The sun seemed to go down very quickly. Just as it was about to disappear over the western edge of the world, Tom gave a yell and pointed ahead.
“What’s that?” he cried. “Look, over there, by those tall rocks.”
Andy’s sharp eyes made out what it was at oncea motor-boat! It was lying still, not moving. Could it be waiting for them?
There was nothing to do but go on. The Andy swept along, her red sail glowing. When she came near the waiting boat, they heard her motor being started up, and the boat swung out into the centre of the channel down which the Andy was flying.
Andy saw that he could not get past in safety. The channel between the two ridges of rock was narrow there. He would go on the rocks if he tried to swing past!
They came up to the motor-boat. A tall, foreign-looking man leaned over the side.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” he shouted.
“That’s none of your business!” shouted back Andy. “Get out of our way!”
“Anchor your boat and come on board here,” ordered the tall man most surprisingly. “If you don’t, we’ll capture you, boat and all!”
“Who are you?” bellowed back Andy angrily. “Clear out of our way! We’re children out on a sailing trip.”
“Andy! Turn back! Let’s go back to the Cliff of Rocks,” begged Jill, frightened. Andy looked scornful, then seemed to alter his mind. He looked anxiously at the sky. which was now dark and overcast with the coming night and with heaped-up clouds. In a short time it would be almost dark.
The man, joined by another man, began to yell at Andy again to come on board. He could not really see if Andy’s crew were children or not, for there was a little distance between the boats. Then something happened.
A great wave surged up, and took hold of the motor-boat, swinging her round violently. She must have struck a rock just below the surface, as the wave receded suddenly, for there was a grinding noise and the motor-boat shivered from top to bottom.
The two shouting men were almost thrown overboard. They disappeared at once to see what the damage was.
“Now’s our chance!” said Andy. “We’ll turn and go backbut not to the Cliff of Rocks, which is where they will expect to find us, I’ve no doubtbut to Smuggler’s Rock! You remember where this channel forks off to it? We’ll take that courseand we must hope it won’t be too dark for me to see it!”
So, whilst the men were trying to find out what damage had been done to their boat, the Andy turned round and stole off, tacking a little to get the help of the breeze. Andy did not think that the motor-boat would dare to come after them in the gathering dark, so, as soon as he could, he pulled down the sail, and took the oars, with Tom.
“Look out for the place where the channel forks,” he said. “It’s a good long row, but never mind!”
Fortunately the current helped them, and it was not so hard as Andy had expected. They found where the channel forked off for Smuggler’s Rock, and then, to their joy, saw that the moon was sliding out from behind the thinning clouds.
“That will help a lot,” said Andy. “Lookyou can see the faint shape of Smuggler’s Rock over there!”
They slid along the channel, which was wider here, and came nearer to the tall, steep rock. They could not see it very clearly, for it was full of shadows. They took the boat into a small cove. Andy thought they had better drop anchor there and hope for the best. He didn’t think anyone would come looking for them at Smuggler’s Rock. Perhaps next day they could escape out to sea.
They let down the anchor. “Are we going on to the little island?” asked Jill.
“No.” said Andy. “We shouldn’t be able to find our way properly, with the moon slipping in and out of clouds like this. We’ll sleep on the boatas we planned to do!”
“Can we all sleep on deck?” asked Jill.
“Noyou and Mary must sleep down in the cabin,” said Andy. “Have a rug eachthat should keep you warm enough down there. We’ll have the rest of the rugs and cushions because it will be chilly up on deck.”
“I feel a bit scared now,” said Mary. “I didn’t like those two men yelling at us.”
“You needn’t be afraid,” said Andy. “You will be quite safe down in the cabinand Tom and I will take it in turns to keep guard up here in case anybody should come. But no one will.”
Puzzled, tired, and still a bit frightened the twins went down into the cabin. They passed up rugs and cushions to the boys. Then they settled down to sleep.
Andy said he would take the first watch, and wake Tom up in three hours. Tom, tired out with all his adventures, was asleep at once. Andy sat beside him, covered in rugs, on guard. What a curious adventure this was! Andy couldn’t make head or tail of it!
CHAPTER 11.
A Night on the Boat.
IT was a lovely night, with scudding clouds going across the moon. In the quiet cove there was very little movement of the water, and the boat hardly stirred. Andy heard the tiny lapping sounds against her sides as he kept his watch.
He puzzled over everything that had happened. Tom had said that the big cave inside the cliff, at the foot, where the underground river rushed by, was stored with boxes and crates. Where had they come from?
“And how did the men get them there?” wondered Andy. “Surely they couldn’t have taken them up that steep cliff, through the waterfall opening, and down the winding passages that Tom described? That’s quite impossible. Could a motor-boat get up that rushing underground river? Nothe current is much too strongand by Tom’s description of it I should think the roof is too low in parts.”
Noit was too much of a puzzle and Andy soon gave up trying to solve it. “All I’m certain of is that there’s something queer going on, something unlawfuland the sooner we get back now and tell the grown-ups, the better,” thought Andy. “We can’t possibly tackle this ourselves. And there are the girls to think ofI daren’t let them run into any more danger than I can help.”
When his three hours were up he woke Tom. It was hard to wake him, for the boy was really tired out after all his adventures that day. Still, he was soon sitting up straight, the rugs well wrapped round him, looking out on the moonlit cove.
“Three hours, Tomthen wake me again,” said Andy, snuggling down in the rugs as close to Tom as he could, for warmth. It was a chilly night.
Tom felt terribly steeply. He found that his head was nodding and his eyes were closing. That would never do! To go to sleep when guarding the others would be a real crimehe couldn’t possibly do that. Andy would never, never trust him again.
“I’d better walk about a bit,” said Tom to himself. He cautiously wriggled out of his rugs so as not to wake Andy, and paced the deck. He thought he heard a movement down below, and he opened the cabin-hatch softly.
“Are you all right down there?” he said in a whisper.
Mary’s voice answered him. “I can’t go to sleep, Tom, I’ve tried and tried. I simply can’t. Let me come up on deck with you a bit and keep watch. I’m sure Andy wouldn’t mind. I’ll bring up some chocolate.”
Chocolate sounded pretty good to Tom. He called back softly. “Well, don’t wake Jill. Come on up and bring your rug. Just for a little while.”
Mary came up into the moonlight, dragging her rug with her. She looked round.
“Ohisn’t it lovely up here with the moonlight making the sea all silvery. What black shadows there are in Smuggler’s Rock! I wonder if we’ll have time to explore it tomorrow. Here’s your chocolate, Tom.”
They sat down together, cuddling into the thick rugs. They munched the chocolate, which tasted delicious, eaten in the middle of the night like that! Tom felt quite wide awake by now. He and Mary began to discuss the day’s happenings in low tones, so as not to wake Andy.
“Did you get your torch wet?” asked Mary. “You knowwhen you fell into the underground river?”
“Yes, I did,” said Tom, and felt in his pocket for it. “I expect it’s quite spoilt. I’ll try it.”
He pressed the little button that usually set the torch alightbut nothing happened. It was quite spoilt. Tom put it back into his pocket again. As he did so he felt something else therea tiny round thing. What was it?