Chapter 15

The Island is Searched

Andy and the girls did not take long to reach the opposite shore of the island. They slid down the steep cliff there and reached the beach. It was sandy, but at one side was a mass of seaweed-covered rocks. It was impossible to hide behind them, for a moment's search would at once discover them.

They looked at one another in despair. "Any good wading out to sea and keeping under water?" asked Jill.

"No," said Andy, "we'd have to keep popping our heads up to breathe and we'd be seen at once."

Jill stared at the rocks nearby and then she gave such a squeal that Andy and Mary jumped in fright.

"Sh!" said Andy angrily. "You'll be heard. Whatever's the matter?"

"I've thought of how to hide!" said Jill breathlessly. "It's the same idea I had for hiding that boat. Can't we cover ourselves with sand, and then drape ourselves with seaweed, to look like rocks? We could go and lie down beside those rocks, and if we were well covered with weeds we'd look exactly like them!"

"Golly! That is an idea!" said Andy at once. "Quick! I'll cover you girls with sand at once. Come over here."

The three ran to the rocks. The tide was out, and the sand was hard but damp. Andy made the girls lie down together, and then he piled sand high over them, leaving a space over their noses for breathing. He only had his hands to do this, so it was hard work. Then he dragged great handfuls of seaweed from the rocks and threw it over the sandy mound. When he had finished, the girls looked exactly like the seaweed-covered rocks nearby! It was really marvellous.

Andy covered with loose seaweed the untidy places he had made in the sand. Then he began to make a hole for himself, and to cover himself too. He draped himself with piles of seaweed and then poked up his head to look at the girls.

He really didn't know which of the rocks they were! He simply couldn't tell! He looked and looked—but not until one of the rocks moved a little did he see that it was the girls I

"Jill! Mary!" he called in a low voice. "As soon as you hear me screaming like a gull you must lie absolutely still. You look marvellous! I didn't know which rock you were till one of you moved."

"Andy, I'm afraid one of the men might tread on me," said Mary, in a frightened voice.

"Well, let him!" said Andy. "I don't advise you to call out and ask him not to walk on you!"

There was a little giggle from the nearby rock. Although the girls were frightened they could still see a joke. They all lay quietly for a time and then Andy heard voices coming near. He cried like a seagull, and the girls then lay so still that not even the tiniest bit of seaweed above them moved at all.

The men slid down to the sandy shore, calling to one another in loud voices. Andy could not understand anything they said. All the children's hearts beat loudly and Jill wondered if hers could possibly be heard. It seemed to her to be thumping as loudly as a hammer.

The men stood on the beach and looked round. One shouted something to the others and began to walk over to the rocks. Andy felt most alarmed.

"I do hope we look like real rocks," he thought "And I hope nobody treads on us—we should be found at once if that happened—to say nothing of being hurt!"

The man came nearer. He stood near Andy and took out a packet of cigarettes. Andy heard him strike a match and knew that he had lighted a cigarette.

The man threw the empty cigarette packet on to the sand, and puffed at his cigarette. A young gull, seeing the man throw the packet away, thought that it might be a piece of bread. It flew down to see, crying "Ee-oo, ee-oo, ee-oo!" very loudly.

The other gulls heard it and soared round in circles, wondering if there was any food to find. The young gull landed on the sand and stood looking at the packet, hardly daring to go nearer to peck it, for it was too close to the man.

The other gulls flew down—and two stood on Andy and one stood on the girls! The children looked so exactly like rocks that the gulls really thought they were!

One gull thought the rock felt unusually soft and warm and he bent down his head and pecked at it. He pecked Andy's knee and the boy nearly gave a yell.

The men joined the one who was smoking a cigarette. They did not even bother to walk over the rocks. One man said that it was plain there could be nobody hiding there for the gulls would not stand about as they were doing if there was anyone hiding. They would know it and be suspicious.

For some time the men stood talking and smoking. Then they turned to go up the cliff again. One walked so near Andy that the boy could feel the thud of his footfall close by.

Up the cliff climbed the men and disappeared over the top. Andy cautiously lifted his head after a while and looked around. There was no one to be seen.

The boy felt that it would be safer if they all stayed where they were for some time longer—but he felt cold and damp, and he was afraid that the girls would catch a dreadful chill.

"Mary! Jill!" he called, in a low voice. "I flunk the men are gone, but we must still be careful. Slowly and carefully take off the weed and shake yourselves free of the sand. Be ready to lie still at once if I say so."

But there was no need to say so—the men did not come back to the beach. The three children shook off the damp sand, threw the seaweed over the places where they had been lying and ran quickly to the shelter of the cliff, where no one could see them, if they looked over.

The gulls flew off in the greatest surprise and alarm. They could not understand rocks turning into children so suddenly. The young gull made up its mind that it would never land on. a rock again—just suppose it changed into a person!

"Golly!" said Andy, as they stood shivering under the cliff. "That was a narrow escape! One man very nearly trod on my hand under the sand!"

"What have you done to your knee, Andy?" asked Jill, pointing to where Andy's knee was bleeding.

"A gull pecked me there," said Andy, mopping his knee. "It's nothing much. I say, wasn't it funny when the gulls thought we were rocks and came and stood on us! They were a great help!"

"One gull stood nearly on my face," said Jill. "I didn't like it very much."

"I do feel cold," said Mary, shivering and shaking. "It was horrid to be covered with damp sand for so long."

She sneezed. Andy looked at her anxiously. It would never do for any of them to be ill just now. He made up his mind quickly.

"The men may be off the island now," he said. "I'll go and see. If they are we'll all tear across to the hut, light the stove inside and dry ourselves. we'll make some hot cocoa and get really warm."

The girls thought that was a splendid idea. Andy set off up the cliff. "Stay here till you hear my seagull cry," he said. "Then come as quickly as you can."

He came to the top of the cliff. Then, keeping to the thick bracken, he made his way to the other side of the island, looking out for any signs of the men. He went right across the island, and came to the hollow where the old buildings were—and he saw the motor-boat putting off from the shore! The men had given up the hunt and were going back to the third island. They had already searched the second one and had found nobody but Tom.

Andy tore back to the girls. He screeched like a gull. The girls at once climbed the cliff and ran across the island, feeling a little wanner as they ran. Andy was in the shack, and the stove was lighted. It gave out a welcome heat.

"Take off your damp things and wrap yourself in the rugs," said Andy, who was already walking about in a rug himself and looked like a Red Indian. "I'm making some cocoa."

In ten minutes' time all the children felt warm and lively. The stove dried their things, and the hot cocoa wanned them well. Nobody sneezed again and Andy began to hope that their long stay under the damp sand wouldn't give anyone a chill after all.