"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!"
Chapter 8
Odder and Odder
The children each chose what they thought they would like to take away. Sugar they wanted, and salt. The tinned butter would be splendid, and any tins of meat and fruit. Jill thought she might be able to make some rolls of bread with the flour, or, at any rate, some scones. They took tins of powdered milk too, and each child carried quite a- heavy load down the narrow passages that led from the Round Cave to the shore-cave.
When they reached the open air Tom took a deep breath and set down his load. "My goodness, it was stuffy up there," he said.
"What puzzles me is why it wasn't more stuffy than it was," said Andy. "Air must get into that Round Cave through some hole we didn't see. Pick up your things, Tom, the tide is coming in. We can't stay on this beach. The sea will reach the cave before long."
"It's all right for about ten minutes," said Tom, pulling a fat little notebook from his pocket. "I just want to jot down a list of all the things we've taken, in case we eat them up and then forget what we had."
"Tom's always so honest," said Jill. "Well, I'll tell you the things, Tom, and you can write them down. Three tins of pineapple. One big bag of sugar. Three tins' of tongue. Four tins of-"