“Gosh — is that really his name?” said Philip.
The incensed Mr. Tipperlong roared up the hole. “My name is TIPPERLONG and I’ll thank you to remember it. Ill-mannered children! You wait till I make a complaint about you, and get you punished. I never heard of such behaviour in all my life.”
“You can’t blame him for being wild,” said Jack. “He says he’s a — a — I say, Mr. Tripalong, what did you say you were?”
“An ornithologist, ignorant boy!” yelled Mr. Tipperlong.
“Golly, what’s that?” said Philip innocently, and the others giggled.
“You let me out of this,” commanded Mr. Tipperlong, and his head appeared cautiously near the entrance of the hole, ready to bob back if necessary.
It was necessary. “Look here,” said Jack, exasperated, “do you want me to give you a good old conk on the head before you know I mean what I say? Because I will! I don’t want to; but I will! I bet you gave Bill a few blows before you captured him. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.”
“You’re talking double-Dutch,” said Horace, in a disgusted voice. “I think you must be mad. Do you mean to tell me you kids are all alone on this island? I don’t believe a word you say. You tell whoever is in charge of you to come and have a word with me. If you think I’m going to stay here much longer, you’re mistaken. I’ve never met such unpleasant children in my life. I suppose you’re playing at being Just Williams. Pah!”
This was a lovely noise. Kiki, who had been listening with surprise and enjoyment to the animated conversation, now joined in.
“Pah! Pooh! Pah! Pop!”
She flew to the edge of the hole and looked in. “Pah!” she said again, and went off into a cackle of laughter.
Horace looked up in fresh alarm. Was that really a parrot at the hole entrance — saying “pah” and “pooh” to him in that rude way?
“Is that — is that one of the tame puffins you told me about?” he asked doubtfully.
“I thought you were an ornithologist,” said Jack in scorn. “Kiki is a parrot. I should have thought anyone would have known that!”
“But — how can a parrot live here?” said Horace. “It’s not a sea-bird. Oh, this is all a dream. But what a very silly dream!”
At that moment a puffin came down the end of the burrow that led into the back of the hole.
“Arrrrrrr!” it announced in a deep and guttural voice. Mr. Tipperlong jumped violently. All he could see in the dimness of the hole was a baleful eye and a big and many-coloured beak.
“Go away,” he said weakly. “Shoo!”
“Shoo!” said Kiki from the hole entrance in great delight. “Pah! Pooh! Shoo! Arrrrrrrrr!”
“You’re all mad,” said poor Horace. “I’m mad too, I suppose. Shoo, I tell you!”
The puffin said arrrrr again and then went back up its burrow. Judging by the flow of arrrrs that came down the hole, it was telling its wife all about the peculiar puffin-man it had just seen in the hole.
“What are we going to do now we’ve got him?” said Philip in a low voice. “I suppose he is an enemy? I mean, — he does sound rather a goof, doesn’t he?”
“All part of a clever plan,” said Jack. “He’s no ornithologist. He’s been told to dress up like a goofy one and act the part. Some bird-men are awful goofs, you know. We’ve met them. Well, this one is just about too goofy for words — he’s over-acting, if you know what I mean. I’m glad he hasn’t got a revolver. I’ve been afraid of that all the time.”
“Yes. So was I,” admitted Philip. “There may be one in the boat. I hope there is. It might come in useful. Well, what are we going to do?”
“Do you think he can hear what we’re saying?” said Lucy-Ann, looking frightened.
“No, not if we talk as low as this,” said Philip. “Jack, the boat is a nice little bit of work. Smaller than the Lucky Star, but it has a little cabin and will easily take us all, and some food.”
“Are there oars in it, in case we want to cut out the engine, and go in quietly to shore anywhere?” asked Jack.
“Yes,” said Philip. “I noticed those. Have you got a good plan, Jack? I keep on and on thinking, but all I can make up my mind about is to sail off in the boat — but where to I don’t know. We want to escape — but we want to escape to somewhere. And not out of the frying-pan into the fire either. We’d better do it soon, too, because if dear old Tripalong doesn’t get back to the gang with news pretty soon they’ll send others here.”
“Yes, I’d thought of all that too,” said Jack, and the girls nodded. “The thing is — shall we try to make for the outer islands and find one where a few fishermen live, and try to get help? Or shall we try for the mainland? Or shall we hunt for Bill?”
There was a silence. Everyone was thinking hard. Lucy-Ann spoke first.
“I vote for hunting for Bill,” she said. “We could try that first, anyway — and then make for safety afterwards if we’re not successful. But I do think we ought to try to find Bill first.”
“Good for you, Lucy-Ann,” said Jack. “That’s what I think. Now for some more planning.”
Horace Tipperlong suddenly demanded their attention again. “Stop all that talk, talk, talk,” he cried fretfully. “I’m ravenous — and thirsty too. If you’re going to try and starve me to death, say so. But at least let me know.”
“We’re not going to starve you. Don’t be an ass,” said Jack. “Lucy-Ann, open some tins and give them to him. And chuck him down some biscuits too. Dinah, fill a pan with water from the pool.”
“Right, chief,” grinned Dinah, and went off to the pool in the rocks. Horace was handed down the full pan of water, and some tins and biscuits. He began to eat hungrily. The sight of the food made the others feel hungry too.
“We’ll have a feed as well,” said Philip. “Shall I take a turn at holding the stick and sitting by the hole, Jack?”
“Yes,” said Jack. “But mind — give him a good old conk if he so much as shows a hair!”
This was said in a very loud voice, so that Horace was sure to hear. But Horace said nothing. Apparently he was willing to bide his time now.
The children were soon devouring a tinned chicken, tinned peas which they ate without heating, a tinned fruit salad with tinned cream, washed down with water from the pool.
“Jolly good,” said Jack, with a comfortable sigh. “I feel better. Wonderful what food does to you!”
“It would make me sick if I ate as much as you’ve just eaten,” said Dinah. “You’re a greedy pig. You ate twice as much as anyone else.”
“Can’t help it,” said Jack. “I was twice as hungry. Now then — lower your voices, please — we’ll make our plans.”
“Shall we set out at night?” said Philip in a low voice.
“No,” said Jack at once. “We’d never see our way, even in the moonlight. We’d better set off first thing tomorrow morning, about dawn. We’ll hope old Tripalong is asleep then, so that we can get a good start without his interrupting us.”
“Yes — because we’ll have to leave the hole unguarded when we all go to the boat,” said Lucy-Ann.
“I’d thought of that,” said Jack. “You three can go to the boat, take food with you, and our clothes and rugs — get everything absolutely ready — and then, when you’re ready to start, give me a yell and I’ll come tearing along to join you. You can send Dinah up to the top of the cleft to wave.”
“And by the time Horace has realised nobody is on guard to conk him on the head, we’ll be out to sea in his boat!” said Dinah, enjoying the thought. “Poor old Horace! I feel quite sorry for him.”
“I don’t,” said Jack unfeelingly. “If he’s Bill’s enemy, he’s jolly well mine. He deserves all he’s got — and honestly, except for being tripped into the hole, he’s got nothing much to complain about. I shan’t block him in, when we leave, and put food there, as I thought we would at first. It won’t matter if he gets out once we’re gone. And I shouldn’t think it will be long before some others of the gang come along to see why he hasn’t turned up at home — wherever that is!”
“It seems a bit of a wild-goose chase to try and find Bill, with all these scores of islands to choose from,” said Philip. “But I shouldn’t feel comfortable if we didn’t have a shot, anyway.”