Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons (Complete Series)

“Which side of Wild Cat Island on the way down?” asked Nancy.

“Whichever you like, so long as you sail all round it, and go down one side and up the other.”

“And which way through the islands at Rio?” asked John.

“Take your choice. Each skipper uses his own judgment. Now, I’ll give you two guns for a start. The first gun means you’ve two minutes to go. At one minute to go, I’ll wave my handkerchief. At the second gun, you’re off, and may the best ship win. Until the second gun goes neither ship must cross a line drawn between the houseboat’s mast and the northern point of this bay. Anybody who does has to come and cross it again after the gun goes. Understand?”

The two captains nodded.

“Are you coming, too, in the launch?” asked Roger.

“Too much to do here,” said Captain Flint. “Shore life ends for me to-morrow, and I’m coming back to live aboard.”

“And we’re going back to Wild Cat Island,” said Roger.

“And everything’s going to be even better than last year.”

“By the way, Able-seaman,” said Captain Flint, “what have you done with the parrot?”

“He’s taking care of the camp. We took him with us yesterday.”

“We couldn’t have him with us, racing,” said Susan.

“Think if he fell overboard and we had to pick him up and lose the race,” said John.

“All aboard!” said Nancy.

“Muster your crew, Mister Mate,” said John.

Two minutes later everybody was aboard his own ship except Roger, who, with his crutch slung about his neck was allowed to come down the rope ladder from the houseboat into the Swallow, as if he was a pilot leaving a liner at sea.

“That’s that,” said Captain Flint, as Roger let go. “Now then. I’ll fire the first gun as soon as you’ve both got sail set and look like being ready.”

“How do you think the sail’s setting?” asked John. “What about getting the peak a wee bit higher?”

“Will it go?” asked Susan, looking up at the brown sail through half-closed eyes. In that sunshine she was glad that Swallow’s sail was brown and not glaring white like Amazon’s.

“Another half-inch,” said John, swigging on the halyard. “Ease off that tackle a moment till I get the peak right up. Now bring the boom down. Handsomely. Stop. So. The wind’ll flatten out those wrinkles as soon as she’s out of the bay. . . .”

Bang!

A cloud of grey smoke blew away from the foredeck of the houseboat, and they saw Captain Flint reload the little cannon and stand beside it waiting, looking at the watch in his hand.

Nancy and Peggy in Amazon were also ready, and the two little ships were sailing to and fro in the bay, their skippers watching each other, each skipper hoping to be sailing for the line when the second gun should go, and near enough to it to be over it and away without losing a second.

“You watch for the handkerchief, Titty,” said Susan. “And, Roger, we shan’t want you forward until we’ve rounded the island. Stow yourself down there by the middle thwart and keep your hurt foot well out of the way.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Roger.

“He’s waved his handkerchief,” said Titty.

“One more minute to go,” said John. “I do wish I hadn’t lost the seconds-hand off my watch. Listen! They’ve got theirs all right. They’ll know to a second when the gun’s coming.”

Amazon came gliding down towards them in the smooth, sheltered water, and they saw Peggy’s head bent, looking at something in her hand, and heard her voice, loud and eager, counting the seconds. “Forty . . . thirty-five . . . thirty . . . twenty-five.”

Then they heard Nancy, “Shut up, you tame galoot. Don’t count so loud.” They heard no more.

“There can’t be more than five seconds now,” said John. “Nancy’s going for the line. Come on.” He swung the little ship round and headed for the mouth of the bay, between the houseboat and the northern promontory. Amazon, too, was reaching out. Both vessels were on the starboard tack and not more than a dozen yards apart, but Amazon was just a little astern of Swallow.

“We’re nearly on the line now,” said John, glancing to and fro between the houseboat and the point. “We’ll have to stop her or she’ll be across it before the gun goes.”

“He’s bending over the gun,” said Titty.

“Can’t help it. We’re too soon. I’ve got to luff,” said John, and he brought Swallow up into the wind with her sail all ashake.

Bang!

The gun went, and the smoke had not blown away before Amazon, already sailing hard, was over the line and away. John put his helm up, brought his ship on the wind again, and was soon after her, but precious seconds had been lost, and Amazon was a dozen yards ahead as the two little ships left the bay, and the mates paid out the mainsheets, and, with booms out on the port side, the run down to the island began.

“My fault,” said John. “Bother that seconds hand.”

“Never mind,” said Susan. “It’s a long race. We’ll make up that little bit.”

“There’ll be more than that to make up,” said John. “Look at her. She’s creeping away from us now. They’ve got their centre-board up. They can always run faster than we can.”

There was no doubt about it. Little by little Amazon was adding to her lead. John and Susan hauled in the mainsheet a few inches and let it out again, trying to find just the place where the sail did most good. But it made no difference. Running before the wind and in fairly smooth water, Amazon was the faster boat, though not by very much.

“We’ll make it up again when it comes to beating,” said Susan.

“If only there’s a bit more wind,” said John. “Swallow likes something she can feel.”

“That’s more like,” said Titty a little later, as the wind strengthened, and a murmur of water came from under Swallow’s forefoot. “You can hear she’s pleased with it.”

“Nancy can jolly well sail,” said John, glancing over his shoulder at the wake of the Swallow, after watching the wake of the Amazon, straight as if it had been laid down on the water with a ruler.

“Are they going to keep ahead of us all the way?” asked Roger.

“The race has hardly begun yet,” said the mate.

The Amazon was already close to the northern end of Wild Cat Island, heading as if to pass outside it, when, suddenly, as if Nancy had changed her mind at the last moment, she changed course and headed for the channel between the island and the Dixon’s farm landing.

Swallow’s wake waggled for a moment.

“They’ll get smoother water that side of the island,” said John to himself, “and smooth water suits Amazon best. But there’s more wind outside and Swallow wants all she can get.”

“We ought to make up a lot keeping down this side,” said Susan.

Swallow’s wake straightened out again as John made up his mind and held her to her course. A moment later they could no longer see the Amazon. The island was between the racing ships.

“We must be gaining on them like fun,” said John. “We may even get to the foot of the island first.”

“It’ll be awful, beating up the other side if there’s no wind,” said Titty.

John and Susan looked at each other. There was nothing to be done now. “Down one side and up the other.” The best they could hope for was a lucky gust or two to help them in the narrows, and to make as much as they could now while they still had the wind.

“Isn’t it lovely to think we’ll be back on the island to-morrow,” said Titty, as they rushed along, close by the well-known shore.

“Lucky nobody has collared it while we’ve been away,” said John.

“Look out for the rocks off the low end,” said Susan.