Adventure Series - 01 - The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton

Author:Enid Blyton
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Children's Fiction
ISBN: 9780330446297
Publisher: Macmillan UK
Published: 2006-09-15T09:40:31+00:00

Chapter 16

STRANGE DISCOVERIES

THE next three days the children worked hard at rowing and sailing, until they were perfectly at home in Bill’s boat, and could handle it almost as well as Bill. He was pleased with them.

”I must say I do like to see children sticking to things, even if it means hard work,” he said. “Even old Kiki has stuck to it too, sitting on the sail, over-balancing half the time, but not dreaming of letting you go by yourselves. And as for Lucy-Ann, she’s the best of the lot, because she has had to fight sea-sickness a good part of the time.”

That afternoon, having first seen that Jo-Jo was safely in the yard at the back of the house, pumping up water from the deep well there, the children went to examine Jo-Jo’s boat carefully, to see if they could possibly handle it themselves.

They stood and looked at it bobbing on the water. It was bigger than Bill’s, but not very much. They felt certain they would be all right in it.

”It’s a pity Kiki can’t row,” said Jack. “She could take the third pair of oars and we could get along fine.”

”Fine,” said Kiki. “Fine. God save the King.”

”Idiot,” said Philip affectionately. He was as fond of Kiki as Jack and Lucy-Ann were, and the bird went to him readily. “I say, Freckles-I wonder when Jo-Jo is going to town again. I’m longing to try my hand at the boat; aren’t you?”

”I should just think so,” said Jack. “I keep on and on thinking of that Great Auk I saw. I shan’t be happy till I’ve seen it close to.”

”Bet you won’t find it,” said Philip. “It would be awfully funny if you did, though-and came back with it cradled in your arms. Wouldn’t Kiki be jealous?”

To the children’s delight, Aunt Polly announced that Jo-Jo was going shopping the next day. “So, if you want anything, you must tell him,” she said. “He has a long list of things to get for me-you can add anything you want to it, and give him the money.”

They put down a new torch battery on the list. Dinah had left her torch on one night and the battery was now no use. She must have a new one. Jack added another roll of film. He had been taking photographs of the sea-birds round Craggy-Tops, and now wanted a new film to take to the Isle of Gloom with him.

They waited anxiously for Jo-Jo to depart the next day. He seemed irritatingly slow. He started up the car at last and backed it out of the tumbledown shed where it lived. “Now don’t you children get into mischief whiles I’m gone,” he said, his black face turned suspiciously towards them. Perhaps he sensed that they were wishing him to be gone for reasons of their own.

”We never get into mischief,” said Philip. “Have a good time-and don’t hurry back. It will be pleasant without you, for a change.”

Jo-Jo scowled, put his foot on the accelerator and shot off at his usual breakneck speed.

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