"Whew! Look at that!" whispered Andy, his face going as red as a beetroot with excitement. "I never thought of a seaplane! What a very extraordinary thing!"
"Let's get up and shout and wave." begged Jill. "I'm sure they will love to rescue us."
"Haven't you seen the sign on the wings?" asked Tom, in a curiously angry voice. The girls looked. The sign of the crooked cross was painted on each wing—the sign of the enemy, the foe of half the world.
"Golly!" said Mary, and she drew a deep breath. "Enemies I Using these islands! Do they belong to them?"
"Of course not," said Andy. "But they are desolate, and out of the usual ships' course—and they've been noted by the enemy, and he's using them as a kind of base for something—seaplanes perhaps."
"Well—what are we going to do?" asked Tom.
"We shall have to think," said Andy. "One thing is certain. We won't show ourselves tell we've found out a fitted more. We don't want to be taken prisoner."
"That's what that food was for, then—the people who come here," said Jill. "I suppose the seaplanes come over here for food and petrol. Ifs a good idea. How I wish we could get away and tell my father about it—he'd know what to do. I guess he'd clean up this place, whatever it's used for!"
"I say—hadn't we better take down our signal whilst that seaplane is here?" asked Jill. "If it happens to see it, the enemy will know there are people on this island". And" what about the fishing-boat? That might be seen too."
"I don't think so," said Andy. "It's well hidden between those rocks. But the signal had certainly better come down. We won't put it up any more. Come on. Tom—we'll take it down now."