"No," said Andy, who did not wish the man to examine the buildings, and perhaps ask where the tumbledown shack was. This had almost disappeared by now, for the children had taken all the planks for their raft!
"Let me see your tent," said the man. Andy's heart sank. It would be too bad if the raft was found just as it was finished. He took the man to the tent in silence.
The man looked inside. He saw the box in the middle covered with a rug. "What's that?" he asked.
"It's the box of food the man brought us the other day," said Andy, and he pulled off the rug. The man saw at once that it way only a box of food and he nodded. He did not go inside the tent, luckily, or his nailed boot might have gone through the heathery covering and struck against the wooden raft below. Then he would certainly have pulled aside the heather and seen the children's secret.
Jill and Mary watched, very pale and scared. Tom sat nearby and whistled. The man still stood looking into the tent, and all the children felt very anxious indeed—and then a great seaplane roared over the island, making a terrific noise.
"Look! Look!" yelled Tom, jumping up. "Isn't it a big one!"
The man looked up, at Tom's yell, and followed the seaplane with his eyes. "I must go," he said, and he went down the beach to the boat. "I will send men to put you up a rough hut for the winter. Be sensible children and you will be looked after—but if not, you will be,very sorry for yourselves."
The children were very thankful indeed when they saw the boat go off over the water. They heaved deep sighs of relief and looked at one another.
"Thank goodness, that seaplane came when it did and Tom let out that yell," said Jill. "It just took the man's attention away! I really thought he was going to go inside the tent and look at everything!"
"Well, I think we're safe to make our escape soon now," said Andy. "I don't expect any men will be sent for a while. We'll drag the raft down to the shore early to-morrow morning, and I'll set up the mast and rig the sail as best I can. Then Tom and I will start off."