Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons (Complete Series)

“I’ve never said yet there was a treasure in that place,” said Mr. Duck, “and I’ve always said I’d never go there. But after what’s happened since yesterday I’m with you, sir. I’ll show you the place as near as I can. If it’s anything you fancy, well and good. Even if them crabs have scoffed the bag and all that’s in it, it’ll be a grand bit of sailing down the Nor’-east Trades.”

But it was Susan who, in the end, gave the deciding vote.

“Whatever it is,” she said, “Black Jake ought not to have it. And Peggy and I were counting things all yesterday, because of what you said at Cowes. We’ve got enough for a very long time.”

“Six months’ stores,” said Captain Flint. “And if there’s anything short we could fill up in Madeira.”

“I think we ought to go,” said Susan. “Black Jake’s almost a murderer. He oughtn’t to be allowed to get it after this.”

“Susan,” said Captain Flint, “shake hands. You’re fifteen kinds of trump.”

“Well done, Susan,” said Nancy. “I thought you’d agree in the end.”

“What about you, John?” said Captain Flint.

“Susan’s quite right. We ought to go,” said John.

“Swallows and Amazons for ever!” cried Nancy.

“Don’t shout, Nancy,” said John, and Peter Duck looked northwards over his shoulder.

“What’s going to happen?” said Roger. “What’s it all about? What? What?”

“We’re going to Crab Island to get that treasure,” said Titty, who had been listening open-mouthed.

“Then we’ll really see those crabs,” said Roger.

Bill stared first at one and then at another.

Captain Flint walked hurriedly forward, right up to the bows and back again. He came aft chuckling in his excitement. “We’ll bring it off,” he was saying. “Nothing’s going to stop us. Black Jake did a bad day’s work for himself when he set his ship’s boy afloat in a dinghy. As for you, you young pirate,” he added, turning to Bill, “where did you sleep aboard the Viper?”

“Sail locker,” said Bill.

“We’ll do a bit better for you than that, if you’re to sign articles with us.”

“I’ll do whatever Mr. Duck says,” said Bill.

“We’ll fix you up a bunk in the hospital cabin,” said Captain Flint. “There’s nothing in there but tinned food. Take him below, you others, and introduce him to Gibber and the parrot. Matter of fact,” he added, turning to Peter Duck, “I’ve been feeling a bit uneasy about that boy, ever since we sent him back to the Viper, that day when John and Nancy fished him out of the harbour.”

Bill, hearing this, bobbed up again into the highest spirits.

“Come on, Bill,” said Nancy.

“Come along,” said Roger, “Gibber’ll be pleased to meet you.”

“Where’s all them cap’ns and mates of yours?” said Bill.

There was a general laugh.

Bill looked from face to face with surprise.

“Come on,” said Roger again, and Bill, nerving himself to meet a whole saloon full of officers, followed him down the companion.

“You’d better go down with the others to fix him up,” said Captain Flint to John. “I’ll take the wheel. Ask Susan and Peggy if they can’t give us something to eat.”

“Sou’west by south and a half south,” said John.

“Sou’west by south and a half south.”

“Blue water sailing after all,” said Peter Duck, looking round at the thinning fog.

And Captain Flint watched the compass card, smiling happily, as he kept the Wild Cat on her course for Finisterre, and thought of Madeira and the distant Caribbees.

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The message about food was given and at once forgotten. What with Bill and the decision just taken, not even Roger at that moment could think about such things as dinner.

“Well,” said Nancy cheerfully, as they crowded into the saloon and Bill looked round in surprise to see no officers about. “We’re in for it now. I knew he’d never be content just hanging about near home. Three cheers for Christopher Columbus.”

“It’s a good thing we’ve been careful with the water from the very beginning,” said Susan.

“This is going to be a real voyage,” said Titty.

“What do you mean?” said Bill.

“Mr. Duck’s island,” said John.

“Those crabs,” said Roger.

“I’m jolly glad we ran you down,” said John. “You know, it was just that that settled it, our going, I mean.”

Bill stared.

“Why,” he said, “we knew in Lowestoft you was going there. We was sailing the night you first come aboard, only Black Jake see Mr. Duck a-talking to your skipper. And then next day when he see Mr. Duck bringing his dunnage aboard, why then he knowed. And then when he pushed me overboard and I telled him what your skipper said about all them cap’ns and mates . . .” Bill lowered his voice, and looked round at the cabins.

“He did push you overboard that day?” said Titty. “I was sure he did.”

“Course he did,” said Bill. “I ain’t no natural diver. When I come back and tell him what your skipper said, Black Jake he telled the others and I got more’n half a rope’s-ending next morning when he come on deck and find you’d cleared out of harbour and given us the slip. And then when you come in again as we was going out to look for you I got it worse from the others. We knowed you was going well enough. And Black Jake telled Mogandy and Boon and the rest they’d nothing to do but to get a hold of Mr. Duck and they’d be rich men for life. They reckoned to do it, too, this morning.”

The Swallows and Amazons looked at each other. With Bill so sure that from the beginning they had been bound for Crab Island, it began to seem odd, even to Susan, that they had really set sail from Lowestoft without meaning to go treasure-hunting at all. When Captain Flint left the wheel to Mr. Duck and came hurrying down after them into the saloon, just for a moment, to spread the big chart of the Atlantic on the saloon table and to show them where they were going (he, too, had already forgotten about the food) they could see that Bill simply did not believe that they were looking at it now for the first time. It may seem a queer thing, but perhaps it was just because Bill took it for granted that they had set out on that tremendous voyage that the others so quickly grew used to the idea of it.

Indeed, they almost forgot to think about the voyage in the interest of fitting Bill out as a member of the crew. Nancy had a white canvas hat for him. John offered him a pair of shorts, but Bill preferred his long trousers, patch and all. His feet turned out to be about the same size as Peggy’s, and luckily she had a pair of sandshoes to spare as well as an old pair of sea-boots. As for oilskins, there were a lot of spare ones. “And, anyway,” said John, “we’re never all wearing oilskins at once.” Susan and Peggy cleared a lot of tins out of the lower bunk in the hospital cabin for him, and Titty pinned up a picture postcard of Lowestoft harbour on the wall, to make him feel at home. They decided where he was to sit at the saloon table, and remembered, with horror, that Captain Flint had asked for food. Susan and Peggy left the others and bolted up the companion, to get to work in the galley. Roger showed Bill where the engine was stowed. John and Nancy took him into the fo’c’sle. Roger introduced him to Gibber, who let Bill tickle him behind the ear. Titty introduced him to the parrot, who gave him a terrible nip in the finger.