wrong!" he said. "I do believe I could patch her up fairly quickly. The waves have shifted her a bit so that I can get at the damaged part-the part where she struck the rocks and damaged a few planks."

"Oh, good, Andy!" cried the girls, and Tom slapped the fisher-boy on the shoulder for joy. How marvellous, that they could perhaps make the ship seaworthy again! What luck that the waves had shifted her enough to make it possible to examine the damaged part! Tom had no idea at all how Andy meant to patch op the ship, but he meant to help with all his might, to make up for losing the stolen boat.

Tom and Andy went back over the rocks to fetch a rope. Andy felt sure that if they all tugged at the boat at high tide, they could get her off the rocks and float her to the beach, where it wouldtiot be difficult to patch her up.

"You see, Tom, she's not jammed very tightly now," said Andy. "And I reckon if we wait tin the tide is at its very highest, and big waves are trying to lift the boat up, we could pull her right off the rocks! Then we'll get her into sh.o.r.e somehow, and see what we can do."

"If only we can do it all before the enemy come again," said Tom. "I wonder if they've discovered that I've gone!"

"Don't let's think about that," said Andy.

The boys found all the rope they had and wound it firmly round their waists. They went back to the sh.o.r.e. The girls were still on the ship, but the tide was rising high and they would soon have to leave, as the sea covered the boat at high tide.

The children fastened strong double strands of rope to the front of the ship. Then, holding firmly to the rope, they clambered over the rocks back to the sandy beach, wet through. The tide came up higher and higher and the children had to stand up to their waists in the water, for the rope would not reach right to the sh.o.r.e.

"Look! There's an enormous wave coming!" shouted Andy. "Pull on the rope, all of you, as soon as the wave strikes the ship! Heave-ho!"

They all pulled-and every child felt the ship give a little as the wave fined her and the rope pulled her. "Now here's another one!" yelled Andy. "Heave-ho!"

They all heaved at the rope with all their might Again they felt the ship move a little. The two big waves ran up the sh.o.r.e and wetted the children to their chins!

"Hang on to the rope, girls," cried Andy. "If we get many waves Kke that you may be swept off your feet. But as long as you've got hold of the rope you'll be all right."

The waves were smaller after that-and then the wind began to blow stiffly again, and the waves grew bigger. An enormous one reared its green Jiead far out to sea.

"There's a monster coming!" shouted Tom. "Look-at it! It will sweep us off our feet!"

"But we'll pull at the boat first!" yelled Andy, who was tremendously excited. He really felt that they could get the boat off the rocks. "Now-heave-ho, heave-ho!"

The wave struck the boat and the rope dragged at her at the same moment She shivered and groaned as she tried to escape from the rocks that held her. She slipped a few feet forward.

The giant wave struck the children next, and all of them went down under it, even Andy. They floundered in the foaming waves, and Jill swallowed about a pint of salt water. Mary was very angry because Tom put his foot into her neck, but Tom didn't mean to. The wave struck him so hard that he was flung right off his feet, and had to strike out to get himself upright again.

None of them let go the rope. They all held on for dear life, as Andy had ordered. So it was not long before they were standing up again, gasping and spluttering, salt iti their mouths and noses, but all of them determined to heave again as soon as the next big wave came.

"Look how the boat has moved!" yelled Andy, in the greatest delight. "She's almost off the rocks! Golly! Isn't this exciting?"

The boat had moved a good deal. Andy was sure that they could pull her in now. He waited patiently for the next big wave to come-and my goodness, it was a monster! The tide was at its height now, and the wind blew very strongly. A green wave put up its head, and the children gave a yell.

"Look at that one!"

"It will knock us all over again," said Mary, afraid. But she didn't let go the rope. Whether she was knocked over or not she meant to do her bit.

The wave grew bigger and higher as it came nearer to the rocks on which the boat lay It began to curl over a little-and then it struck the rocks, and the boat too.

"HEAVE-HO!" yelled Andy, in a voice as enormous as the wave! And they all heaved. My goodness, what a heave that was!

The great wave blotted the boat from their sight and came raging towards them. Jill gave a shout of fear.

"Hold on!" shouted Andy, half-afraid himself. The wave swept them all off their feet-and alas, swept them all from the rope too, except Andy, who held on with all his might.

The other three children were taken like corks, rolled over and over, and flung roughly on the sand at the edge of the sea. Then the great wave ran back down the beach, gurgling and foaming.

Jill sat up, crying. Mary lay still, quite stunned for the moment. Tom sat up, furiously angry with the wave! It had b.u.mped and battered him most spitefully, he thought.

As for Andy, he was under water, still clinging to the rope-but as soon as he struggled to his feet he gave a gurgling shout and tried to clear his throat of the salt water there.

"The ship! Look! She's off and floating!"

They all looked-and there was the little fishing-boat, safely off the rocks, bobbing about on the sea that swirled high over the other rocks.

"Come in and help me, quick, before any other big "waves ceme!" yelled Andy. "We can get her into sh.o.r.e now. Quick, Tom!"

The three battered children, dripping wet, ran bravely into the sea again". They caught hold of the rope and pulled hard. "Heave-ho, heave-bo, heave-ho!" chanted Andy, as they all pulled hard.

And the boat came bobbing in to the sh.o.r.e! The children dragged the rope up the beach and the boat followed, sc.r.a.ping its bottom at last on the sand.

"We've got her!" shouted Andy, doing a kind of war-dance on his tired legs. "We've got her! Now we'll just see what we can do!"

CHAPTER 19.

A Shock for the Children

THE four children were so excited at getting their boat off the rocks that at first they could do nothing but laugh and chatter and clap their hands. They were all lited out with their long struggle in the sea, but so Joappy that they forgot all about their aching arms and legs, salty mouths and dripping clothes.

The boat lay on her side in the shallow water. Andy examined her carefully. He was sure that if he could nail planks inside, just where she had been stove-in by the rocks, he could patch her up well enough for her to sail home.

"She will let water in, but you two girls can bail her out all the time," said Andy "I'll patch her up enough to get her sailing safely. Golly! I never thought we could do this!"

The children had been so busy that no one, not even Tom, had thought of any breakfast. But Andy suddenly felt very hungry, and sent the girls off to fetch breakfast of some sort. "And bring a jug of hot cocoa, too," he said. "We are all wet through, and it would be nice to have something to warm us."

Tom fetched the tools from the shack and the box of nails and screws and bolts. Andy meant to be very busy indeed. Somehow or other that boat had" to be finished before Tom's escape was known.

After a burned breakfast, they all set to work under Andy's orders. Andy stripped some of the wood from the roof of the cabin to use in the patching of the ship. The girls took out the old nails from the strips. Tom waited on Andy and handed him everything he wanted.

The sound of the hammer echoed over the island. "Do you think the enemy will hear?" asked Jill anxiously.

"Can't help it if they do," said Andy. "We can't hammer without noise! Pa.s.s me the biggest nails you've got, Tom."

They all worked steadily for the whole of the morning. And at last Andy heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well-I think that's patched up. She won't last long without being bailed out, because I can't patch her really properly-but the girls can easily bail out whilst you and I sail the boat, Tom."