Until the tide went out that night the children were prisoners on the second island, for there was no way to get back to their own island except by the line of roeks. This was now completely covered by the tide, and great showers of spray were sent high into the air as the water crashed against the rocks over which they had clambered early that day.
"Anyone got a tin-opener?" asked Tom, his mouth watering at the sight of the labels on the tins.
Andy had. In Andy's pockets there was almost anything that anyone could possibly want, from tin-tacks to toffee.
"You'd better open a tin, I suppose," said Andy, with a grin. "I've watched you sticking your finger into the sugar packet a dozen times already—and there'll be none left to take to our island if you do it much more. Open a tin of tongue and perhaps you won't feel so hungry for sugar!"
They all feasted on the tongue, which was really most delicious. They felt very thirsty afterwards, and as they bad not found any spring or stream on the second island they could not think what to do.
"Well, why don't we open a tin of pine-apple?" said Tom at last. "The chunks will be lovely and juicy and we can all have a drink of the juice in the tin too."
So a tin of pine-apple was opened. Both tins were carefully buried by the children, for even although the island seemed quite lonely and deserted they could not bear to make it ugly by leaving empty tins about. The gulls swooped round them all the time they ate, screaming loudly. Andy imitated them and they grew even more excited, at last landing on the ground behind the children and waiting there almost within touch.
"These gulls know that where there are people, there may be food," said Andy. "But how do they know that? — these islands seem quite bare and empty."
"And how, how, how did all that food come to be in the Round Cave?" said Jill. "Could it have been there for years, do you suppose—and have been forgotten?"
"No," said Andy. "It hasn't been there very long. The sugar was still soft—and sugar goes hard if it is stored for long. That cigarette-end we found too—that had been smoked not less than a week or two ago, or the wind would have blown it into bits."